Dow Championship 2026 Betting Tips: Jamie offers up 16/1, 28/1 & 100/1 picks

Nelly Korda’s relentless march through the 2026 LPGA season continued at Riviera in the U.S. Women’s Open last week, as she holed a nervy putt on the final green to secure a maiden title in the championship, further cementing her status as the dominant force in women’s golf.

The world No. 1 has now won four times in just eight starts this year, including two major championships, while her results read 2nd, 2nd, 2nd and 8th in the other four. In an era blessed with so much depth and talent, Korda is producing a level of elite consistency that is difficult to comprehend, and it will be exciting to see just what she can achieve this season.

She is back in action this week as the LPGA Tour shifts gears for the Dow Championship team event, which will be held at Midland Country Club in Michigan for the seventh successive time.

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New customers only. Register, deposit with Debit Card, and place first bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get £30 in Sports Free Bets & £20 in Bet Builder Free Bets within 24 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. T&Cs Apply.

You can bet on the tournament and check out the latest Dow Championship 2026 Odds over on betfred.com

TOURNAMENT HISTORY

The Dow Championship is a stroke-play team event that debuted on the LPGA in 2019 and showcases a similar format to that of the Zurich Classic on the PGA Tour.

It features 72 two-woman teams that will compete in foursomes (alternate shot) on Thursday and Saturday and fourballs (better ball) on Friday and Sunday. In the event of a playoff, the tournament will be decided using the foursomes format.

Last five winners:

Winners: Somi Lee & Jin Hee Im (-20, playoff)

Runners-up: Megan Khang & Lexi Thompson (-20)

• 2024

Winners: Jeeno Thitikul & Ruoning Yin (-22)

Runners-up: Jennifer Kupcho & Ally Ewing (-21)

Winners: Elizabeth Szokol & Cheyenne Knight (-23)

Runners-up: Matilda Castren & Kelly Tan (-22)

Winners: Jennifer Kupcho & Lizette Salas (-26)

Runners-up: Matilda Castren & Kelly Tan (-21)

Winners: Ariya Jutanugarn & Moriya Jutanugarn (-24)

Runners-up: Jasmine Suwannapura & Cydney Clanton (-21)

The Korean duo of Somi Lee and Jin Hee Im won their breakthrough LPGA titles in Michigan last year, beating Megan Khang & Lexi Thompson in a playoff. They return to defend this week.

THE COURSE

Midland Country Club

• Original architect / Year opened: Gilbert A. Currie / 1928

• Latest renovation: The course has undergone several renovations, most recently by Craig Schreiner from 2008-2010, and George Dillon in 2021

• Par / Yardage: Par 70 / 6,301 yards

• Hole breakdown:

• 4x par 3s (144-198 yards)
• 12x par 4s (294-438 yards)
• 2x par 5s (509-559 yards)

• Course style: Gently-rolling parkland that is predominantly tree-lined, though opens up a touch down the closing stretch

• Fairways:

• The fairways are narrow to begin but become more generous as the course progresses
• There are some tight driving lines and a few severe doglegs that require players to be a little more strategic
• That said, with limited bunkering and a lack of punishing rough, it’s not the most penal course for missing fairways

• Greens:

• The poa annua/bentgrass mixed greens are small (5,200 sq. ft.) and could run up to 12 on the Stimp
• Whilst internal undulations are mild, several are multi-tiered
• They are guarded by run-off areas, as well as bunkers that are few but relatively deep

• Defences: Two ponds and a creek that winds its way through the course, bringing water into play on 10 holes

During a hectic part of the season packed with challenging major championship tests, Midland Country Club provides players with a necessary breather in a more fun and relaxed environment.

Birdie chances aren’t gifted but are easy enough to attain with solid ball striking, and with the layout not being tricked up, we often see the low scoring that an event such as this warrants.

The 144-yard par-3 18th provides an exciting closing hole, with a sizeable putting surface that would be simple to find in ordinary circumstances. However, it’s surrounded by water, and with a large bunker gobbling up approaches that go long, it becomes an entirely different prospect in the heat of battle on Sunday.

THE WEATHER

With lots of rain in the build-up, including around 14mm falling on Wednesday evening alone, the players should find a receptive course ripe for birdies. There are further storms forecast overnight on Thursday but fortunately, it looks largely clear during the day.

