Monthly Archives: May 2014

Crowne Plaza Invitational Betting Preview

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Crowne Plaza Invitational 2014

Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas
7,204 Yards Par 70

The Course
Colonial Country Club is a tight tree-lined course measuring a short 7,204 yards. It was designed by Perry Maxwell and John Bredemus and has very tight fairways and doglegs throughout the course. The PGA Tour has visited this course every year since 1946 making Colonial the longest annual stop on tour.

This course suits players that can keep the ball straight and don’t have to hit it a mile, but demands good positioning off the tee. This course has just two par 5’s and four par 3’s and requires players to shape the ball. It has always been a shot maker’s course with previous winners such as Zach Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker and Boo Weekely over the last few years. Some of the greens are quite small so GIR, good putting and proximity stats will be worth looking at. This course has over 80 bunkers and has 12 par 4’s, so good par 4 scoring and scrambling stats will have to be considered.

Matt Kuchar 12/1
What a season Kooch is having so far with a massive 12 top 10’s in his last 16 starts on the PGA Tour. Consistent to say the least! He has not finished worse than 17th in his last six events, which includes a T7th at The Byron Nelson last week. Kuchar won at The RBC Heritage in Harbour Town, which is a very similar setup to Colonial with its tight, tree lined fairways and small greens. He also has four top five’s in his last six events with a T4th at The Texas Open, second place in Houston, T5th at The Masters and a win at Harbour Town.

Kuchar ranks 25th in driving accuracy, 42nd in GIR, third in scrambling, 14th in strokes gained putting, first in par 4 scoring and 46th in proximity to the hole. He also has a good record here at Colonial with two top 10’s in his last six starts finishing second last year and ninth in 2009. With great current form and good previous performances here it’s hard to rule out Matt Kuchar this week.

Jim Furyk 14/1
Like Kuchar, Furyk is another player showing some superb form over the last few weeks with four top 10’s in his last five starts. He had a great performance at The Texas Open which included a disappointing second round 74 but then bounced back shooting 68,71 to finish T6th. He also played well at The RBC Heritage finishing T7th on the similar Harbour Town. In his last two starts he has finished solo second in both the Wells Fargo and The Players Championship in Sawgrass so it’s fair to say his game is in superb shape.

Statswise Furyk ranks first in scrambling, 10th in driving accuracy, 12th in scoring average, 22nd in par 4 scoring and seventh in proximity to the hole. He also has played very well in Colonial over the last 10 years recording four top 10’s since 2003. His most recent top 10 came in 2012 when he finished 4th. He’s playing super golf at the moment and could pick up a win any day now and it could very well be here this week.

Paul Casey 50/1
It’s great to see Paul Casey come back into some form these days after a long spell of injuries. He has been showing some good form lately on the PGA Tour with three top 20’s in his last three starts. He has a good performance at The RBC Heritage finishing in T18th and three under for the week. He then followed that with a T11th in New Orleans which included a superb 64 in round three. Last week at The Byron Nelson he finished in T16th which also included a 63 in round two so there are snippets of superb play from the Englishman.

Casey ranks 43rd in strokes gained putting, 24th in scoring average, 15th in par 4 scoring and second in proximity to the hole. Paul has also played well in Colonial in the past finishing in 13th in 2010 and 5th in 2009.

Crowne Plaza Invitational 2014 pic 2

John Senden 40/1
Senden is another player showing some great form on the PGA Tour so far this season with a great win at The Valspar Championship back in March. He has managed to stay consistent since, finishing no worse than 29th in his last four events, which include two top 11’s. John played very well at The Masters a couple of weeks ago recording his best ever finish in Augusta with a T8th. Most recently, he played very well last week at The Byron Nelson finishing in T11th which included a superb final round 66.

Senden is another player that has a good history at Colonial with four top 25’s in his last 11 appearances on this course including two top 10’s with a ninth in 2004 and eighth in 2011. He ranks 41st in driving accuracy, 15th in GIR, seventh in sand saves and 31st in strokes gained putting.

