Tag: Golf tips

Scott to Defend Honda Classic Title on Tour’s Toughest Course

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Golf has welcomed a new number one player in the world ahead of the Honda Classic beginning Friday. Dustin Johnson has scaled to the summit of golf and confirmed his status as the form player on the globe (along with Justin Thomas and Hideki Matsuyama) with a win last week at the Genesis Open.

And chasing him is a group of accomplished players who next get a chance to catch him in the Honda Classic hosted at PGA National (Champion). That group includes players in the field, like Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler. See who else might contend at this week’s PGA Tour stop below:

The Course

PGA National (Champion) is widely regarded as one of the toughest challenges in golf. The Champion features the infamous Bear Trap, a series of three holes (15,16,17) designs by Jack Nicklaus, and like the entire course often described as one of the toughest stretches in golf. The stretch that Nicklaus once said could stand the test of time even if golf balls were developed that could travel 1000 yards, often makes or breaks the leading pack – “there are no bailouts”, as Tiger Woods also commented.

The original Tom and George Fazio design was re-designed by Nicklaus in 2014, and it hosts the Honda Classic every year. The Champion features generous landing areas and some of the biggest TifEagle Bermuda greens on the circuit, however, there is a premium on accuracy in all areas of the game.

Playing 7140 yards, the course played the toughest during the 2013 PGA Tour season, proving the tremendous challenge golfers will face this week.

The Defending Champion

Last year, Australia’s Adam Scott outlasted Spaniard, Sergio Garcia to win by one stroke, after the pair were tied for the lead after round 3. Scott, one of the best ball strikers in the game, but the poster child for the broomstick putter anchor ban, won with a final round 70. His margin would’ve been significantly bigger had it not been for a quadruple bogey 7 on the par-3 15th during the third round.

Scott’s win was built around his ball striking (1st in greens in regulations and 10th in driving accuracy) as well as a fine performance with the shorter putter (23rd in strokes gained putting), in an indication of the sort of performance needed to win at The Champion course.

Following Garcia was Blayne Barber, Justin Thomas, Graeme McDowell and Rickie Fowler. The defending champion is at $13 to defend his title and coming off a tie for 11th last week.

The Contenders*

Rickie Fowler $17

Rickie led the Honda Classic last year at the halfway stage before drifting badly over the weekend to finish 6th. In addition to his 6th place last year, he also finished 7th here in 2012, proving a liking to the course. Rickie has a tendency to do well on the same courses time and time again. Like Sawgrass and like the Waste Management in Phoenix (where he’s gone 2, 4th over the last two years), so it won’t be a surprise if he features again this week.

Sergio Garcia $17

Sergio was off last week despite being tipped by a lot of analysts to do well. However, despite a disappointing 49th, mainly on the back of an inconsistent putting display, he still struck the ball well and had good GIR stats. Including his win in Dubai, he’s ranked 3rd, 21st, 4th, 1st and seventh for GIR in his last five starts. Ball strikers are rewarded here, so don’t discount.

Justin Thomas $19

After a Hawaiian holiday to remember – wins in the Tournament of Champions and the Sony Open – Thomas has gone cold. He missed the cut at the Waste Management and was 39th last week at Riviera, but we prefer to use his Sony Open success as a guide for a strong performance here rather than recent form. If his putter gets a bit warmer, he could go well here as the rest of the game seems on point.

Ollie Schniederjans $67

The talented youngster is finally starting to deliver the results week in, week out that his amateur career promised. A tie for 8th last week was his third top ten of the season and positions him nicely at 35th on the FedEx Cup standings. The form is attributed to reverting back to a lower ball flight, something that won’t hinder him on The Champion course.

Tyrell Hatton $31

Hatton is a superstar in the making. After picking up his first European Tour win at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in October, Hatton hasn’t finished outside the Top 25 in any event he’s played. Success in the US won’t come immediately, so he’s still probably an outsider, but a name to keep an eye out on the leaderboard and in the future.

*Odds from Sportsbet.

The Winner

Zach Johnson and Jimmy Walker not featured above are also contenders, but we like Fowler. He’s the freshest in the field after missing last week and very consistent on his favourite courses.

2016 PGA Tour Winners Meet To Find Champion of Champions

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Golf in 2017 is an exciting prospect. With the likes of Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy all beginning to embrace the rivalry amongst each other, and the return of Tiger Woods to a full season of play, golf fans have lots to look forward to.

The first taste of golf in 2017 is the Tournament of Champions, open to winners from last year’s PGA Tour season. The elitist nature of the tournament means we’re in for a highly competitive field and top-notch golf. Let’s take a look at the course and the players that are likely to be there or thereabouts on Sunday.

