Golf Betting – Heritage Draws One of World’s Best In Favored Donald, Who Chases #1 Ranking

The Western Conference is on display on Wednesday night when three games in the NBA Playoffs, involving 6 teams from the West, will take place.

NBA betting fans should rejoice as, for some strange reason, the odds makers continue to offer up juicy numbers on the underdogs. Although Denver, Memphis and the Hornets all covered the spread in the first game of their respective playoff series, all three teams are underdogs in the sportsbook for their second games.

Check out previews of the three Western Conference contests on Wednesday, April 20.

NBA Playoffs – April 20 Games

Denver Nuggets at Oklahoma City Thunder

Where: Oklahoma City Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

When: 8:00 pm EST

NBA Odds: Denver +4 ½

Analysis: Oklahoma City was all out to beat the Nuggets in Game 1 of this series. OKC came close to covering the 6 point online NBA betting spread in the sports book in that first game with the 107 to 103 victory. I still like Denver ATS in this contest even though the spread has gone down a full 1 and ½ points from Game 1. Denver is a solid unit. The Nuggets actually shot better than the Thunder from the field, 50.6% to 49.4%, but they missed 12 free throws in the game and shot only 25% from behind the three-point line. Oklahoma City needed 41 points from Kevin Durant and 31 from Russell Westbrook to win the game. I don’t see the pair necessarily doing that well on Wednesday night while the Nuggets should be better at the line and from behind the arc. Denver could upset OKC with a straight up victory on April 20.

Memphis Grizzlies at San Antonio Spurs

Where: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas

When: 8:30 pm EST

NBA Odds: Memphis +8 ½

Analysis: What’s hard for most NBA odds fans to believe is that the Memphis Grizzlies might actually be the kind of team that just matches up well with the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs are the Celtics of the West meaning that they’re not exactly a bunch of young cats. Manu Ginobili, one of San Antonio’s top players, is listed as probable for the game with an elbow injury. San Antonio’s vaunted defense was nowhere to be found in Game 1 when the Grizzlies shot a ridiculous 55.2% from the field in a 37 out of 67 night. The Grizzlies held the Spurs to 40% from the field in the shocking victory. What’s more disturbing is the fact that Memphis’ inside game dominated starters Tim Duncan and Antonio McDyees. Duncan had 16 points and 13 boards.

McDyees had a paltry 3 points and 1 board. DeJuan Blair, who played more than McDyees, scored 9 points and grabbed 6 boards. Zach Randolph for Memphis scored 25 points and grabbed 14 boards. Marc Gasol for the Grizzlies pitched in 24 points and 9 boards. If the Spurs can’t control the paint in Game 2, they could find themselves in a deep hole.

New Orleans Hornets at Los Angeles Lakers

Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California

When: 10:30 pm EST

NBA Odds: New Orleans +11 ½

Analysis: CP3, that’s Chris Paul, flat out dominated the entire Los Angeles Lakers team in the Hornets’ incredible 109 to 100 victory on the NBA moneyline odds. How good was Paul against Kobe’s team? How does 33 points, 4 steals, 14 assists and 7 rebounds sound? That’s domination from the point-guard position. Will Kobe and the Lakers have an answer on Wednesday night?

I don’t know. Kobe got his 35 points but he also had 5 turnovers. In fact, the mighty Lakers had 13 turnovers for the game and Pau Gasol was awful with only 8 points and 6 rebounds. Sure, Lakers’ coach Phil Jackson is a master motivator, but motivation can’t guard Chris Paul. Somebody with some legs underneath him might be able to. I’m not sure the Lakers have anybody like that on their team. I like the Hornets to cover again.

PGA Betting – Bohn, Snedeker Hope for Repeats of Sorts in New Orleans

Golf fans know that momentum and past performance are two very powerful things in PGA betting, and this week Jason Bohn and Brandt Snedeker will be looking to take advantage of those things as they hope for repeats of sorts in New Orleans in the Zurich Classic. The action gets underway on Thursday at the TPC Louisiana, located in Avondale, LA, and runs through Sunday. Golf Channel handles the TV coverage for the first two days, followed by CBS on the weekend. Luke Donald is the favorite in PGA betting at +800, with Nick Watney at +1200. Bohn, last year’s champion, is listed at +7000, and Snedeker is +2000.

