Unbelievably there is other sport on around the world and this weekend sees the final Major of the golf year, the USPGA. Here’s a few tips that might make it a profitable tournament for you, courtesy of Paddy Power.
Admit it, you hadn’t a clue the USPGA was on this weekend did you? With the Olympics sucking all the oxygen out of the sporting world we don’t blame you. But as this is the last chance in 2012 for one of golf’s four biggest prizes we’re sure you will have a look at the action Stateside at some point this weekend.
So before it all tees off at Kiawah Island, here’s a few pointers that might make you some money this weekend.
Top Irish player, Graeme McDowell, 5/2
We backed McDowell to be the top Irish player at the British Open and it paid off and we see no reason to change that tactic this weekend. Rory McIlroy is the favourite but we have seen nothing to suggest the youngster is in the form to beat his compatriot over this brutal USPGA track.
With a 12th, a second and a fifth in the year’s three Majors so far, McDowell isn’t a bad bet at 35/1 to win the entire thing but we will play safe and back him to be best of the Irish.
Winning score to be over 279.5, 5/6
Okay, the odds aren’t great but we think this is a bit of a gimme from our friends at Paddy. When the Ryder Cup was played at Kiawah Island, the famously rancorous ‘War on the Shore’, most players knocked it around in the mid 70s. At the 2007 Senior PGA Championship the average score on a day in the bad conditions was over 77.
With the forecast predicting wind and rain, and with the course officially rated the hardest in the US, we think the winning score won’t be below -8, or 280. If the weather is kind, then that target could be in danger but we are putting our faith in the South Carolina forecasters.
Phil Mickelson to miss the cut, 9/4
We love Phil. He plays golf like he enjoys it, a rare enough sight these days. But at 42, and with arthritis a real issue for him, his ability to play well for extended periods is hurting his game.
Phil doesn’t miss many cuts, and the last time he didn’t play the weekend at a USPGA was in 1995, but he has missed the cut in the last two tournaments he played in that dismissed players on Friday (The Greenbriar and the British Open, the Bridgestone Invitational is a ‘no cut’ event) and we reckon he could be about to make it a very unwanted hat-trick.
Long shot, John Rollins, 250/1
One of the joys of golf betting is a long shot returning a nice each-way bet for you and this week we’re picking American John Rollins to do the business. The 37-year-old’s best ever finish at a Major was in the 2009 USPGA, where he came 24th, but he is having a good year.
He is third in the total driving stats on Tour and on a course this long, his accuracy and length could be key. He has five Top 10 finishes this season and while it would be a serious surprise if he won at Kiawah Island, Rollins could claim a top six finish, and a tidy each-way return for us.
We picked Johnson for the British Open and while he finished ninth, the American was never really in contention. The South Carolina native will be at home with whatever conditions come his way at Kiawah and he is just too good not to win a Major at some point.
We think that point will be sooner rather than later so we will back him again this week, especially as his distance from the tee will be a big boost.
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