The Course

The Plantation course at Kapalua is the number one ranked course in Hawaii. Designed by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore it plays 7,411 yards and is a par 73 layout. Big fairways and big greens make for easy tee to green statistics, but undulating greens may make up for it. The course features massive changes in elevation offering plenty of downhill tee shots; tailor made for the big hitting pros.

The Defending Champion

Jordan Spieth was a comfortable winner last year over Patrick Reed (2nd), Brandt Snedeker and Brooks Koepka (T3). It was, at a time when Spieth was winning everything though (Majors, Hero World Challenge) so it came as no surprise. Spieth’s 30-under total showed just how manageable the Kapalua course is if the wind doesn’t blow. Spieth’s at $6.50 to go back-to-back.

The Contenders*

Bubba Watson $17

The two-time Masters champion has now won on the PGA Tour at least once in six of the last seven seasons after winning the Northern Trust Open. Desperately hard to predict but on his day an absolute showman that is tough to beat. Though, can his day last for four.

Dustin Johnson $6.50

2016 was the year of the DJ. He took out his first major, the U.S. Open at Oakmont and had two other high-profile wins, the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational and the BMW Championship during the FedExCup Playoffs. Those three victories and 15 top 10s in 22 starts earned him Player of the Year honours for the first time. He should hit the ground running like he never left. Massive chance.

Jason Day $7.50

Australian Jason Day will make his 2016-17 PGA TOUR season debut at the SBS Tournament of Champions after being sidelined in the fall while rehabilitating a back injury. He’s never finished outside the top 10 here, but the injury is a major worry.

Hideki Matsuyama $6

Matsuyama leads the FedExCup standings on the strength of a second place finish at the CIMB Classic and a win at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in Shanghai. He also won the HERO World Challenge just to further underpin his potential to win here. Seriously consider for the win or each way.

Patrick Reed $12

Reed won this event in 2015 and finished second here last year so if you use course form as your guide, he’s as good a tip as you’ll find. Caution though could be exercised on his recent form – a pretty poor showing at the HERO World Challenge.

Brandt Snedeker $21

2012 FedExCup champion Brandt Snedeker qualified to play in his fifth SBS Tournament of Champions with a brilliant final round at the Farmers Insurance Open, which saw some of the worst weather – and worst scoring – of the year. Performed well here last year – as he does in almost every single tournament he plays in.

*Odds from Bet365

The Winner

A strong field is always tricky to predict, so we’ll bank on course history and recent form to suggest Reed or Matsuyama will prevail in Hawaii.

Scott the Overwhelming PGA Favourite Despite Being “Just Average”

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Tournament number two in Australia’s prestigious Triple Crown is upon us this week and hosted on the Gold Coast again for the fourth straight year.

Let’s take a look at the course, the contenders and the odds for the Australian PGA Championship starting Thursday:

The Course

RACV Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast is home to tight fairways, undulating greens and immaculately manicured swales. 27 holes mean the course can be played in three different ways, with all of them having its own distinctive challenges. It will play longish at 6,690 metres, with six par 4s that measure more than 400 metres, four par 5s that are over 500 metres long, and a 201-metre par 3. And will be covered in bunkers (which won’t be new to those that played on the Melbourne sandbelt).

The Defending Champion

Nathan Holman defied the odds to win last year. In doing so, he secured a European Tour card but really struggled to find his footing in the competitive tour. His recent form doesn’t bode that well for a successful defence. In fact, he withdrew from the recent Nedbank Golf Challenge with a bad back. Holman’s at $51 to go back to back.

The Contenders*

Adam Scott $4.50 – The World number 7 is the obvious drawcard for the second premier event of the Australian season, and the clear favourite with the bookies to take out the lion’s share of the $1.5 million purse. Scott’s in okay form; he described himself as “just average” recently. A T14th at the Australian Open was followed up with some decent golf with Marc Leishman in the World Cup of Gold teams format tournament.

Ian Poulter $34 – The Englishman is probably better known for his Twitter exploits than his golf game these days, but could still surprise in a relatively lean field. Once the European’s team clutch man on the greens during Ryder Cups, Poulter has been without a win since 2012.

Marc Leishman $15 – The other half of Australia’s World Cup team, Leishman hits the ball long and could really light up the Royal Ones lay out if at his best. However, he’s probably not near it at the moment and probably has one eye on a break. The PGA will be his last tournament before a long break.

Cameron Smith $15 – The young Australian lost the Australian Open in a playoff to Jordan Spieth. He rocketed into contention with a final round 66. At the same time illustrating the type of form that’s seen him compete regularly in the States in 2016. He’ll contend again here this week and looks at nice odds.