PGA Betting

Zurich Classic of New Orleans

TPC Louisiana

Avondale, LA

April 28 – May 1

Purse: $6.4 million

TV Schedule (All Times Eastern)

Thursday/Friday: Golf Channel – 3-6 PM

Saturday/Sunday: CBS – 3-6 PM

After Hurricane Katrina, the TPC Louisiana, like a lot of things, had to be restructured a bit. It was actually shortened by 200 yards or so, PGA bettors should know that this course is going to invite big hitters, because the fairways are wider than the last stop on the tour at Hilton Head. But shot-making is going to be a key, because the wrong placement on the sizable greens can easily make for a lot of three-putts.

The hole that can create the most problems for players is going to be the Par-4 6th, a dogleg that can play tricks with the players, depending on which way the wind is blowing. They could easily get into trouble right off the tee, with a left-side hazard, and last year’s average score on this hole was over 4.2, which makes it, statistically speaking, the toughest hole on the course.

PGA Betting

To Win Zurich Classic of New Orleans

Luke Donald +800

Nick Watney +1200

Justin Rose +1500

Steve Stricker +1500

K.J. Choi +2000

Bubba Watson +2000

Brandt Snedeker +2000

Ben Crane +2500

Charley Hoffman +2500

Rickie Fowler +3000

David Toms +3000

Jeff Overton +3000

Graeme McDowell +3500

Rory Sabbatini +3500

Robert Allenby +3500

Webb Simpson +4000

Last year Jason Bohn beat back the challenge of Jeff Overton to win by two strokes. Lee Janzen, the two-time U.S. Open champion, had by far his best finish of the year as he nabbed fourth place. He’ll be back in the field on a sponsor’s exemption this year, as will former PGA and British Open champion John Daly. Justin Leonard, the former British Open champion, is priced at +5500 in PGA betting. Chip Beck put up the best four-round score ever in this event, shooting 26 under par in 1988, but that was at the Lakewood Country Club.

Bohn has had only one top twenty finish this year, and that came at the Mayakoba Classic in Mexico. He had missed the cut in New Orleans in 2009, and did the same in 2004 and 2005. The defending champion is +7000 in PGA betting this week, which might impress golf mavens who think lightning can strike twice.

Overton, the Indiana University graduate who did so well on the Tour in 2010, with six top ten results on his way to a berth on the Ryder Cup team, has had one top then this year, and that was at the Honda Classic. He didn’t play last week at Hilton Head, perhaps licking his wounds from the T-44 he posted in his debut at the Masters. He is one of the lower-priced entries at +3000 in the PGA betting odds, but is still looking for his first PGA Tour win, and he’s had some rough luck in that quest; last year he was the runner-up in the Greenbriar Classic, losing out by a single stroke to Stuart Appleby, who fired a 59 in the final round.

Brandt Snedeker will be in the field this week, coming off his win at the Heritage in South Carolina, and there are a fair number of PGA bettors who think he can repeat, based on his form right now. The Vanderbilt alum has been a hot player on the tour; he has five top ten finishes in his last ten events. After finishing fourth in the Transitions Championship them missing the cut at Arnold Palmer’s tournament – inevitable after an opening round of 80 – he tied for 15th at the Masters, was fourth at the Texas Open and then broke through for his second PGA Tour win last week. Snedeker is heating up for what he hopes will be an effort in the U.S. Open similar to last year, when he tied for eighth place. This week he is +2000 in PGA betting to win the event, and +1200 to be the Top American.

Golf Betting – Top 10 for this Week’s The Heritage Open

Golf continues to provide terrific action both on the television set and in the online betting book this week with The Heritage Open.

2010 Heritage Open winner Jim Furyk is a tepid +1500 co-second choice in the sports book to win this week’s PGA Tour Event. The favorite, Luke Donald, looks incredibly difficult to beat.

Both guys show up in my Top 10 for the week.

Keep reading for my Top 10 for this week’s The Heritage Open.

The Heritage Open: Top 10

When: April 21 – April 24, 2011

Where: Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head, South Carolina

Course: par 71, 6973 yards

TV: Golf, CBS

Top 10

Matt Kuchar +1500 – - Finished in fourteenth place at last year’s Heritage. Matty K is offering decent odds considering who his competition is in this week’s tournament. I have to believe that Kuchar goes back to the excellent play that led to six Top 10 finishes in eight starts. His twenty-seventh place finish at the Masters in his last wasn’t horrible. I’ll back him.