That said, players will have to show some wind management, with a moderate breeze, ranging between 9-14mph, forecast for each round.

KEY STATS

SG: Approach / Greens-in-Regulation (GIR)

SG: Putting (poa/bentgrass)

Par 4 Scoring

We have no tournament-specific data available for this event, though I’m still reasonably clear about what is required to contend here.

This is typically a tournament all about making birdies, which makes it important to have players on side who excel with their scoring clubs. Therefore, teams who produce high levels of approach play and putting between them are of obvious interest.

In addition, as two-thirds of the holes around this layout are par 4s, it stands to reason that those who excel in par-4 scoring will enjoy the challenge.

Season-long stats of the last four winning teams:

Somi Lee: 28th in SG: Approach / 10th in GIR / 37th in SG: Putting / 5th in Par 4 Scoring

Jin Hee Im: 81st in SG: Approach / 54th in GIR / 28th in SG: Putting / 21st in Par 4 Scoring

Jeeno Thitikul: 22nd in SG: Approach / 1st in GIR / 2nd in SG: Putting / 1st in Par 4 Scoring

Ruoning Yin: 3rd in SG: Approach / 17th in GIR / 86th in SG: Putting / 4th in Par 4 Scoring

Cheyenne Knight: 21st in SG: Approach / 65th in GIR / 63rd in SG: Putting / 32nd in Par 4 Scoring

Elizabeth Szokol: 114th in SG: Approach / 106th in GIR / 59th in SG: Putting / 102nd in Par 4 Scoring

Jennifer Kupcho: 69th in SG: Approach / 19th in GIR / 47th in SG: Putting / 49th in Par 4 Scoring

Lizette Salas: 24th in SG: Approach / 45th in GIR / 42nd in SG: Putting / 61st in Par 4 Scoring

CORRELATING EVENTS

I’m going to stay in the state of Michigan with my first comp course: Meijer LPGA Classichost Blythefield Country Club. It’s a gently undulating, tree-lined parkland, with average-to-wide fairways and small poa/bentgrass greens that are set up to play at a speedy 12 on the Stimpmeter.

It could also pay to side with players/teams that have performed on the similar-sized and fast poa annua greens at Columbia Edgewater Country Club, home of the Portland Classic. This is another parkland that is tree-lined yet generally spacious and is built on mildly-rolling terrain.

Last up, I wonder if Shoprite LPGA host, Seaview’s Bay Course, could be worth checking out. This course is diminutive in length, has bentgrass/poa greens that are only a little larger than the ones at Midland Country Club, and has the added bonus of requiring contenders to play in windy conditions.

THE FIELD

The reigning champions Somi Lee and Jin Hee Im will tee it up again this week and are joined by only one other former winning team: 2021 champions Ariya Jutanugarn & Moriya Jutanugarn.

However, we do have two other previous winners playing alongside new partners: 2022 victor Lizette Salas plays with Jennifer Song, whilst 2019 champion Jasmine Suwannapura teams up with Gigi Stoll.

Our indomitable world No. 1 Nelly Korda plays in the event for the first time since 2022, partnered with good friend Olivia Cowan.

Other teams of note include twin sisters Aki and Chizzy Iwai, the super Swedish duo of Linn Grant and Maja Stark, Hall-of-Famer Lydia Ko and Danielle Kang, whilst Angel Yin gets the honour of playing with legendary, seven-time major winner Juli Inkster.

SELECTIONS

Market leaders: Hyo Joo Kim & Hye-Jin Choi 5/1, Nelly Korda & Olivia Cowan 7/1, Somi Lee & Jin Hee Im 7/1, Nasa Hataoka & Jin-Young Ko 9/1, A Lim Kim & Ina Yoon 9/1

2.5 pts Celine Boutier & Nanna Koerstz Madsen each-way (1/4, 5 places) @ 16/1

First up is the high-class European partnership of France’s Celine Boutier and Denmark’s Nanna Madsen. Each of these players have finished third in this event with different partners and have never been outside the top 20 in four combined appearances. With Boutier arriving off a recent win at a comp course and Madsen playing solid golf herself, they should make a formidable team.