Harold Varner III $34 – Varner’s a little powerhouse. Relatively small but hits it a mile. The Ohio-born 26-year-old hasn’t enjoyed the best of starts in 2016/17 but enjoyed three top tens last season on the PGA Tour. One thing is a certainty, though; he’ll thrive with the boisterous Aussie crowds.

Danny Lee $23 – New Zealand’s number one golfer is making his Australian PGA Championship debut this week. The PGA Tour winner and current world number 58 is backing up after combining with Ryan Fox to finish T11 in the IPSA Hands World Cup of Golf last week. He looks a good prospect because of a previous win in Australia in the 2009 Johnnie Walker Classic, achieved as an amateur.

Ryan Fox $23 – The Kiwi’s built more like a rugby player than a golfer – it’s likely due to his genes (his dad Grant played for the All Blacks for a long time). But, he’s still got an incredible touch around the greens and could really challenge here after a good few weeks in Australia. He’ll be better for his experience in the final groups challenging for the Stonehaven and by being surrounded by the quality golfers at the World Cup.

*Odds from Sportsbet.

The Winner

Although I labelled the group above, “contenders” I don’t actually think many of them will challenge for the title. Some of them are just famous names in the field, who are likely to struggle. I like Lee and Smith.

Tiger Returns to Competitive Golf With Question Marks Over Mind

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Tiger Woods’s withdraw from the Safeway Open and the Turkish Open were curious decisions, if not unsurprising. Unsurprising, because we’ve got used to Tiger missing golf tournaments over the last four years, but curious because Tiger pulled out because of doubts over the mental aspect of his game.

He admitted he was healthy. He admitted his game (read mind) wasn’t.

He was worried he couldn’t be competitive over four rounds of golf. Most assumed the mental doubts were chipping related after former coach Hank Haney commented that he had witnesses reporting he was flubbing most chips in practice.

Whatever the cause, Woods’s admission was new territory. Woods never gave an inch. He exerted his dominance over every other player and instilled fear in anyone unlucky enough to get him in a Sunday battle down the stretch.

But now, with his own belief waning, and players no longer fearful, Tiger’s prospect is entirely different. Tiger’s teeing it up in his own tournament, the Hero World Challenge. The media aren’t waiting for him to do something superlative. They’re waiting for mistakes. Every putt, every chip will be analysed like never before. Any mistake will be jumped on, and with it will come an article writing off his chances of catching Jack Nicklaus’s major record.

Tiger last played in the tournament here in 2014 opening with a 77, and ultimately settling for a tie in last place at even par. Tiger did close with a nice 69, but his appearance will be remembered for all of the fluffed chips that are still popular on YouTube.

How he goes this year will be riveting. Sportsbet has him at $34 to win, the longest odds in the field.

Here’s my take on the tournament and the contenders.

The Course

Albany’s 18-hole links style championship golf course was designed by Ernie Els. It boasts exquisite links and desert features with windswept dunes and a handful of tactically positioned water features. The par-72 course plays 7,400-yards and has a course record of 63, shot by Bubba Watson. A score of around 25-under is probably needed again to win it.

The Defending Champion

Bubba Watson held off Patrick Reed to win by three strokes last year. His 263 total was one worse than Jordan Spieth’s tournament record achieved the year before. Bubba hasn’t played for some time, so might be short of a gallop, but he’s plenty long enough to tame Albany again.

The Contenders*

This is awfully tricky given the quality of the invitation-only 18-man field, but here goes:

Dustin Johnson $6 – The player who was unbeatable at the end of last year is the favourite in the Bahamas. Three wins last year, including the US Open, prove Johnson was at his enigmatic best. His drive-wedge-missed putt formula has turnaround recently as the putts started to drop. He’s a massive threat for the field.

Jordan Spieth $7 – Coming off a win in Australia and playing at a course he’s won at before, Spieth is rightfully liked by the bookies. His win in Australia was professional rather than dominant – he sprayed his driver everywhere but was still good enough to win. You can never discount someone that putts as well as he does from 20 feet.

Hideki Matsuyama $9 – Three wins in his last four events(not including the World Cup) Matsuyama is the hottest player on the planet. So good with an iron in his hand, if he can make putts he will push the tournament record on the Albany course. Still played pretty nicely last week in tying for 6th with partner Ryo Ishikawa.

*Odds from Sportsbet.

The Winner

I’m picking Spieth to win, but if you’re looking for other betting options, get on Reed and Fowler to finish within the top 4. The two have been consistent in the event and will be there or thereabouts this week too.

Ryder Cup Preview and Predictions

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Ryder Cup Preview

With no Tour golf to focus on the golfing World shifts its attention to the three day masterpiece that is The Ryder Cup.  The 2014 addition will be held at Gleneagles in Scotland, with many pundits asking whether the Americans can win their first Ryder Cup since 2008.  The answer to that question is, much like the result of the recent Scottish referendum on independence, likely to be ‘no’.

