Press Release

For Immediate Release June 16, 2020

Wagering odds officially published for the 2020 Western Golf Alliance Open

The initial gambling books name Brian Gray as favored to be first back-to-back champion

BOTHELL, Washington. With San Diego as the location for the 2020 Western Golf Alliance Open, the sports books have begun releasing their odds for this summer's premier golf event. As the first book to post odds, the Boar's Head and Thistle Pub, Sports Book, and Cricket Club of London has established 2018 champion Brian Gray as the pre-tournament favorite.

"Brian Gray has clearly established himself as someone who can dominate competition when his game peaks, and he knows how to do exactly that for the WGA Open," said Nigel Smythe, owner and manager of the Boar's Head and Thistle. "As a SoCal local who has also played some of the courses booked for this year's event, Gray is the logical choice to wear the mantle of 'favourite'."

"I absolutely dominated everyone in 2018, shooting the all-time tournament record, and I am prepared to do it again," said Gray. "I have won this event more than anyone else, and I couldn't be more confident in knowing how to leverage my handicap to close out a lead during a major golf tournament," he stated.

This year's event was especially difficult to evaluate, as the field participants and size fluctuated in recent months dueo the global pandemic. Overall, the 2020 field is dominated by high handicappers handicappers who are capable of sporadic results and therefore may shoot surprising low NET scores. Leading this group is WGA Open veteran and SoCal native Mark Taylor, of who will benefit from the oceanside layouts of Torrey Pines and the modified World Handicap System formulas.

In explaining other aspects of the odds, Smythe said "Let me be very clear, with the 2020 Open occuring in September, some players will have their heads on football, not golf. They'll be mostly concerned about Nottingham Forest's chances for promotion, and maybe - maybe - some of the results of matches involving Leeds, Crystal Palace, and Tottenham. Those football distractions are the wildcard we simply cannot predict."

The full odds as posted by the Boar's Head and Thistle are as follows:

Brian Gray, 5-2

Mark Taylor, 7-1

Peter McGarry, 10-1

Andy Connor, 15-1

Robert Hughes, 20-1

David Duval, 30-1

Trever Esko, 35-1

Big Al Torrico, 100-1

The Remaining "Field", 18-1

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About the Western Golf Alliance: The Western Golf Alliance is the premier golf organization in the United States. The WGA exists to further the greatness of this grand sport of golf through the improvement of golf play by its members, the promotion of golf rules, etiquette, and tradition, and the ability to gather together from time to time for golf events and tournaments. The regional organization spans five western states, and is organized into nine geographic regions. Further information is available at http://www.westerngolf.org/.

About the Boar's Head and Thistle: Further information is available at The Boar's Head.

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