Luke Donald +900 – - Donald has finished in the Top 3 at The Heritage Open in the last two years. He obviously knows how to strike the ball over the Harbour Town Course. I’m not thrilled with the golf odds, but to leave the WGC-Accenture winner, who also finished fourth at the Masters, out of my Top 2 would be a mistake.

Jason Day +2500 – - Day can be hot or cold. After finishing north of 40 at the WGC-Cadillac and then north of 50 at the Transitions Open and missing the cut at the Shell Houston Open, Day almost pulled off the Masters’ victory when finishing second. I’m hoping that the “hot” Day shows up this week.

Jim Furyk +1500 – - The defending The Heritage Open champion has started to get his swing in order with a thirteenth at the Transitions, a Top 10 at the Arnold Palmer and a twenty-fourth at the Masters.

Rickey Fowler +2500 – - So far, Rickie hasn’t had that breakout season that everybody was talking about last fall. He did finish in eighth place at the 2010 Heritage Open with three rounds of 69 or better including a 67 fourth round. With a repeat, ‘the Bird” will make his online golf odds betting backers extremely happy at that 25 to 1 number.

Graeme McDowell +2500 – - It’s been a weird March and April for McDowell. He missed the cut at both the Arnold Palmer and Masters. He finished in forty-second place at the WGC-Cadillac. I’ve got to believe he does much better than that this week. I just have to.

Aaron Baddeley +2000- – Baddeley won at this course in 2006. He has five Top 25 finishes in five starts at Harbour Town. He’s offering fair odds and has three Top 10 finishes on the year.

He’s got a shot.

Francesco Molinari +3000 – - Don’t let the fiftieth place finish at the Masters fool you. Francesco can hit a golf ball. His third place finish at the WGC-Cadillac was absolutely fantastic and the online sports betting odds on him to win The Heritage cannot be ignored.

Brian Gay +3000 – - The thirty-second place finish at the 2010 The Heritage Open won’t give golf handicappers much hope for Brian G. this week. I prefer to look at the 69 that he drilled in rounds three and four at Harbour Town and give him the benefit of the doubt. Gay’s going to have to play much better than he did last week with that twenty-third place finish at the Valero Texas Open.

Ernie Els +3000 – - Els has finished seventieth, fifty-first and forty-seventh in his last three tournaments played. That’s not good, but this is Double-E, right? It’s hard to argue against the odds in the online sportsbook and Els can come up big on any given day. So, Ernie is tough to leave out of the Top 10.

Golf Betting – Top 10 for this Week’s Wells Fargo Championship

The Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow is this week’s PGA Tour Event. Defending champion Rory McIlroy is one of the golf betting favorites, but the presence of Phil Mickelson makes McIlroy the second choice in the sportsbook.

Keep reading for the rest of my Top 10 for this week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Wells Fargo Championship:  Top 10

When:  May 5 – May 8, 2011

Where:  Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina

Course:  par 72, 7,442 yards 

TV:  Golf, CBS

Top 10

Martin Kaymer +1300 – - Last year’s Race to Dubai winner on the European Tour is third in the Dubai standings in 2011.  Kaymer didn’t tee-off at Quail Hollow in 2010, but there’s no doubt that he’ll have a shot this week.  I’m backing him.

Nick Watney +1500 – - N-dub has been disappointing since the victory at the WGC-Cadillac with his best finish being a thirteenth at the Transitions.  He’s a decent guy at Quail Hollow, though, and the form should turn around eventually.

Rory McIlroy +1200 – - The defending champ shot a 273 in this tournament last year.  The 273 includes a 66 third round and a 62 fourth round.  That’s nasty good.  The odds in the golf sportsbook are sweet on Rory Mac this week.

Phil Mickelson +1000 – - Mickelson would have hoisted the Quail Hollow trophy if not for McIlroy’s 62 final round last year.  Lefty lost by 4 strokes to Rory in 2010.  The chalk could turn it around against his rival this week.

Dustin Johnson +1800 – - DJ’s fourth round 77 in 2010 put in him twenty-ninth place.  Johnson hasn’t teed off on the PGA Tour since the Masters, however, meaning that he should be ready this week.

Bubba Watson +2000 – - Watson scored three rounds of 70 or higher in last year’s tournament. That’s not good.  Bubba goes into this off of a victory in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans last week, though, making him a contender.

