Cactus Tour Betting Preview (May 20-22) – Carlota Ciganda Joins the Field

The Cactus Tour heads to Alta Mesa CC — a private par-72 track located just east of Phoenix in the city of Mesa — for this week’s event. Mina Harigae is aiming to win her third straight event on the Cactus Tour but will have her hands full when you consider the stellar field.

Two-time LPGA Tour winner Carlota Ciganda is teeing it up, as are Clariss Guce and Sophia Popov. And let’s not forget about Haley Moore, who has been playing fantastic golf lately.

Before I get into my prediction, take a look a look at the Cactus Tour odds.

Carlota Ciganda is the 15^th-ranked player in the world and a member of each of the last four Solheim Cups. It would have been silly for the leading golf bookmakers to install anyone else at the top of this week’s Cactus Tour odds.

Nevertheless, we haven’t seen Carlota competitively since the Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio back in January. Knocking the rust off with her short game is one thing, and getting her competitive juices flowing is another. While I think +125 is a reasonable price to pay, it’s not a Cactus Tour bet I’m in too big of a hurry to place.

I’m going right back to the Haley Moore well, just as I did in my last Cactus Tour betting preview (#18 – Desert Canyon).

Why?

Well, the easy answer is the 2019 California State Open winner has been playing with her foot glued to the gas pedal over the last couple of months. Allow me to quickly sum up what the University of Arizona product has been up to since winning at Sun City in early April.

Moore has finished 4^th-3^rd-2^nd during her last three starts on the Cactus Tour, boasting a 68.7 scoring average during that stretch. Perhaps even more impressive are her 12 consecutive rounds of par or better.

At +800 to end the week as the last woman standing, Haley Moore is a Cactus Tour bet with value.

Let’s take a closer look at Riley Rennell’s recent game log. The Columbia, TN, native has placed 6^th or better in each of the last three Cactus Tour events and is no stranger to going low. Riley opened with 66 (-6) a few weeks ago at Longbow and is a combined 15-under-par over her last nine rounds.

Rennell now looks to apply the momentum gained into Alta Mesa.

Veronica Joels is another name that comes up when you think about females who have been rock-solid on the Cactus Tour this spring. Two bad holes during the final round at Desert Canyon marred what was otherwise a productive week, but here’s the kicker.

The top golf betting sites have recently been listing Joels in the +5000 to +6600 range to win on the Cactus Tour. With Joels at +10000 to win the golf tournament this time around, even a smallish bet has some major upside.

Feel free to fade Mina Harigae coming off wins in each of the last two Cactus Tour events.

Not me, though.

Harigae is a mind-boggling 35-under par in her last six rounds and is primed for another peak performance. The resident of Mesa, AZ, has been lighting up golf courses in the Scottsdale region, and now we’re placing her right in her backyard.

I was ready to pounce had Mina been priced at +150. When I spotted Harigae at +200, I wasted no time at all.