This week the Australasian Tour heads to the Gold Coast for the last tournament of the calendar year. The Australian PGA Championship is considered one of the countries three Majors and has drawn a reasonable field.
The Royal Pines Resort course is a Par 71 measuring approximately 7200 yards. There are 9 new holes this year due to a redevelopment of the course. Water comes into play on 9 of the 18 holes this week however with good size fairways this is a course where the bombers can get an advantage.
The greens are undulating so look for a good putter this week too. That is evident when you look at last year’s winner Adam Scott. He hits it far and putts well. As the defending champion he is a short priced favourite this week after his four shot victory last year.
The winner this week claims the Kirkwood Cup which is the oldest trophy in Australian professional golf. The bookies have the Top 5 as- $2.75 Adam Scott, $15.00 Marc Leishman, $17.00 John Senden, $21.00 Brendon De Jonge and $26.00 Greg Chalmers.
It is easy to see why Adam Scott is the raging hot favourite this week. He is the defending champion and comes into the event off a t2nd at the Australian Masters two weeks ago. With a win in the Crowne Plaza Invitational and a further nine Top 10 finishes on the PGA Tour including a t5th in The Open and t9th at the US Open he should be closer to an even money favourite.
Looking at the field two players stand out as great each way selections.
Brett Rumford $29.00 www.sportsbet.com.au
From mid May until the end of August this year Brett missed the cut in 10 of the 11 tournaments he played. He was really struggling on the European Tour. However after his missed at the Hong Kong Open he headed back to Australia.
And what a form reversal that has been. First up was a t19th at the Perth International, then a t15th in the Australian Masters and two weeks ago a 3rd place in the Australian Open.
With two wins in 2013 at the Ballantines Championship and China Open we know Rumford is a class player. This week we can expect to see the form continue on the Gold Coast.
Brendan Jones $51.00 www.sportsbet.com.au
Brendan plays on the Japan Golf Tour where he has had another successful year. From 28 starts he has had 12 Top 20 finishes including a win in the Mizuno Open.
His last two starts have been a t3rd at the Dunlop Phoenix where he was one shot behind the winner Hideki Matsuyama and a t22nd in the Casino World Open.
Stats wise Brendan’s game is ideal for this tournament where he finished t17th last year. On the Japan Tour he is ranked 10th in driving distance, 7th in birdie average, 11th in greens in regulation and 26th in putting average.
Jones could be the real dark horse this week. He knows the course, is in great form and has the right stats to compete here.
Good luck and good punting.