Justin Rose +4000 – - The online golf odds on Rose is why I put him ahead of some others on this list.  40 to 1 makes him an overlay even though he missed the cut in the Zurich.  Why?  He finished fifth at the Transitions and third at the Arnold Palmer earlier this year.

Hunter Mahan +2500 – - The seventeenth place finish at the 2010 Wells Fargo Championship wasn’t bad.  Before the missed cut at the Masters, Hunter finished eighth at the Shell Houston Open.

Paul Casey +2800 – - In 5 tournaments this year on the PGA Tour, Paul Casey hasn’t finished better than twelfth.  But the man’s name is Paul Casey.  The name Paul Casey is synonymous with good golf.

Jim Furyk +2000 – - I might be undervaluing Fury in this spot.  He finished seventh at last year’s Wells Fargo Championship, but the online betting odds are too low for me to like him that much this week.

PGA Betting – Heavyweight Players Chomp at the Bit for Million-Dollar Prize at the Heritage

PGA betting is going to be very interesting this week, with Luke Donald the favorite, playing very well, and coming off two excellent efforts at Hilton Head, but the Heritage has invited some heavyweight players who are chomping at the bit to go after the million-dollar first prize in this invitational, which gets underway on Thursday and runs through Sunday at the Harbour Town Golf Links. Weekend coverage will come from CBS. Donald, who tied for fourth place at the Masters, is favored in PGA betting at +900, but he has not won this tournament. Last year’s champion, Jim Furyk, is +1500, with Brian Gay, the tournament record-holder, at +3000.

PGA Betting
The Heritage
Harbour Town Golf Links
Hilton Head, SC
April 21-24
Purse:  $5.7 million

TV Schedule
(All Times Eastern)
Thursday & Friday: Golf Channel – 3-6 PM
Saturday & Sunday: CBS – 3-6 PM

There are fewer players at this event than there are at most other PGA tournaments – 132 to be exact – and that’s because it is one of the few that is considered an invitational. PGA bettors know this is not one of those tournaments that has been dominated by Tiger Woods – at any time. In fact, Woods has never won it, though just to demonstrate that this is not an event for second-tier players, the likes of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Hale Irwin, Tom Watson, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Greg Norman and Nick Price are among the past winners.

If there has been a dominant figure at The Heritage, it is Davis Love III, a native of the Carolinas who has won it five different times, most recently in 2003. Love is not a major contender in most events these days, and he is 125/1 in PGA betting to win over this field this week.

The tournament has suffered something of a setback this year in that there is no title sponsor; for a period of 25 years, MCI and World Com, then Verizon, which acquired them had been involved. 

PGA Betting
Odds To Win The Heritage
(30/1 or lower)

Luke Donald                +900
Matt Kuchar                 +1500
Jim Furyk                     +1500
Aaron Baddeley           +2000
Graeme McDowell       +2500
Jason Day                    +2500
Rickie Fowler              +2500
Bo Van Pelt                +3000
Francesco Molinari     +3000
Brian Gay                    +3000
Brandt Snedeker         +3000
Ernie Els                      +3000

Donald may be the highest ranked player at Hilton Head, and he has enough momentum to get the job done, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be without plenty of competition. One of those opponents is going to be Graeme McDowell, the defending U.S. Open champ, who is +2500 in PGA betting this week and would be going off at a lower price, undoubtedly, if he hadn’t missed the cut in the last two tournament she played in – the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida, and more importantly, the Masters two weeks ago.

Jim Furyk won last year with rounds of 67, 68, 67 and 69. The reigning player of the year has had a coupe of top ten finishes, including a tie for ninth at the Palmer event. Furyk (+1500 in PGA betting) was also fourth at Hilton Head in 2008 and second in 2005 and 2006.

Rickie Fowler expects to do well. The youngster, who made his PGA Tour debut at this event three years ago, missed the cut that year, but was tied for eighth in last year’s tournament. He’s +2500 this week. Brian Gay, who destroyed this course en route to 20 under par in 2009 and had a top ten finish in 2006, is +3000, and Aaron Baddeley, the champion in 2006, who won the Northern Trust Open this year, is someone to watch at +2000 in PGA betting. Britisher Brian Davis, who called a penalty on himself during last year’s playoff with Furyk, carries a big price this week (+7000) and may be worth a look.

