Category: Golf

Golf: The Honda Classic Preview

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After the dramatic weather and slippery greens of Riviera, PGA Tour players will be jumping at the chance to get to the warmer conditions of Florida when the Tour moves to The Honda Classic this week. Rory McIlroy has traditionally been the star of The Honda Classic, and he marks his return to the PGA Tour for the first time since the FedEx Cup playoffs with another attempt to conquer PGA National.

Here’s more on The Honda Classic:

The Course

The PGA National (Champion) course in Palm Beach, Florida is a 7,140 yard, par 70 course created by George & Tom Fazio.  The course hosted the 1983 Ryder Cup and has since hosted 19 Senior PGA Championships.  This year sees four greens reshaped and fairway adjustments around the “Bear Trap” (holes 15, 16, 17).

The Sound Bites

“I’ve got more experience at it. I’ve spent well over a year of my career at world No. 1, so I’m pretty used to it by now” – Rory McIlroy sounds an ominous warning to the rest of the field.  He’s comfortable being number one.

“I can putt as great as possible back home, but until you come out on Thursday … it won’t matter. It’s the one area that I was not overly concerned with in the offseason. It was just the one area that let me down the first couple of weeks, but it’s a long season” – Phil Mickelson hopes to improve his putting this week at an event he missed the cut in last season.

The Defending Champion

Last year’s tournament was Rory McIroy’s to lose.  And he did.  Rory made double bogey on 16, bone on 17 to shoot a final round 74 an open the door for Russell Henley to win in a four man playoff.  McIlroy wasn’t playing particularly well at the time so this year will be a much tougher assignment for the field to keep him out of the winners circle.

Henley carded a 72, to get into the playoff and then outlasted Rory, Ryan Plamer and Russell Knox.

The Contenders*

Rory McIlroy – $4.50

Dustin Johnson – $17.00

Justin Rose – $23.00

Sergio Garcia – $26.00

Martin Kaymer – $26.00

Justin Thoms – $51.00

Daniel Berger – $101.00

*The Honda Classic odds courtesy of Sportsbet.

The Winner

Rory McIlroy won here in 2012, lost in a playoff in 2014, won everything last year and is quite simply the best player on the planet.  He’s an overwhelming favourite at just $4.50 which is crazy low for a golf tournament.  But it is his first start in USA since September so we’ve thrown the others in the mix too.

DJ is in a nice space after his self-imposed exile.  He’s playing for the fourth straight week and already has two top 5’s.  Not that handy on the PGA National course though.

Justin Rose has top fives in last three visits here, and Lee Westwood is 5 for 5 in cuts made at the Honda.  Nonetheless, we’re with Rory.

Golf: Northern Trust Open Preview

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A bunker in the middle of the green!  Courses are getting pretty freaky to contend with technology these days – although the 6th at Riviera has been around since 1927.  The 6th is one of the many challenges at Riviera, along with tight fairways and steep catchment areas on the wrong side of greens, that will stop players going Pebble Beach low at the Northern Trust Open this week.

Let’s look at the tournament in more detail:

The Course

“Hogan’s Alley”, or the Riviera Country Club as it’s more widely known is a 7,349 yard par 71 course just out of Los Angeles.  Nicknamed after Ben Hogan after he won three times in an 18 month span, the course is home to the unusual site of a bunker nestled in the middle of the green on the par 3 6th.  It’s also home to very drivable number 10th hole.  A par 4 that is sure to see some birdies at this weeks Northern Trust Open.

The Sound Bites

“I’m just so excited about what’s next,” – Brandt Snedeker said after winning at Pebble Beach.  Many are predicting big things for Sneds after the impressive win.  He’s at $23.00 to go back to back.

“Right now it doesn’t matter what I shoot, doesn’t matter if I win the tournament this week or if I lose it with a three-putt, whatever it is. It’s fun. I’m playing golf for a living. It’s fun. And my kids, my wife are more important” – Bubba Watson doesn’t see any pressure coming in as defending champion.

The Defending Champion

Bubba Watson provided one of the best close outs in recent times last year when he shot 64-64 over the weekend to win by two.  The quirky left hander came from four back with a blistering finish that showed off his creative short game and unflappable steel down the stretch.  It broke a torrid drought without a win and set him up on his way to Masters glory.  Dustin Johnson finished second.

The Contenders*

Jimmy Walker – $17.00

Bubba Watson – $13.00

Sergio Garcia – $31.00

Jordan Spieth – $13.00

Dustin Johnson – $13.00

Charlie Beljan – $81.00

Nick Watney – $31.00

*AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am odds courtesy of Bet365 Australia.