Russell Knox 80/1
Knox is another player that has played well so far this season. He had a good finish at The Farmers in Torrey Pines finishing in T10th at the end of January. He also played well at The Honda Classic finishing in second on a total of eight under for the week, which included a second round 63. Most recently, Knox put in a decent performance at The RBC Heritage finishing in T9th on five under par for the tournament.

Statswise Knox ranks 16th in driving accuracy, 25th in GIR, 40th in par 4 scoring, 20th in scrambling and first in proximity to the hole. With a good finish at Harbour Town, he will be coming into this week feeling confident on a course that could suit his game.

John Huh 50/1
John Huh is having a mixed season on the PGA Tour so far. He has played well over the last three weeks with a great week at The RBC Heritage a couple of weeks ago shooting three 68’s and an opening round 71 to finish in T3rd on nine under par. This is encouraging because, as I said above, this course is similar to Harbour Town. Huh also played well last week at the Byron Nelson shooting 67,71,66,71 on his way to a respectable T16th.

He also has a good history at Colonial with a fifth place finish in 2012 and an 11th place finish in 2013. With a good performance at Harbour Town along with good previous performances here the last two years, Huh looks like good value here at 50/1.

Final Selections
Matt Kuchar 2 pts EW/ 4 pts total
Jim Furyk 2 pts EW/ 4 pts total
Paul Casey 1 pt EW/ 2 pts total
John Senden 1 pt EW/ 2 pts total
Russell Knox 1 pt EW/ 2pts total
John Huh 1 pt EW/ 2 pts total

Total Staked = 16 pts

I am taking two weeks off from next week and will miss the Memorial and the FedEx St. Jude Classic but I will be back for the US Open on June 10th.

Best of luck and enjoy the golf,

DB

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HP Byron Nelson Championship Betting Preview

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HP Byron Nelson pic 3

TPC Four Seasons Resort, Irving, Texas
7,166 yards, par 70

The Course

This course was originally designed by Jay Morrish in 1983 but underwent some major changes in 2007. The layout now has large, undulating greens which invite the players to use the slopes to get their shots closer to the pins. There are also quite a lot of run off areas so ball control will be key as poor shots will be severely penalizing. This course has two par 5’s, four par 3’s and a massive 12 par 4’s.

There was a lot of tree landscaping done that brings ponds and creeks into play. Par 4 performance, strokes gained putting, GIR and driving accuracy will be key stats to consider here at TPC Four Seasons this week. The 18th hole features a unique “water cascade” that extends from the landing area to the green.

Jordan Spieth 12/1
Spieth has arrived on the PGA Tour with a bang over the last couple of years. He has surprised everyone contending in tournaments that people, including myself, thought he wouldn’t contend in. Jordan played extremely well last week in Sawgrass and put himself in a position to win after a superb second round 66.

Sadly his ball striking wasn’t as good in the final round and he was beaten by Martin Kaymer. He also came very close to winning in Augusta but was defeated by Bubba Watson which, in my opinion, was down to lack of experience. Believe me, this kid will win in Augusta in years to come.

Spieth made his debut here in 2010 and finished in a respectable T16th. Statswise he ranks 25th in strokes gained putting and ninth in par 4 performance. He comes here with four top 12 finishes in his last four starts including two top five’s. Spieth went to the University of Texas and grew up in Dallas so he should feel at home here this week.

Keegan Bradley 22/1
Keegan has had a mixed season so far and comes here after missing the cut at The Players, but don’t let that put you off. Bradley has two top ten’s in his last five event s. He played well at The Arnold Palmer back at the end of March finishing in solo second. He also had a great week at The Zurich Classic of New Orleans finishing in eighth, which could have been a lot better if it weren’t for a poor final round 75.

Keegan has a good history on this course with a victory in 2011, 24th in 2012 and a second place finish last year. He ranks 24th in driving distance, 11th in birdie average and ninth in par 4 performance this season. With a good history here and good current form, Keegan looks a smart play here at TPC Four Seasons.

Gary Woodland 28/1
Gary Woodland is showing a lot of steady form finishing no worse than 26th in his last six starts. He played well at The Valspar Championship in mid-March finishing in T8th for the week. He then had a T20th at The Arnold Palmer and a respectable T26th finish at The Masters. Most recently, he had a good performance at The Wells Fargo shooting five under par for the week to finish in T18th.