Stewart Cink, a two-time winner of the event (2000 and 2004), who is also the former British Open champion,  hasn’t had a top ten finish yet this year. He’s +3500. Boo Weekley, who had several top tens in 2010 and was tied for 12th last year at Hilton Head, won the Heritage in 2007 and 2008, and would probably merit serious consideration based on that past performance. He’s also just released his new book, "True Boo. Gator Catch,’ Orangutan Boxin,’ And My Wild Ride To The PGA Tour." He’ll be teeing it up at a 60/1 price in PGA betting, so perhaps there is some value there.

Hit it straight down the fairway with PGA betting at BetOnline Sportsbook!

Golf Betting – Zurich Classic Preview

Golf betting heads to the Big Easy this week. The Zurich Classic hits the TPC of Louisiana, bringing a few of the top players in the world to New Orleans. Here’s a look at the favorites to top the leaderboard:

Luke Donald +800

Donald is playing the best golf of any player on tour right now, coming off a runner-up finish at the Heritage Classic this past weekend. Donald was edged in a playoff by Brandt Snedeker, but still earned his fifth straight Top-10 finish of the season. He has never been to TPC of Louisiana, but his exceptional putting skills – ranked tops in putts per round (1.690) – should help with the course’s challenging greens.

Nick Watney +1,200

Watney has taken some time off since the Masters, leaving golf bettors to wonder if the American can get back on his torrid pace. Watney opened the 2011 season with five straight Top-10 performances, including a win at the WGC-Cadillac Championship back in March. He finished tied for 46th at Augusta, his worst finish of the year, and has been inactive since. He is a former Zurich Classic winner, taking the tournament title in 2007. Last year, Watney skipped the event after missing the cut in 2009 and finishing 42nd in 2008.

Justin Rose +1,500

The young Englishman is quietly making his way up the money standings, currently sitting 23rd in earnings after posting three Top 10s and three other finishes in the Top 15 in his nine outings this season. Rose is coming off a solid performance at the Masters, placing 11th with a 5-under par. He’s been terrific in his approach game, sitting first in greens hit in regulation, which shouldn’t be too tough with the big targets at TPC of Louisiana this week. However, his putting hasn’t been as spot on, ranking 82nd in putts per hole and 51st in birdies per round.

Steve Stricker +1,500

Stricker seems to always be among the notables. He’s coming off an 11th-place showing at Augusta and a fourth-place outing at the Houston Open at the beginning of April. His putting is what sets him apart from the rest of the field – ranked fifth in putts per hole and third in birdies per round – and is the reason why golf bettors should consider his PGA odds this week. Stricker skipped last year’s Zurich Classic but finished seventh at the event in 2009.

Golf Betting – Top 10 for this Week’s Zurich Classic Open of New Orleans

This week PGA Tour players head to N’Awlins for the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.  WGC-Accenture winner Luke Donald is the golf odds favorite to take home the ZC of New Orleans trophy this Sunday.  Donald shows up in my Top 10.

Keep reading for the rest of my Top 10 for this week’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Zurich Classic:  Top 10

When:  April 28 – May 1, 2011

Where:  TPC Louisiana, Avondale, La

Course:  par 72, 7,341 yards 

TV:  Golf, CBS

Top 10

Nick Watney +1200 – - Watney hasn’t teed off on the PGA Tour since finishing forty-sixth at the Masters.  Since winning the WGC-Cadillac, Nick hasn’t hit the Top 10 at both the Masters and the Transitions Championship, which occurred a week before the first major of the year.  Watney won at TPC Louisiana in 2007 and before the Transitions was having a dynamite year.  The two weeks off after the Masters should help.

Luke Donald +800 – - Donald has been absolutely brilliant on the PGA Tour since missing the cut at the Northern Trust Open on February 20.  It’s obvious why he’s the online golf betting favorite.  4 straight Top 10 finishes including a victory in the WGC-Accenture, a second place finish at The Heritage and a fourth place finish at the Masters Tournament makes Donald a real contender this week.

Steve Stricker +1500 – - Although Steve Stricker hasn’t won a tournament yet in 2011, he has played well enough to finish thirty-third or better in 7 tournaments this year.  He finished eleventh at the Masters after finishing fourth at the Shell Huston Open.  The two-week break should help Stricker this week.

Justin Rose +1500 – - The eleventh place finish at the Masters broke a string of 2 straight finishes of fifth or better including a third at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.  The golf online betting odds on Rose to win the Zurich of New Orleans are more than fair.