The Winner

We’ve gone with the regular guys again this week but also added a couple of well placed smokeys.  Dustin Johnson looks to be shaking off the rust and finding some decent from, and buoyed by last years finish here might do okay.  But we like the look of Beljan; third last week and a good record at Riviera, and Watney; coming into some nice form and having got a good view of Snedeker’s finish last week.  We like Watney.

Golf: AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Preview

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The beautiful Pacific Ocean is the backdrop for this week’s PGA Tour event.  The AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am played at the idyllic Pebble Beach, Monterey and Spyglass courses is a tribute to amateur course architecture and will provide the PGA Tours bets players a stern test.

The Course

The course needs very little by way of an introduction.  We’ve all played it on our various computer and video games and we all remember Tiger’s fifteen stroke win in 2000 here.  Pebble Beach Golf Links is a 6,816 yard, par 72 course that has hosted PGA Tour events since 1947 (including five majors).  The course is also flanked by Spyglass Hill GC and Monterey Peninsula CC, courses that will be used during the Pro-Am event.

The Sound Bites

“When you actually dissect the stats like I did at the end of last year, my putting was nowhere near acceptable…[now comparing his stats with another PGA Tour player] but he holed more putts from 10 to 20 feet than I did, he won $3 million more than me last year.” – Ian Poulter on his putting woes.

“It’s one of those courses where even the best photography can’t do it justice. The scenery and the scale of this landscape are simply epic. For any golfer, professional or amateur, itís one of those “bucket list” courses. If you can, you should.” – Ernie Eels quite likes Pebble Beach.

The Defending Champion

Last year Jimmy Walker was on his ridiculously good run of wins and results that launched him to the top of the FedEx Cup standings and into a Ryder Cup position.  Walker, under no final round pressure whatsoever shot a final round 74 to wine by one.

He’s in a similar run of form again this year.  A second at Hyundai was followed by a win at Sony, and just last week he finished T7 at the Farmers Insurance Open.

The Contenders*

Jason Day – $9.00

Jimmy Walker – $9.00

Jordan Spieth – $13.00

Dustin Johnson – $17.00

Jim Furyk – $26.00

*AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am odds courtesy of Sportsbet Australia.

The Winner

Jason Day’s win last week at the Farmers Insurance Open might be the start of something special so he’s definitely in with  shot.  Jimmy Walker won the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am last year and has been consistently good this season again.  Dustin Johnson finished second here last year and while he might be shaking off some rust, looked hand last week.  Jordan Spieth was winning everything a while back.  And Jim Furyk carries on the trend of only including notables with a J in there name; he’s playing this week for the first time since the Ryder Cup.

We’ll go with Walker.

Golf: Farmers Insurance Open Preview

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The name of the tournament suggests big pastures, long grass and lush greenery.  That’s the way the Farmers Insurance Open is shaping up too, with reports the rough has grown to unmanageable levels.  It was difficult to play from last year and 2015 could be worse for the erratic hitters who miss fairways regularly.

The green nature of the course might also mask the true speed of the greens, which are also reportedly playing trickier than last year.  A score of 9-under took it out last year (Stallings won and denied the masses a six player playoff); that score probably won’t hold this year with predictions the winner will shoot around 13-under.

Tiger Woods is having another hit out.  He practiced (poorly) on Wednesday, and as he’d admitted needs a lot of rounds if he’s to compete at the Masters.

The Course

Torrey Pines is most famous for the 2008 US Open showdown between Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate.  The two played an extended playoff that went right down to the wire.  The Farmers Insurance Open will be play on both the North and South Torrey Pines course.  Torrey Pines GC (South) is a 7,698 yard, par 72, William Bell layout.  Players will play one of their first two rounds on Torrey Pines’ North course, a much shorter (7,052) par 72.

The Sound Bites

“You can swing like Jim Furyk or Adam Scott, and still be effective” – Phil Mickelson talking about the confidence and swing battles Tiger is facing.

“My phone’s been off the last couple days, I’ve just been working on my game. Just Chris and I” – Tiger’s not taking advice from anyone other thing swing consultant Chris Como.

The Defending Champion

Scott Stallings prevailed last year, beating K.J. Choi, Jason Day, Pat Perez, Marc Leishman and Graeme DeLaet who all tied for second.  Stallings birdied the 18th when few others were able to.  He’s back again to defend his title this week amongst another quality field.  The filed includes Woods and Mickelson who failed to make it to the final day last year.  Woods missed the Saturday cut and Mickelson withdrew.

The Contenders*

Jordan Spieth – $9.00

Brooks Koepka – $10.00

Rickie Fowler – $15.00

Dustin Johnson – $15.00

Keegan Bradley – $46.00

Tiger Woods – $81.00**

*Waste Management Phoenix Open odds courtesy of Sportsbet Australia.