Last week at The Players he started well with a 67 and followed that with a 71, 70 and a 72 in the final round. His previous performances in this event don’t exactly jump off the page. His best finish here came in 2012 when he finished 24th.

However I think he sets up well for this course and comes here showing some great form. Gary ranks 19th in driving distance, 27th in GIR, 17th in birdie average, 17th in par 4 performance and eighth in putts from inside five feet.

HP Byron Nelson pic 2

Robert Garrigus 66//1
Garrigus is a little streaky to say the least but he seems to be showing some good form over the last couple of months. He had a good week at The Valspar Championship in March finishing fourth. He started very well but seems to have taken the foot off the pedal a bit in the final round shooting a disappointing 75.

He also had a good performance at The Zurich Classic of New Orleans a couple of weeks ago where he started poorly with an opening round 73. He then bounced back with a 69, 68 in round two and three and finished with a superb final round 64 to finish 14 under for the tournament.

He ranks 10th in driving distance, 33rd in birdie average and third in par 5 performance. Garrigus has had some good previous performances finishing ninth in 2012, 20th in 2011 and 16th in 2009. With good previous performances and decent current form, he looks to be great value at 66/1.

Ryo Ishikawa 66/1
Ishikawa has played very well this season and has four top 10’s so far on the PGA Tour. He has three top 20’s in his last six events including a T8th finish at The Arnold Palmer Invitational. He also played very well at The RBC Heritage a couple of weeks ago after bouncing back after a poor start. He shot an opening round of 77 but recovered well shooting 68, 67 and 69 in the final round to finish T18th. Most recently, he played in The Crowns on the Japanese Tour the week before last and finished in T5th so his game is in good shape.

Ishikawa played very well here last year shooting 71, 68,68, 67 on his way to a 10th place finish. After playing so well recently in Japan he will come here feeling recharged on a course he performed so well on last year.

Justin Hicks 80/1
Hicks had a good week in Sawgrass shooting a 68 in the final round on his way to a respectable T17th. He was pretty steady all week shooting a 73 in the opening round and followed that with a 70 and a 71 in round three. Before The Players, Hicks had a good performance at The Texas Open a few weeks back finishing in 15th and 2 under par for the tournament.

Over the last three years he has played here twice and finished 21st last year and 14th in 2011 so his previous form is good. Hicks ranks sixth in driving accuracy, fourth in GIR and 44th in strokes gained putting. Good each way shout for a guy showing some form and has some solid previous performances.

Final Selections:
Jordan Spieth 2pts ew/ 4 pts total
Keegan Bradley 2 pts ew/ 4 pts total
Gary Woodland 1.5 pts ew/ 3 pts total
Robert Garrigus 1 pt ew/ 2 pts total
Ryo Ishikawa 1 pt ew/ 2 pts total
Justin Hicks 1 pt ew/ 2 pts total
Total Staked = 17 pts
Good luck and enjoy the golf,

DB

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The Players Championship Betting Preview

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The Players Championship Banner

TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
Par 72, 7,215 yards

The Course

The Players is known as the unofficial fifth major and is one of the most exciting stops on the PGA Tour calendar. The Stadium course at Sawgrass is a Pete Dye designed course with four par 5’s and four par 3’s with Bermuda greens. The biggest feature is the island green on the 17th that always offers alot of excitement throughout the week, most of all on Sunday. Sergio Garcia famously hit his tee shot in the water here last year to dash any hopes of victory. Doglegs were created in both directions and challenges every part of a players game.

In 2006, the organisers made this a very tricky test by bringing in a little more rough and altering the greens. Conditions tend to be fast and firm with more of a test off the tee with tricky doglegs both directions. Keep an eye on guys that can shape the ball and good ball strikers. Other stats to consider here are Scrambling, Strokes Gained-Putting, Par 3 Scoring Average and Par 5 Scoring Average.

