Tag: Jim Furyk

PGA Tour: Wells Fargo Championship Preview

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As the practice opportunities ahead of the June 15 US Open diminish, PGA Tour pros will be looking to take every available opportunity to tinker with their games before they have to take on the notoriously difficult tournament (this year at Chambers Bay).  With that in mind, the Wells Fargo Championship has attracted a strong field, with all of them keen to snap up the 500 FedEx Cup points, as well as some confidence ahead of the year’s second major.

The Course

Quail Hollow Club is well known amongst the golfing fraternity.  After ten years of hosting the Kemper Open, the club gained familiarity in 2003 when it first hosted the Wells Fargo.  Ever since the 7,562 yard, par 72 has been a popular stop for the pros.  Much like last weeks difficult closing, The final three holes here are considered to be some of the toughest closers on tour.  Dubbed the “Green Mile” it’s a difficult stretch, and presumably one of the reasons Quail has been given  2017 PGA Championship and 2021 Presidents Cup.

The Sound Bites

“It’s one of those stretches in your career where you know you’re playing well, you’re hot so you better keep playing and do it as long as you can, hopefully it will last the rest of the year.” – Kevin Kisner spoke of his good stretch of form (he’s listed below in our predicted contenders).

“I think I’ve experimented a lot this year with equipment, which isn’t usually what I do.  I think the consistency will start to show in my results as I become more accustomed to where I’m at” – World number 11 Adam Scott spoke of his new equipment struggles.  He’s 108 in the FedExCup and at $29.00 to win this week.

The Defending Champion

J.B. Holmes won this event last year in a compelling story of triumph against the odds.  It was the bug Kentucky man’s first win since brain surgery and started a run of form that’s continued to this day.  He beat Jim Furyk by a shot after finishing with a one-under 71.

He’s paying $34.00 to repeat last year’s feat.

The Contenders*

Rory McIlroy – Won two weeks ago and has won here previously too.  Shares the course record here and was decent last week in tying for 8th.  The number one player in the World, first in the Race to Dubai, 17th in the FedEx Cup standings.  Need any more reasons? – $4.00

Henrik Stenson – The sinewy Swede is one of the best ball strikers in the game, however a bout of illness has seen him lose several points and length off his driver.  He’s still been there or there about all season without a win.  T17th last week thanks to a solid final round 68 means he’s a chance at Quail – $17.00

Jim Furyk – The all-time money leader at the event and coming off a second place here last year.  A winner this year on tour (RBC Heritage) and having just celebrated his 45th birthday two days ago could be looking to cash in – $19.00

Bill Haas – Has two top 5 finishes at Quail Hollow and grew up nearby making it somewhat of a home venue for him.  Was effective last week at TPC Sawgrass, just missing the playoff.  Will be looking to make a Presidents Cup move and catch the captains eye (his dad Jay Haas) – $29.00

Kevin Kisner – It’s only a matter of time before the South Carolina product triumphs so why not this week.  After a disappointing 73 first up at the Players bounced back superbly to make the playoff.  Played all four holes well but missed chances on 18 and 17 to win / continue.  Tied for 6th last year – $34.00

*Players Championship odds available at Luxbet.

The Winner

We hate to sound like a broken record, but, 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.

The Tour Championship and PGA Tour Review

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The culmination to the PGA Tour season is always a confusing affair. With all the talk about bubbles and projected standings it can get a little tricky working out whether your favourite player has the opportunity to win the coveted FedEx Cup, not to mention if they’ll even make it through to the next event.

Luckily, with Billy Horschel’s win in the season ending Tour Championship we don’t need to worry anymore. Instead we can look forward to the passion and prestige of the Ryder Cup, set to begin at Gleneagles on the 23rd of September.

But before we start predicting whether the USA can prevent a Europe three peat, let’s take a look at the Tour Championship and review the 2013-14 PGA Tour season. 

The Tour Championship 

Held at Eastlake in Georgia the final event of the season is played by only the top 30 players in the FedEx Cup standings and comes with an excellent purse of $8 million. (The FedEx Cup too comes with a $10 million bonus.)

The Eastlake course was the home of the legendary golfer Bobby Jones, and while none of the current field have reached his lofty heights (seven majors), two players playing pretty great golf of late were locked in a gripping final round battle.