The Americans simply do not play good team golf. Phil Mickelson is an exceptional golfer but his Ryder Cup record is a poor 14 wins from 38 matches. Tiger’s record is similarly average – he’s won 13 of 33.  On the other hand the Europeans thrive in the pressure cooker.  Ian Poulter is the perfect example of passion.  His Ryder Cup record is impeccable – never having lost a point a singles match (12 wins and three losses in total).

Let’s look at both of The Ryder Cup teams:

Team USA

Captained by Tom Watson the team features a nice mix of Ryder Cup veterans (Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson) and up and coming youngsters.  The youngsters in this group who have featured prominently in majors and tour golf this year may well provide the impetus the dour Americans desperately need.  Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson, Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth, and Rickie Fowler are all under 30 and should have the requisite enthusiasm based on their solid years and the fact that most of them have played recent golf in the FedEx Cup playoffs.

The one positive of the US side is that without home advantage viewers won’t have to put up with the aggressive chants of USA after every shot.

Team Europe

Paul McGinley leads a European team that is littered with top 20 golfers.  Rory McIlroy who is rightly the first player mentioned when it comes to discussing the European team is joined by Garcia, Stenson, Rose and Kaymer.  All of whom have played some exceptional golf at times this year.  Add to the mix Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, and Rookie of the year nominee Victor Dubuisson and the European team will again be hard to topple.

On paper the Europeans look to have the advantage.  They ooze confidence and have historically found a way to use the home advantage and momentum to their benefit.

Predictions

Bet365 are offering a number of options on this weeks play.  Here’s where I would be focusing my attention.

Top Debutant – Debutants don’t always see a lot of action and Jordan Spieth is attracting the bulk of the money, but I wouldn’t look past Victor Dubuisson (9/2).  Three top 10s in the Match Play Championship, The Open and The PGA highlights his incredible season.

Top Combined Points Scorer – Picking one player from 24 when they’re effectively the best players in the World this year is no easy feat. Poulter’s record is incredible.  Rory is in fine form and has been driving the ball beautifully.  Furyk and Kuchar are incredibly solid and would make highly sought after teammates. Interesting I’m picking Sergio (8/1).  Although short odds, Sergio’s team record is strong he just plays singles poorly.  I’m backing him to turn it around.

Correct Points Score – Like predicting how many women Shane Warne has bedded, but lets’ try Europe to win the Ryder Cup 15-13 (15/2).

US PGA Championship 2014 Preview

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Jim Furyk did us proud at the British Open with a healthy each-way return at odds of 70-1. Dustin Johnson was also in the firing line at 40-1 until fading on the final day so what can we conjure up for this week’s US PGA Championship.

The 96th US PGA takes place at the dramatically named Valhalla with many scribes already prepared to hand a second major of the season to Rory McIlroy. Spain’s Sergio Garcia must be sick of the sight of McIlroy having been runner-up to him in the past two events. I am never keen on backing golfers at single figure prices unless it is a matchplay event so we must look elsewhere for some value.

A whole host of big names played well at The Bridgestone Invitational including Keegan Bradley (T4th), Justin Rose (T4th) and Rickie Fowler. Other significant contributions came from Graeme McDowell, Ryan Moore and Mark Leishman while Phil Mickelson (62) and Lee Westwood (63) ended the tournament in style.

The PGA has often produced an unexpected winner but Keegan Bradley hardly fits into that category these days. He won this event in 2011 and has since finished third and nineteenth. He has also produced good efforts at this year’s US Open and made the top twenty at the British Open.

The American challenge is likely to be strong with Furyk (top twenty in last four majors) and Fowler (top twenty in last three majors) also capable of featuring strongly this week. Unfortunately the bookmakers agree and they are both at much shorter odds than they were for Royal Liverpool. Furyk led by one going into the final round last year but was beaten by Jason Dufner. We could worse than invest some of our Open winnings at 40-1.

Lee Westwood has been poor this season and he has missed the cut in the last two majors. I cannot quite be convinced by a single round of 63. Instead, I am going to put up Graeme McDowell who has been in the top 15 in three of the last five PGA championships. He also played well last week and looks better each-way value.

Adam Scott could easily regain the world number one spot this week but that is reflected in his price and I’d sooner take a chance on his countryman Marc Leishman. He finished third at Bridgestone following a fine fifth place at the British Open and should give us a run for our money.

Keegan Bradley @33-1 Boylesports

Graeme McDowell @40-1 BetVictor

Jim Furyk @40-1 888Sport

Marc Leishman @50-1 Bet365

¼ odds, 1,2,3,4,5