Tag: Jordan Spieth

Spieth Faces Scott Challenge in Australian Open

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The Triple Crown is a big deal in Australian golf. A trio of tournaments so difficult to win individually, and nigh on impossible to own all at the same time. The first leg is the Australian Open. Hosted this year by the Royal Sydney Golf Club.

Take a look at our preview of the course, the contenders and the odds below:

The Course

Royal Sydney Golf Club – The Championship Course at Royal Sydney is a traditional golf course without tricks or gimmicks. Heavily bunkering and undulating fairways make it a tricky prospect, especially in strong winds. The set-up favours ball strikers, where fairways and greens are the order of the day. The course doesn’t play overly long, as evidenced by past wins from Tim Clark and John Senden, but the greens will make up for the length and provide an appropriate challenge (having in 2003 undergone an extensive rebuilding phase).

The Defending Champion

Last year, Matt Jones snuck into the clubhouse ahead of the fast finishing Adam Scott and heavily backed favourite Jordan Spieth. Spieth was defending his 2014 title and was poised to go back-to-back before a disappointing even-par final round curtailed his chances. Jones will not defend his title, opting to concentrate on his PGA Tour commitments at the RSM Classic. Jones has actually shown some nice form in the States this year – a tie for 15th at the Shriners giving him much needed early FedEx Cup points – so it’s a shame he won’t defend here.

The Contenders*

Jordan Spieth $4 – The winner of the Australian Open in 2014, and along with the man below, one of the overwhelming favourites for this year’s tournament. Despite a minor lull in his output ever since the Masters meltdown, Spieth is still an unbelievably good golfer and one of the best mid-range putters in the game. He’s a certainty to be near the top of the leaderboard come Sunday even though he hasn’t played since the Ryder Cup.

Adam Scott $4.5 – The best ball striker in the business is expected to do well on a course well suited to pure ball strikers. A winner here in 2009, just down the road at the NSW Golf Club and runner-up last year. Scott performed well on the PGA Tour in 2015, putting together a season that featured: two wins, two seconds and a fourth place finish in the FedEx Cup. The odds on a Scott win look very attractive.

John Senden $23 – Sendo’s been grinding for the past few years, but should still be competitive back on home soil. A previous winner of the tournament – Royal Sydney in 2006 – Senden’s strengths include a creative short game and an accurate long game. While on paper that sounds ideal this week, there are question marks over his ability to close out a tournament, given he hasn’t competed in tournaments for some time.

Geoff Ogilvy $26 – The evergreen Ogilvy is possibly the nicest man in golf. Humble, intelligent and spiritual too. Having enjoyed success the world over, including major titles, Ogilvy still has the drive to succeed. Matching that drive is a game that’s holding up to the younger generation too; Ogilvy finished tied for 4th at the recent Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. A former champion, Ogilvy is a good chance this week.

Cameron Smith $26 – The young Australian has made an excellent start to the 2016/17 PGA Tour season. After four events, he’s ranked 37th in the FedEx Cup, with a scoring average of 70.

Curtis Luck $41 – An outsider, but one with real promise. The US Amateur Champion and recent Eisenhower Trophy winner with the Australian team makes his Australian Open debut at Royal Sydney.

Adam Blyth $67 – The Queenslander won the recent NSW Open despite a horrible stumble midway through his round that featured six dropped shots in six holes. If form is an indication as to success in Sydney, Blyth’s an attractive prospect.

*Odds from Bet365

The Winner

There’s a lot of talent in the list above, and we didn’t even get to recent PGA Tour winner Rod Pampling. Picking one is like choosing what to watch on Netflix – far too hard to narrow. However, we like Adam Scott. The course suits him, and he’ll have fond memories of his 62 (achieved in 2014).

PGA Tour: The Players Championship Preview

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Golf’s unofficial fifth major always provides plenty of entertainment. Admittedly most of it centres around the engrossing 17th island green, but this years event features a stellar field, the McIlroy-Spieth duel that will define golf for the next 20 years, and also the opinion splitting Tiger Woods.

The Course

TPC Sawgrass.  That’s all.  One of the world’s most famous got courses, featuring arguably the world’s most famous hole.  Putting the course’s shortest hole aside (the incredibly challenging and unmissable 17th), Sawgrass is a 7,215 yard, par 72, Pete Dye creation.  The course features one of the most challenging finishes in golf, and also features the quirky trait of having no two consecutive holes play in the same direction.  The real hero though, is the 17th, a green surrounded by water and only a small path at the back.

