This is the first event in the play offs for the 2012 FedEx Cup. The tournament is being played at Bethpage State Park (Black course) in Farmingdale, New York.
Bethpage Black is a Par 71 course with 75 sand bunkers and one water hazard. It measures at 7423 yards and the greens are bentgrass, perennial ryegrass. The greens are predicted to be rolling at 12 on the stimpmeter.
In the past the course has hosted the 2002 and 2009 US Opens. In 2002 the top 5 were Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jeff Maggert, Sergio Garcia and Nick Faldo. The 2009 edition was Lucas Glover, Phil Mickelson, David Duval, Ricky Barnes and Ross Fisher.
To play well here you need to length off the tee combined with accuracy. Bombers have an advantage here as the course is on the long side.
The greens are on the small size so putting stats will not be as crusial as we normally find at other tournaments on the tour.
A good scrambler will have an advantage here as most players will be unable to hit all the greens. Getting the ball up and down will be a distinct advantage.
So who do we like this week?
Bubba Watson $26.00 (sportsbet.com.au)
When it comes to playing on a challenging and technical course there is one player who enjoys the challenge..Bubba Watson. He brings out all his shots and the crowd love to watch BubbaGolf.
Bubba has had 15 starts this season and made 13 cuts. All of those ended up being Top 25 finishes!
Highlights have been:-
- T5th Phoenix Open
- 2nd WGC Cadillac Open
- T4th Arnold Palmer Invitational
- 1st Masters Tournament
- T2nd Travelers Championship
His last three tournaments have seen him finish T23rd Open Championship, T19th WGC Bridgestone and T11th PGA Championship so he is on an upwards curve.
He played in the 2009 US Open at Bethpage Black and was T18th so we know he can handle the course well. Now that he has four PGA Tour wins to his name since his last visit here we can be assured that he will have even more confidence heading into this weeks tournament.
Stats wise he is ready produce his best. He is currently ranked:-
- 1st in driving distance
- 2nd in GIR’s
- 6th in birdie average
- 9th in scoring average
- 5th in all round stats
- 7th in ball striking
- 2nd in Par 4 performance
Expect to see Bubba up there on the leaderboard over the weekend challenging for his fifth PGA Title. At the current odds on offer he represents excellent each way value.
Padraig Harrington $51.00 (sportsbet.com.au)
Padraig is another golfer having a good year on tour. While he may not have had a win so far this season he has put together some impressive numbers.
From fifteen starts he has made thirteen cuts. Nine of those were turned into Top 25 finishes and three were Top 10’s.
A few highlights have been:-
- T7th AT&T Pebble beach
- T8th Masters Tournament
- T4th US Open
His last three starts have seen him T39th Open Championship, T19th RenoeTahoe Open and T18th PGA Championship.
When the big events come around Padraig is usually not to far away. He played in all four Majors this year and his worst finish was T39th Open Championship. The three Majors on US soil were T4th, T8th and T18th.
He is currently ranked 49th in driving distance, 8th in scoring average and 22nd in scrambling.
Looking at his current form it suggests that a win is just around the corner. Perhaps this could be the week. It would make for a great early birthday present.
When it comes to The Barclays he also has some impressive form. He was T13th last year, T47th in 2010 and T2nd in 2009.
For a guy who rises to the occasion for the big events it is suprising to see him available at the current odds.
Good luck and good punting.
