Tag: PGA Tour

PGA Tour: Valspar Championship Preview

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Betcirca enjoyed a returned to tipping form last week when we successfully predicted DJ would clean up at Cadillac. While, Johnson is only the second winner we’ve picked all year, we’re proud because it should have been wrapped up by J.B Holmes.

Nevertheless, another week, another chance, and this week its the Valspar Championship in Florida.

Golf’s unofficial road to the Masters, the Florida Swing is in full…well, swing, and the Valspar Championship, much like Augusta will suit crisp ball strikers and creative short game exponents.

The Course

Innisbrook Resort (known as Copperhead) is unlike other stops on the swing.  It’s significantly tighter than most, and features plenty of undulation – a trait not always seen on Resort style courses.  Players who position the ball well of the tee, or alternatively, can shape it either way will flourish at Innisbrook, as the course features plenty of double dog legs.  It is 7,340 yards, par 71.

The Sound Bites

“I don’t mind taking a drug test at all. When I’m sitting out here Thursday and Friday thinking I’m going to get drug tested, holding my (urine) for two hours, it affects your golf game.” – The issue of drug testing has been swirling and John Daly is clearly irked.

“John Daly has never been targeted for testing and his claim that players know when they will be tested is simply not true” – The PGA Tour responded.

The Defending Champion

John Senden was one of six Australians to win on the PGA Tour last season.  He took out the Valspar Championship by a single shot over Kevin Na.  Interestingly, Na has been tipped heavily to feature again this year.  Sender roared into contention last year with a third round 64, for his first win anywhere in eight years.

The Contenders*

Adam Scott – $15.00

Jordan Spieth – $16.50

Henrik Stenson – $17.50

Justin Rose – $36.00

Ryan Moore – $44.00

Will MacKenzie – $130.00

*Valspa Championship odds courtesy of Betfair Australia.

The Winner

Adam Scott showed enough with the short putter last week to suggest he’ll still compete and this course suits ball-strikers; Spieth has bounced back from a missed cut with two top 10’s and a top 20 in his last three events;  Stenson enjoyed a T4 last week despite obvious rust; MacKenzie is the outsider after a strong week in Peurto Rico.  We like Stenson the most.

PGA Tour: WGC Cadillac Championship Preview

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The exclusive World Golf Championship events limit the field to just the top 5o golfers in the World.  In prior years they could have gotten away with just inviting Tiger Woods.  He won 16 of the first 32 WGC events.  However, without Tiger, or even with Tiger in current form, the others are needed.  Especially when the others include Rory McIlroy.

The first WGC event of the year is the Cadillac Championship, hosted by Donal Trump, at Blue Monster, Doral.

Check out our preview of the event, and the best picks to win, below:

The Course

Trump Week on the Tour gets bigger with the WGC event at National Doral.   The gorgeous South Florida layout is a 7,528 yard, par 72 course, and is a recent recipient of a $200 million upgrade, as the Don adds to his golfing portfolio.  The upgrade has made the course incredibly challenging; it played 3rd toughest on the Tour last year.  The course is nicknamed “Monster” due to its demanding 18th hole.  Water all down the left off the tee and on approach.  Expect some big scores on 18 and generally.

The Sound Bites

“It’s not that big a deal. I did it for a long time, too, that way. I’m just going to do it and see what happens. I think the important thing for me will be to just stay patient with it for a little bit” – Adam Scott’s move to a shorter putter starts this week.

“If I was going to miss a weekend, it wasn’t a bad one to miss, being at home and with all the delays and everything” – Rory McIlroy saw a silver lining to missing the cut last week.  Punters didn’t.

The Defending Champion

Patrick Reed became the youngest winner of a WGC title last year by going coast to coast over Bubba Watson and Jamie Donaldson.  Reed managed a 4-under total on the newly designed course, the highest winning total since 1985.  Reed comes in at $26.00 to defend his title.

The Contenders*

Rory McIlroy – $6.50

Bubba Watson – $15.00

Jason Day – $17.00

Dustin Johnson – $21.00

Adam Scott – $23.00

Paul Casey – $34.00

Jamie Donaldson – $41.00

*WGC Cadillac Championship odds courtesy of Sportsbet.

The Winner

Casey’s had a third and a playoff loss in his last tow starts; Donaldson was a narrow loser here last year; Johnson was fourth here last year on the new course and had top 5’s the last two weeks; Watson has been solid all year without getting a win, he’s due. We like Johnson the best

PGA Tour: Puerto Rico Open Preview

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The absence of the top echelon of world golf (competing for a bigger prize at the WGC Cadillac Championship) makes things interesting in the second of two tournaments on the PGA Tour this week.  The second tier Puerto Rico Open still features nine past major winners, but it will be nigh on impossible to predict a winner.  We’ll give you the best chance, by showcasing the course; the defending champion; and the notables in the field.

Read more on our Puerto Rico Open Preview below:

The Course

Donald Trump is increasing turning to golf to build his investment empire and the Trump International GC in Puerto Rico is just one of many golfing properties the magnate has an interest in.  It’s a 7,506 yards par 72, designed by Tom Kite, and built into lush rainforests.  The Course has been a stop on the PGA Tour itinerary since 2008.

The Sound Bite

“Chesson Headley” – The name etched on the plate of the defending champion at the Puerto Rico Open wasn’t quite right.  Not the sort of love a defending champion would expect.

The Defending Champion

Hadley (not Headley) took out the tile last year by two shots form New Zealander Danny Lee.  It was only Hadley’s 13th PGA Tour event, not that you would know that from his closing 67 to set a tournament scoring record.  He’s back to defend his title, but has made just one cut in his past five events.

The Contenders*

Vaughn Taylor– $29.00

Chesson Hadley – $29.00

Ryo Ishikawa – $34.00

Adam Hadwin – $34.00

Zac Blair – $41.00

Steven Alker – $251.00

*Puerto Rico Open odds courtesy of Sportsbet.

The Winner

Taylor is a lot of peoples favourite because he’s been in the top 25 in last five starts across two tours. He’s also 3-for-3 made cuts at the Puerto Rico Open, including a T14 in 2013.  Ishikawa is 3-for-3 too, but wildly inconsistent this year.  Anyone’s guess to be honest and it takes an absolute addict to be gambling on this event anyway.  Nonetheless, we’ll go Hadwin (or Svoboda)

As an aside, the past major winners lining up are: John Daly, David Duval, Trevor Immelman, David Toms, Mark Calcavecchia, Ben Curtis, Todd Hamilton, Y.E. Yang and Lee Janzen.

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.