Boutier hasn’t missed a cut on the LPGA in 2026 but has really come to life across her last six starts, recording five top-25s. This included securing a seventh tour title at the ShopriteLPGA just two weeks ago, which was her second victory in that event.

Madsen hasn’t quite hit those heights, though she does have two top-10s this campaign, finishing fifth at the Honda LPGA Thailand and 7th at the Aramco Championship. Perhaps moreimportantly, she’s hitting the ball strongly and is excelling on the greens, ranking 16th in SG: Putting.

Her playing partner is also shining with the putter, ranking 30th, and with her higher level of approach play, sitting 38th in SG: Approach, they have the arsenal to make plenty of birdies around here.

The Dane has only played in this event once, but she certainly left her mark, finishing third alongside compatriot Nicole Broch Estrup in 2024. Boutier finished in the same position with Yuka Saso the previous season, and with additional top-20s together with Karen Icher in 2019 and Saso again in 2024, we can be confident that both of these players have the game to top the leaderboard in Michigan.

1.5 pts Andrea Lee & Yealimi Noh each-way (1/4, 5 places) @ 28/1

With three top-10s in four starts, Yealimi Noh has a fantastic record in this contest, and she can enhance it beside fellow Californian Andrea Lee this week. Lee produced a career-best result of sixth at Midland Country Club 12 months ago and, having both gone well at the same comp course, this power and accuracy combo holds plenty of appeal.

Lee enjoyed a promising start to 2026, hitting the top 25 in three of her first five outings. She has dropped off since major season got underway – missing three of her last five cuts – though with her iron play remaining strong, ranking 13th in GIR and 30th in SG: Approach, this looks the ideal opportunity to bounce back.

In contrast, Noh did little of note earlier in the year but has found some form over this more intense period. She was 12th at the Chevron Championship in our first major of the season, whilst she also made the cut at Riviera last week, finishing 54th.

Furthermore, her iron play has been slowly returning to the standard of the previous two seasons, ranking inside the top 20 in SG: Approach at the Chevron Championship and the U.S. Women’s Open.

Particularly encouraging about this duo is their excellent record at Columbia Edgewater in the Portland Classic. Lee won her first and as yet only LPGA title there in 2022, while Noh was second and third in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

That certainly gives this correlating form-line a boost, as Noh has finished third (2021), eighth (2024) and 10th (2022) around this layout, paired with A Lim Kim each time. Combined with Lee finishing sixth last year following missing her first two cuts, there’s every reason to expect them to put up a serious challenge.

0.75 pts Chanettee Wannasaen & Bianca Pagdanganan each-way (1/4, 5 places) @ 100/1

My third and final selection at Midland Country Club is Thailand’s Chanettee Wannasaen and Bianca Pagdanganan of the Philippines. They’ve both hit the top 10 in Michigan and, with plenty of encouragement to be found in recent results, they can make a run at a tempting three-figure price.

Golf Odds

Wannasaen looked good during the tour’s East Asia swing at the beginning of the season, finishing 18th at the Honda LPGA Thailand and 28th at the Blue Bay LPGA. Six missed cuts in seven since returning to the U.S. represents a drop in form, but the fact that her one strong performance came when ninth at the Shoprite LPGA leaps off the page.

After losing her full playing privileges at the end of 2025, Pagdanganan has spent her time between the LPGA and Epson Tour this year. She’s played solidly at that lower level and carried momentum into her last appearance, ranking inside the top 25 in SG: Off-the-Tee and GIR on her way to finishing 49th at Riviera.

Although she missed the cut, Wannasaen also hit the ball solidly over the opening two rounds in California, picking up where she left off at the Shoprite Classic a fortnight ago. In addition, she’s a player that has recorded a top-10 at each of the three correlating courses, which includes a victory at the Portland Classic in 2023.

In a further boost to those lines of form, Wannasaen has finished 8th and 14th in the last two editions of the Dow Championship with countrywoman Jaravee Boonchant. Pagdanganan has missed her last two cuts, though having achieved finishes of ninth in 2023 and 12th in 2021 alongside different teammates (Ana Belac in 2023 and Sarah Schmelzel in 2021), she should have no problem forging a new partnership with this proven LPGA winner.