Coming in to the final event at number 2 and number 4 in the FedEx Cup standings, Billy Horschel and Rory McIlroy could both get their hands on the FedEx Cup with a win. Paired together for the final day the two were expected to buck the trend of 4th round conservatism. However, with only Jim Furyk (and he hasn’t had a win since 2010) offering any real challenge the two could play match play of sorts – winner takes all. Rory’s challenged was effectively over on the sixth when he found water and when Horschel signed for a 12th consecutive round in the 60’s the double was his.

It was, on reflection, a wonderful achievement from a guy who started the playoffs in 69th position and before today was best known for being a bit of a hot head. Today’s win makes him a good pick for next year’s events and a sleeper for the majors.

The PGA Tour Season

It’s admittedly hard to think back to October 2013 when the season started, not because of too many gold rum and cokes, simply because of the sheer number of tournaments and the musical chair winner’s circle that the PGA Tour entails. Having said that there were some players and some moments that stood out.

Jimmy Walker dominated the early stages thanks to thee wins (at the Frys.com Open, the Sony Open, and the AT&T at Pebble Beach) and sat in pole position for the post-season events. Bubba Watson won twice including his second Masters title. Lots of Aussies enjoyed wins (Adam Scott, John Senden, Matt Jones, Jason Day, Steven Bowditch, Geoff Ogilvy, and as a nation they won the World Cup of Golf). Tiger spent most of season on the operating title, and Rory dominated every golf story in the latter part of the season, both for his golf and for the abrupt halt to his engagement.

Outside of the golf, Dustin Johnson had his ‘issues’. Adam Scott got married in secret and broke the hearts of a host of female fans. McIlroy’s dad, Gerry, got in on the action too by netting a huge payout from a ten-year-old bet, predicting his son would win an Open Championship.

Looking ahead to 2014-15 here are a few predictions:

  • Tiger won’t win a major. Rickie Fowler will.
  • Anthony Kim (remember him) will return to the game. But will be terrible.
  • More pros will throw away their anchored putters in preparation for the 2016 ban.

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

British Open 2014 Preview

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Tiger Woods returns to action for the British Open at Royal Liverpool but gone are the days when he was automatic favourite. Those who have faith in the American’s powers of recovery can get 25-1 about him making a sensational comeback this week.

Despite positive vibes from the player, the fact remains that he has not won a major since 2008. It is surely going to take longer than even (in which he missed the cut) to recover his game after back surgery.

This time last year, Phil Mickelson’s supporters were happily playing up their winnings from the Scottish Open. He was only a peripheral figure there this time around despite a closing 65 and his overall form does not suggest another British Open triumph for “Lefty”. My tip for top American is Dustin Johnson who seems to have the knack of putting in a solid effort in this tournament every year.

In the last four seasons he has finished fourteenth, second, nine and thirty-second. OK, that last performance doesn’t take your breath away but he obviously does his research and does not just turn up expecting a flat calm day. He may even have won in 2011 but for a double-bogey at the 14th hole, allowing Darren Clarke to go on and win.

German sport is on the up after their World Cup success. Martin Kaymer turned the US Open into the most boring major tournament in living memory, such was his dominance. I’m not expecting him to do that at Royal Liverpool but 25-1 looks a good each-way price.

The best of the Australian challenge will surely come from Adam Scott. Two years ago he should have won this event comfortably but collapsed dramatically to hand the Claret Jug to Ernie Els. I think there was an element of embarrassment for the big South African in accepting the trophy. To Scott’s credit he came out and won the US Masters the following spring and is now one of the leading players in the world. He has made the top ten of three of the last six majors.

Jim Furyk who frequently pops up on the leaderboard at major championships, although he has only ever converted once. 70-1 will do for an each-way bet while you can get more than double that about Joost Luiten if you fancy a real long shot. After Holland’s heartbreak in the penalty shoot-out, let’s hope Luiten does not need to endure a play-off!

Adam Scott @16-1 Bet365

Martin Kaymer @25-1 Ladbrokes

Dustin Johnson @40-1 William Hill

Jim Furyk @70-1 BetVictor

Joost Luiten @150-1 888Sport, Unibet

Each-way ¼ odds, 1,2,3,4,5