There’s no tournament on the Race to Dubai this week so all eyes are on the PGA Tour from a betting perspective. Tiger last week snatched victory at Muirfield Village last week with a superb last round and it’s clear to see the effect he has on the rest by just being in the field and within striking distance on Sunday afternoon.
With the US Open next week, Tiger’s having the week off but world number two Phil Mickelson does make his return to tournament golf and heads the betting this week for the St Jude Classic at 12/1 with totesport.
Although there’s plenty of motivation for Phil, given the emotional reasons for not playing much in the past month and with the US Open around the corner but he hasn’t got a lot of form at Southwind and a lack of golf in general will probably count against him.
Justin Leonard is alongside him in the betting this week at 12/1 and he looks the pick on paper. Leonard has won here twice before including last year and enjoyed three top twenty finishes during the Texas Swing this past 30 days.
David Toms is another with a superb record on this course with wins here in 2003/2004 plus a third place in 2007. His form has been ok in 2009 with a number of top ten finishes but I wonder if he still has the game to seal the deal on Sunday. With that in mind, I wouldn’t be a backer at 14/1.
Others I’d leave alone at the head of the betting are European trio Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson and Padraig Harrington. Having see Garcia in the flesh at the London Club a fortnight ago he seems really out of sorts with is game, especially on the greens and I couldn’t back with any confidence at 14/1. Stenson’s (22/1) a favourite of mine but he’s dissapointed since winning the TPC at Sawgrass with two missed cuts in Europe. Harrington hasn’t had a great 2009 and has admitantly been fiddling with his swing too much. For that reason I wouldn’t be a backer but at 33/1 he does represent value if he can return to the form that got him a fourth placed finish here last year.
Further down the betting Bob Estes catches the eye at 40/1 with totesport. Its fair to say Estes has been around the block a few times but he has a decent record at Southwind having finished third and fourth in 2004 and 2003 respectively and finished in the top fifteen las year. As far as his form this year goes, he’s only missed three cuts from fourteen tournaments and has a top five finish to his name at the AT&T at Pebble Beach. With the field the way it is he could spring a surprise and definitely worth an each-way squeak.
