This week sees the second WGC event for the year which is being held at TPC Blue Monster in Doral, Florida. This weeks addition is a stroke play event unlike the match play event recently won by Matt Kuchar (who we tipped @40/1) at Dove Mountain in Arizona.
The WGC was created by the International Federation of PGA Tours and is an official money event on the European Tour and Japan Golf Tour. It is also official sanctioned by the Asian Tour, PGA Tour of Australia and PGA Tour.
TPC Blue Monster is a Par 72, playing 7334 yard this year. The tees, fairways, greens and rough are all Bermuda grass. There are also 110 sand bunkers and 11 water hazards to keep the players on their toes. The Purse is US$8.75 million with the Winner taking home US$1.4 million.
The course has hosted this event since 2007 and prior to that it was played at different locations in the USA and Europe such as The Grove in England (2006), Mount Juliet in Ireland (2002,2004) and Valderrama in Spain (1999,2000). There was no event in 2001 due to the September 11 terrorist attacks.
TPC Blue Monster has always been a favourite for many of the pros on tour as it is a challenging course and requires all aspects of their game. The Par 4, 18th hole is sure to bring a few players to their knees over the weekend. It is the hardest hole on the course and is one of the most difficult closing holes on the PGA Tour.
The fairway narrows to 25 yards at the end of the lake and if you are not accurate off the tee, watch out! Longer hitters will be at an advantage as the fairway widens after the lake. The second shot is then on to a long narrow green so accurate iron play will be the key. You don’t want to be hitting that shot from the rough.
This weeks field is a cracking line up. The Top 5 in betting are $11.00 Tiger Woods, $15.00 Justin Rose, $17.00 Charl Schwartzel, $21.00 Matt Kuchar and $21.00 Rory McIlroy.
Joining them are a host of international starts such as Luke Donald, Adam Scott, Lee Westwood, Louis Oosthuizen, Sergio Garcia, Jason Day and Ian Poulter. As there is a limited size field this week there will be no cut off mark after 36 holes so you will get to follow your favourite golfer for all 4 rounds.
Finding the winner this week will be like finding the needle in the haystack as the talent on show this week is huge; even with the smaller field. However there are a few key stats to look at which should help narrow down the numbers.
Doral demands ball control. You don’t want to be off the fairway this week. The bunkers and water hazards have a habit of biting hard. Look for good ball strikers who have patience and can plot their way around the course. Past winners of this event have also rated highly in Par 5 performance as well as Greens in regulation.
Another factor that could come in to play is the wind. If it comes, it makes Doral one huge challenge. So keep that in mind too. Lastly, players who are Bermuda grass positive and Florida positive have always played well here.
Taking all that into consideration I have come up with the two players to back this week. I am expecting the cream to rise to the top this week and the two guys below are sure to be in the firing line as they come down the home stretch on Sunday afternoon.
Hunter Mahan $26.00 www.sportsbet.com.au
After such a successful season last year it is great to see Hunter continuing his high expectations this year.
His results have improved every week. 26th, 15th, 16th, 16th, 8th and 2nd. Whats next 1st?
Hunter is playing some great golf at the moment which was evident at the WGC Accenture Match Play where he lost to Matt Kuchar 2 and 1 in the final. On his way to the final he saw off Manassero, Sterne, Kaymer, Simpson and Poulter.
Stats wise he should play well this week too. 11th in greens in regulation, 11th in strokes gained putting, 23rd in ball striking and 47th in driving accuracy.
This will be Mahan’s sixth visit to Doral. He has made all five cuts with his highest finish being 9th in 2011. For a guy in such great form it is great to see the odds available. He is a great each way bet.
Peter Hanson $51.00 www.sportsbet.com.au
World number 22, Peter Hanson is a player that is always on my radar. He had a great run in the Majors last year highlighted by a T3rd The Masters and T7th PGA Championship. Add to that two wins on the European Tour at the KLM Open and BMW Masters and you can see why I rate him so highly.
He started the season with a 9th and 22nd on the European Tour before heading to the PGA Tour with results of a Missed Cut, T17th and T13th.
Last week at the Honda Classic he hit 70% of greens in regulation and had 73% driving accuracy. For the last eight years on the European Tour Hanson has hit over 70% of GIR’s. If he repeats those numbers this week he will go a long way.
The other stat that appeals is his form at this tournament. It started with a 61st in 2008 and from there he has posted results of 40th, 26th, 55rd and last year a T4th.
It would not surprise to see him up there on the leader-board challenging over the weekend.
Good Luck and Good Punting