Luke Donald 22/1
Luke Donald has a super record around Sawgrass with five top 20’s here with three top 6 finishes. He was second in 2005, sixth in 2012 and fourth in 2011. He comes here this week off an impressive solo second place at The RBC Heritage shooting an opening round 70 and followed that with three 69’s to finish on ten under par for the week. He also had a good performance at the Valspar Championship in mid-March finishing in T4th.

Donald ranks seventh in strokes gained putting, 19th in par 3 performance, fourth in scrambling and fifth in GIR from 200 + yards which is handy for hitting these four par 5’s. Donald has loads of previous experience at Sawgrass and is a player in good form at the moment.

Zach Johnson 33/1
Zach is another horse for the course here at Sawgrass with five top 20’s here in his last nine appearances including a second place in 2012 and an eighth place finish in 2005. He managed a top `15 last week at The Wels Fargo eventually finishing in T14th and six under par for the week.

Johnson played well at The Texas Open recently finishing in T6th on a total of five under par for the tournament. He was showing some very good form earlier in the season with a win at The Hyundai Tournament of Champions, T8 at The Sony in Hawaii and a T3rd at The Humana Challenge.

Johnson ranks seventh in driving accuracy, 38th in strokes gained putting, eighth in par 3 scoring, tenth in par 4 scoring and tenth in scrambling. Zach Johnson is another player with a lot of previous experience here and is showing good form at the moment.

The Players Championship 17th

Henrik Stenson 25/1
The Swede is another player with a rich history in this event with a third place finish in 2006, tenth in 2008, a win in 2009, 15th in 2012 and fifth last year. He is showing some steady form at present with a super T5 finish at The Volvo China Open recently.

Stenson also played well in Augusta shooting 73,72,74,70 to finish one over par and T14th for the week. He was playing well a couple of weeks before The Masters and put in a superb performance at The Arnold Palmer to finish T5th. Statswise Henrik ranks third in total driving, 49th in greens in regulation, second in par 5 birdie or better leaders and ninth in putts from 15-20, which is a good stat to have on these small and fast Bermuda greens.

Jim Furyk 28/1
Furyk is another player with good history here with eight top 25’s including three top 10 finishes. He finished fourth here in 2003, third in 2006 and fifth in 2009. Furyk is showing some super form at the moment with four top 15’s in his last four events. He had a T6th at the Valero Texas Open at the end of March, T14th finish at The Masters, a T7th at The RBC Heritage and shot a superb second round 65 to finish in solo second last week at The Wells Fargo in Charlotte.

Furyk ranks 14th in driving accuracy, 43rd in par 3 scoring and first in scrambling. He is another player showing signs of a win any day now and it could very well here here at TPC Sawgrass on a course he has played so well on in the past.

Brendon de Jonge 110/1
De Jonge has two good previous performances here over the last two years finishing in 15th place in 2012 and 2013.
He had a nightmare start in the Wells Fargo last week shooting an opening round of 80.

He then went out and shot a 62 in round two, shot a 68 in round three and closed with a final round of 69 to finish on nine under par for the tournament and T6th. That’s a pretty impressive comeback! De Jonge should be coming into this week feeling confident and comfortable knowing he has played well here before.

Ryan Palmer 100/1
Palmer has been a small bit streaky over the last few months but has put together some great performances so far this season. He has two top 10’s in his last four starts with a second place finish at The Honda Classic in nearby PGA National and had a T7th at The Shell Houston Open.

Palmer ranks tenth in total driving, ninth in GIR, fifth in birdie average, 14th in par three birdie or better leaders, fifth in par four birdie or better leaders and 12th in par 5 birdie or better leaders. He also ranks sixth in par 4 performance and 11th in GIR from 200+. Had a good performance here last year finishing in fifth for the week.

Final Selections:
Luke Donald 2 pts EW/ 4 pts total
Zach Johnson 2 pts EW/ 4 pts total
Henrik Stenson 2 pts EW/ 4 pts total
Jim Furyk 2 pts EW/ 4 pts total
Brendon De Jonge 1 pt EW/ 2 pts total
Ryan Palmer 1 pt EW/ 2 pts total
Total Staked = 20

Good Luck and enjoy the golf,

Doublebogey6

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