All eyes will be on Sydney, Australia this week for the Emirates Australian Open which is being played at the Royal Sydney Golf Club. The field this week consists of all the main Australian golfers along with a small selection of international players.
It is a who’s who of Australian golf when you look at the history of this tournament. Names like Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy, John Senden, Robert Allenby, Peter Lonard, Stuart Appleby, Aaron Baddeley, Steve Elkington, Greg Norman, Peter Senior, Rodger Davis, David Graham and Peter Thomson.
Who will lift the Stonehaven Cup this week? Can Adam Scott win the Triple Crown of Australian golf after taking out the PGA and Masters in the last few weeks? Will Jason Day win back to back tournaments after winning last weeks World Cup of Golf? Will Rory McIlroy get his game back to where it was last year?
One thing is for certain, we are in for a great tournament. The Top three in betting stand out from the rest of the field and for good reason.
Favourite Adam Scott (5/2) is having a great month of golf. He is chasing Australian golfs Triple Crown which has not been done since Robert Allenby completed the trifecta of tournaments in 2005 in doing so becoming the first player to achieve the feat. Scott has kept the form going by finishing third in the World Cup of Golf last week in Melbourne. Add to that his Masters victory and a win at The Barclays and you can see why the World No.2 in rated so highly this week.
Second favourite Rory McIlroy (6/1) is in danger of finishing 2013 without a victory which is in stark contrast to 2012 when he had 5 victories to his name. He is however playing some good golf at the moment. His last four tournaments have resulted in T5th DP World Tour Championship, T6th HSBC Championship, T27th BMW Masters and T2nd Korean Open. Perhaps the chance to play in Australia is what the doctor ordered.
Third favourite Jason Day (8/1) could be the man to follow this week. After starting the year ranked No.39 in the World he now sees himself at No.11. From 21 PGA Tour starts he managed 12 Top 25 finishes and 7 Top 10’s. Highlights included T2nd US Open, 3rd Masters Tournament, 3rd WGC Accenture Match Play and T8th US PGA Championship. Then you look at his last four starts. T13th Deutsche Bank Championship, T4th BMW Championship, T14th Tour Championship and last week 1st at the World Cup of Golf. It is also worth noting that Jason only had the 4 bogeys from 72 holes last week!
A longshot worth keeping an eye on is Matthew Millar (125/1). He was tipped last week in the NSW Open where he finished T16th. Prior to that he was T13th at the Talisker Masters in Melbourne. He finished 23rd in last years Australian Open. After consecutive Top 20 results he will be playing with confidence.
Royal Sydney Golf Club is a Par 72 course measuring 6,938 yards. The bentgrass greens are firm and fast with can be tricky to read. The fairways are narrow in areas and the bunkers are well placed with several being quite large in size. The course is a combination of links style and parkland golf. It has been strategically designed so a lot of patience and planning is required. This is evident when you look at the winners of the Open played on this course. Tim Clark, Aaron Baddeley, Robert Allenby, Mark Calcavecchia and Gary Player to name a few.
The two players to follow this week are-
Jason Day 8/1 www.sportsbet.com.au
As stated above, Jason is playing out of his skin at the moment. In fact he has had a fantastic year. After last weeks performance at the World Cup of Golf it would take a brave man to bet against him. This is his time to rise to the top and claim Australian golfs biggest prize. Adam Scott went back to back a few weeks ago and now it is time for Jason to do the same. Come Sunday afternoon as they play the back nine the 8/1 odds currently on offer will look very appealing.
Marcus Fraser 40/1 www.sportsbet.com.au
If you are looking for a player at longer odds then Marcus Fraser is the man. From 23 starts this year he has managed 11 Top 25’s and 3 top 10’s. They included T5th Dubai Desert Classic, T2nd Ballantines Championship and T8th Italian Open.
His last four starts have him in good current form with T18th Perth International, 12th BMW Masters, T29th Turkish Open and T21st DP World Tour Championship.
His putting this season has been excellent which will take him a long way this week. This season on the European Tour he was ranked 5th in putts per round and 16th putts per GIR.
Playing in his homeland this week will be a great finish to the year for Marcus and he will be hoping to get his name on the Stonehaven Cup alongside all those other famous Aussie golfing names.
Good luck and Good Punting.
