Tag: Augusta

Ben Martin Shrines on PGA Tour

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

If you’re lucky, one of the takeaways from a trip to Las Vegas is a massive wad of cash (the unlucky, is undoubtedly an invoice from a night of what you thought was reciprocal passion).  Ben Martin understands the financial beauty of Vegas now, as the winner of the PGA Tour’s Shriners Hospital Open last weekend he walked away with $1,116,000 (USD).  The jackpot also came with 500 FedEx Cup points, which skyrockets Martin up to 1st equal in the FedEx Cup standings.

The win capped off a remarkable turnaround for unheralded Martin.  During a run in April Martin missed seven of eight cuts.  In the 2014/14 PGA Tour opener he was the second worst player in the field.  Even at the Shriners he was scrambling poorly (only got up and down 4-of-13 times), and in the final round was struggling with the putter (until 16 he had only made one putt over 3 feet – he then bombed an eagle and closed 18 with a 19 footer).

Of note:

– Rookie Tony Finau played well again.  The huge hitter is right at home on the PGA Tour.  T12 at the Frys.com and T7 at the Shriners.

– Two time leukemia battler Jarrod Lyle used a sponsors exemption nicely to again make a cut.  He finished T42 and now heads to Australia to compete in the popular Triple Crown (including Rory McIlroy defending his Australian Open title).

– Wes Roach birdied 8 of his first 9 holes on Thursday at the Shriners.  The run didn’t last though; he made just 10 more over the rest of the week to also finish T42.

The McGladrey Classic

The move to Georgia this week is not to Augusta unfortunately.  However, the Sea Island Golf Club near Brunswick is still a beautiful PGA Tour venue.  The Seaside course is a picturesque oceanside layout featuring creeks, dunes and marshland.  Notwithstanding, the strong filed (of which 87 are making their third starts of the season), the test for the players will be in the difficulty in pulling away from the filed under the stigma of the McGladrey title.  In the four PGA Tour McGladery tournaments all of them have been decided by one shot or less; a playoff here looks a distinct possibility.

A local winner is also strong possibility; the field features locals Chris Kirk, Matt Kuchar, Zach Johnson.

Top Picks

Chris Kirk – $17 – Unibet

Russell Knox – $34 – Tom Waterhouse (E/W)

Webb Simpson – $13 – Unibet

Zach Johnson – $26 – Centrebet (E/W)

Scott Brown – $34 – Luxbet

If anything Ben Martin’s stats from the Shriners prove just how difficult it is pick a winner on the PGA Tour.  But this week lets go with Russell Knox.  He makes the cuts at the Seaside course; led the field last week in Par 4’s and finished solo 3rd.

US Masters 2014 Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The 78th US Masters kicks off the majors’ season in the world of golf at Augusta National this week. There is no Tiger Woods as the American is awaiting surgery on his injured back so Phil Mickelson has the opportunity to draw level with his fourth green jacket.

“Lefty” has not been at his best so far this season and I’ve always managed to catch him at the wrong time in the past. He is a brilliant player when he is in the zone but odds of 14-1 aren’t enough to tempt me. Keep an eye on him though as he may play moderately for a couple of rounds but still mount a late challenge.

Lots of people fancy Jason Day this week but he has also suffered an interrupted preparation. He was testing his peculiar brain theories in this event 12 months ago. I have no idea whether he still employs the same system but whatever he did last year worked wonders. In the end it was Australian Adam Scott who emerged victorious, gaining quick compensation for his collapse at the British Open.

Scott does not look far off his best and prepares himself for the majors rather like a racehorse geared to the biggest races. He can start off our portfolio at 12-1. The US PGA Tour has been throwing up its fair share of shock winners and I’m going to put up Harris English as a long shot. He’s been making his way steadily up the rankings and made a hole-in-one at the 12th in practice this week! How he would love to do that in the tournament proper.

Patrick Reed and Jimmy Walker are others likely to appear on the leaderboard during the week along with Jordan Spieth who appears utterly fearless. With English available at 66-1 and Spieth at 55-1, they are worth a flutter to make the top six. Five of the last six major championships have been won by golfers who had not previously won a major.

Amazingly, Sergio Garcia still comes into that category. He has an unbelievable 18 top ten finishes in majors including three times here, his best being fourth in 2004. He’s certainly playing well enough but the bookmakers aren’t taking too many chances at 20-1.

Henrik Stenson could win his first major this year after a sensational 2013 on both sides of the pond. Understandably he has struggled to pick up the pace so far this season but you wouldn’t want to rule him out. My final selection is going to be Zach Johnson who won here back in 2007. He also had a brilliant season last time and is ticking over nicely ahead of the first major of the season.

Zach Johnson at 35-1 Paddy Power

Adam Scott at 12-1 Paddy Power

Harris English at 66-1 Bet Victor

Jordan Spieth at 55-1 William Hill

Each-way ¼ odds, 1,2,3,4,5,6

Preview – Will Tiger Woods Win The Masters?

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The first major golf championship of the year is staged this week with the US Masters at Augusta (April 11th – 14th). World Number one Tiger Woods has won the tournament on four occasions and Phil Mickelson has three victories to his credit. Not surprisingly the two Americans feature strongly at the top of the betting lists along with Rory McIlroy.

Woods is hot favourite at 7-2 following his recent return to the top of the world rankings. His victory in the Arnold Palmer Invitational gave him a third tour win of the season and enabled him to leapfrog McIlroy. Woods has a phenomenal record here and won by a stunning twelve-shot margin in 1997. He has finished in the top six in eleven of the last sixteen Masters and the bookies aren’t taking any risks, pricing him as 7-2 clear favourite. Most bookmakers are offering ¼ odds the first five this week and that offers a fair place payout with Woods such a short-priced favourite.

The European challenge will be led by McIlroy this week. The late Seve Ballesteros became the first European to win the Masters in 1980, starting a golden era for European golfers at Augusta. The Spaniard recorded his second victory in 1983 and was followed by Bernhard Langer 1985, Sandy Lyle (1988), Nick Faldo (1989, 1990 and 1996) and Ian Woosnam (1991). Langer won a second Masters tournament in 1993 with Jose Maria Olazabal winning in 1994 and 1999. That was the last victory for Europe and seems a long time ago now.

McIlroy looked certain to claim victory here in 2011 but the wheels came off in spectacular style with a final round of 80. McIlroy has been under a cloud following his controversial switch of manufacturer but he showed that he is on his way back at the Texas Open and is a top priced 10-1 this week. If McIlroy can recapture his form of last season, he won’t be starting at double-figure prices in too many tournaments this year. I am also preparted to take a chance on Luke Donald gaining a first major victory. The Englishman has almost been forgotten as Woods and McIlroy make the golfing headlines but he has vowed to concentrate on the majors this season. He finished tied for third in 2005 and finished fourth here in 2011 so he has the game to make his presence felt.

The biggest threat to Woods may come from his compatriot Phil Mickelson. The left-hander’s record at Augusta is almost as impressive as that of Woods, having only finished out of the top six four times in fourteen years. He has already gained a tour victory this season and looks a good bet to finish in the money this week.

I am also keen on the chances of South African Louis Oosthuizen. A final round albatross on the second hole ignited his challenge last year and he was only denied in a playoff by Bubba Watson. He also recorded an early tour victory and looks overpriced at 28-1.

Rory McIlroy 10-1 Ladbrokes
Phil Mickelson 11-1 Skybet, William Hill
Louis Oosthuizen 28-1 Bet365, Paddy Power
Luke Donald 33-1 Coral, William Hill