**Update: Tiger Woods withdrew midway through the first round.

The Winner

We’ve had a rough time picking winners in 2015.  So without any confidence whatsoever, we’re backing Koepka and Spieth to be battling it out on the final day.

Golf: Waste Management Phoenix Open Preview

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Tiger Woods isn’t the only big name golfer making his first appearance in a while.  While most of the attention will be on Woods – the last time he played was at his own tournament when most onlookers watched on in shock as he flubbed chip after chip, and more recently he’s received publicity for losing a tooth while supporting Lindsey Vonn at a ski event – others including Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth also return to tournament golf.

Woods’ performance at the Waste Management Phoenix Open will help bring the golfing world back to stories of more sporting significance after Robert Allenby’s Hawaiian incident.  Watching Woods compete for tabloid space with Phil Mickelson who is bidding to become the player with the most wins in Arizona will be fascinating over the coming (hopefully) four days.

The Course

TPC Scottsdale (Stadium) is famous for its party atmosphere and for it’s enclosed arena par 3 16th.  Tiger Woods made the hole famous when he aced it as a 22-year-old, and it has held onto it’s raucous reputation ever since.  The par 71 course has undergone $12 million worth of renovations affecting most of the course.

Crowd favourites Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson should expect plenty of support from the huge galleries encompassing the 7,266 yard course.

The Sound Bites

“We wanted to rebunker the golf course, there wasn’t a lot of pressure on the TOUR player from the tee. The equipment outdated the bunkering. They were blowing it way by (the bunkers), very easily past them. So, we took 73 bunkers and pared it down to 66, but their specific locations were relative to ShotLink.” – Course co-designer Tom Weiskopf speaks about the changes.

“It’s going to be a fun year” – Short and sweet from Tiger Woods when discussing his chances on tour this year.

The Defending Champion

Stadler held steady as Watson stumbled, collecting his first PGA TOUR victory when the once-and-future Masters champion couldn’t save par on the 72rd hole. Watson actually bogeyed two of his last three holes, allowing Stadler to draw even at the top when he couldn’t convert a 6-foot par save at the par-3 16th. After both birdied No.17, Watson flew the green with his second shot at No.18 and ran his chip from a spectator mound 5 feet past the hole. After Stadler two-putted from 10 feet for a 68, Watson’s putt to force a playoff slid past on the left. The result allowed Stadler, son of 12-time PGA TOUR winner Craig Stadler, to complete the ninth pair of father/son winners in history.

The Contenders*

Bubba Watson – $15.00

Jordan Spieth – $17.00

Matt Kuchar – $21.00

Phil Mickelson – $21.00

Tiger Woods – $21.00

Rickie Fowler – $21.00

*Waste Management Phoenix Open odds courtesy of Sportsbet Australia.

The Winner

Plenty of reasons to pick one of the guys above: Mickelson has six wins in Arizona;  Watson lost by one last year and has multiple other top 10’s at the course;  Spieth has won his last two, he could make it three;  Kuchar’s coming off a T2 and a T3 in his last two events.  But for desert reasons and some nice golf last week we’re going with Mickelson.

Golf: Haas holds on at Humana

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Bill Haas prevailed in the latest event of the PGA Tour at the Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation.  Breaking a deadlock of six players, when an epic playoff seemed likely, Haas triumphed for the second time in this tournament after a 2010 win.

Haas was one of six players tied at 21-under after he made a par on 15 and finally managed to pull free when he made a composed birdie on 16 to get to 5-under for the day.  Of the six, Haas was probably the most underrated, despite his FedEx Cup win in 2011 and especially with Matt Kuchar in the mix.

But when Kuchar failed to birdie the par 5 18th, Haas took the title by a single shot over him, Charley Hoffman, Brendan Steele, Steve Wheatcroft and Sung Joon Park.  Three others were a shot further back which outlined the strength of the field and the closeness of the final round.

Haas’ four rounds in the 60’s were matched by others, but his second round 63 was bettered only by Ryan Plamer’s 61 in the same round.  The round was ultimately the decisive effort in a low scoring that demanded consistency and fight.  His gritty determination was seen down the final hole when he was forced to play an off balanced bunker shot in a bid to save par and close out his sixth PGA Tour win.

Jimmy Walker retains his lead in the FedEx Cup race over birdie-leader Robert Streb and another 2014/15 season winner, Charley Hoffman.  Because the big names are yet to play much of  a part in the new season, Rory McIlroy, Bubba Watson and Tiger Woods are paying the least to land the FedEx Cup.