The Sound Bites

“So 17 doesn’t see eye to eye with me. I think I’ve played it well over par. The first couple years when you’re playing here, you get juiced up, you get pumped up, so the ball goes a little farther. I’ve hit sand wedge over the green” – Bubba Watson describing the thrill of playing 17 at Sawgrass.

“It’s very nerve-wracking. That’s probably not a very exciting answer but it is nerve-wracking because one of the things you sense there is you sense how much the crowd really wants you to mess up. The crowd wants you, wants you, to hit it in the water” – Stewart Cink when answering the same question.

The Defending Champion

Martin Kaymer went coast to coast last year in a dominant display that was only ever under threat during a nervy final four hole stretch.  A brief rain delay when Kaymer was up by three unsettled the Germans rhythm and he made a horrible double on 15 to give Jim Furyk a sniff.  In the end, a clutch 30 footer for par on 17 and a safe par on 18 gave him a one stroke win – a first in 28 months.  Wonderkid Jordan Speith lurked for much of the tournament as did previous champion Sergio Garcia before finished 3rd and 4th behind Furyk.

The Contenders*

Rory McIlroy – A win last week at the Matchplay would have added to McIlroy’s already extreme confidence.  Scrambled brilliantly last week and has finished inside the top 8 in his last two trips to Sawgrass – $8.00

Jordan Spieth – Although he was eliminated at the Match Play he still reeled off the most number of birdies before the knockout rounds.  He was also without a bogey here in the first three rounds last year – $8.50

Henrik Stenson – Has a game well suited for the Sawgrass design  Hit’s it straight and ranks first in stores gained putting – $19.00

Justin Rose – In form after a win at the Zurich Classic and one of the most risk averse players on tour.  That bodes well for such a tricky layout – the player who makes the fewest mistakes is often the player hoisting the trophy at the end of the week (e.g. Bubba will never win this event).  Seriously consider – $21.00

Sergio Garcia – Has an incredible record at this course – one of the few players who consistently puts himself in contention at Stadium – $29.00

Lee Westwood – Could just be the best money in the field.  Three top 10’s in his last 4 starts at Sawgrass and coming off a solid week in San Fran where he defeated FedEx Cup leader Jordan Spieth – $36.00

*Players Championship odds available at Sportsbet.

The Winner

Hard to go past the best player in the world.  We’ll have McIlroy to go back to back.

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: Spieth wins by ten, Woods last

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Jordan Spieth capped off a remarkable fortnight by winning his second consecutive golf tournament at the Hero World Challenge.  Against an elite field featuring 18 of the World’s top ranked golfers, Spieth pulled away on day 3 and strolled home to win by a massive ten shots.

Both of Spieth’s wins (the other came at the Australian open) featured a display of control around the greens that had to be seen to be believed, especially around such tight lies and slippery putting surfaces.  The Hero World Challenge win featured rounds of 66, 67, 63 and 66, and reinforces Spieth position as a star of the future.  At just 21, Spieth has already chalked up three professional wins to go with his celebrated amateur career.  His future looks set to include a plethora of further wins, probably in golf tournaments he has had to go toe-to-toe with Rory McIlroy in.

Spieth was ten shots better than Henrik Stenson (69), with Keegan Bradley (70) and Patrick Red (68) a shot further back.

The win was record breaking for a number of reasons:

– Spieth’s 26-under broke the tournament record of 266 set by Woods in 2007 and Davis Love III in 2000, both at Sherwood Country Club in California;

– The victory margin of ten shots broke Tiger Woods’ tournament record of seven shots that Woods had in 2007; and

– His victory is the biggest margin in golf in 2014.

At the other end of the tournament leaderboard was Tiger Woods, returning to golf for the first time since the PGA Championship at Valhalla in August.  Tiger battled an opening 77, a fever, and a horrific short game to record two sub-par scores on his former home course.  He mixed some decent golf with some expected rustiness in a tournament where he only briefly left last position.  The silver lining for him was the ability to make aggressive swings pain free.

Spieth though got his 2014 wish of two wins.  What look improbable only a few weeks ago became a reality; a familiar one too as he strode down the 18th hole at Isleworth with a big lead, just as he had done in his amateur career.