Brandt Snedeker +2000 – - Snedeker’s been pretty good in his last 3 tournaments played.  He finished fifteenth at the Masters Tournament, then fourth at the Valero Texas Open and then he scored a victory at The Heritage last week.  His swing is obviously in good order right now.

Charley Hoffman +2500 – - CH could come up big this week.  After finishing twenty-fifth or better in only 3 out of his first 11 starts for 2011, Hoffman scored a second at the Valero Texas Open in his last tournament played. 

Bubba Watson +2000 – - Watson’s done very well at TPC Louisiana in the past.  Not only that, but Bubba is ranked third on the PGA Tour in total driving and second in greens hit.  Watson should be there in the end and deserves a long look at what are better than decent odds in the golf sportsbook.

Ben Crane +2500 – - Ben Crane is going to have to do something that he’s never done before at the Zurich of New Orleans this week if he wishes to play on Saturday or Sunday, much less hoist the trophy.  Crane has missed the cut three times at this tournament.  The fact that Ben goes into this off of a sixth place finish at The Heritage, and is ranked eleventh on the PGA Tour in greens in regulation, gives me hope that he’ll make a run this weekend.

Rickie Fowler +3000 – - Fowler hasn’t had a lot of success so far in 2011.  His best finish was an eighth at the WGC-Cadillac.  He didn’t even play at last year’s Zurich of New Orleans.  I still believe that his immense talent could carry him to a Top 10 finish this week at TPC Louisiana.  He’s obviously going to have to play much better this week than he did last week at The Heritage.

David Toms +3000 – - After two straight missed cuts in February, Toms’ swing appears to be coming around.  A Top 25 finish at the Masters and a third place finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational makes him a golfer to consider at the +3000 PGA Tour betting odds.

PGA Betting – One of Best Fields of Year Tees It Up At Wells Fargo, With Mickelson Favored

People who are into PGA betting are very excited this week about seeing one of the best fields of the year in a non-major as they tee it up in the Wells Fargo Championship. It starts on Thursday and runs through Sunday at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, NC.

The tournament will be televised by CBS on the weekend, and they’ll be focused, in part, on Phil Mickelson, who is the +1000 favorite. Last year’s champion, Rory McIlroy, is +1200 in the PGA betting odds.

PGA Betting

Wells Fargo Championship

Quail Hollow Club

Charlotte, NC

May 5-8

Purse: $6.5 million

TV Schedule

(All times Eastern)

Thursday & Friday: Golf Channel – 3-6 PM

Saturday & Sunday: CBS – 3-6 PM

PGA bettors know that when you bring together a number of high-ranking world-class players, not to mention a number of former winners of this event, anyone has an opportunity to come away victorious. This is a great field which would be even better had Tiger Woods been able to play, and he would have tee it up if not for the fact that he is sidelined with an injury. One of the reasons they’re going to have so many good players is that they are gearing up for the Players Championship, which takes place at TPC Sawgrass next week. It also happens to be the last chance to qualify for The Players, for those who have not already played their way in.

PGA Betting Odds

To Win Wells Fargo Championship

Phil Mickelson +1000

Rory McIlroy +1200

Martin Kaymer +1300

Nick Watney +1500

Dustin Johnson +1800

Jim Furyk +2000

Bubba Watson +2000

Hunter Mahan +2500

Geoff Ogilvy +2500

Paul Casey +2800

Martin Laird +3000

Rickie Fowler +3500

Justin Rose +4000

Edoardo Molinari +4000

Padraig Harrington +4500

David Toms +4500

Anthony Kim +4500

Sergio Garcia +5000

Webb Simpson +5000

Mickelson is currently fourth in FedEx Cup points. He disappointed at the Masters, finishing in a tie for 27th place after shooting a final round of 74, and he went into that tournament as the PGA betting favorite at +600, considering that he had won the previous tournament at Houston. Last year he performed very well, finishing as the runner-up at Quail Hollow right after his victory in Augusta, and he has also finished in the top ten in the tournament five times in seven attempts.

I imagine that since Mickelson has won so recently, he is the PGA betting favorite for this event at +1000, which puts him just ahead of Rory McIlroy on the list. McIlroy is coming off his collapse in the Masters, where he shot 65-69 in the first two rounds, and 70 in the third, to take a lead into Sunday. But things unraveled quickly for him, and his 80 sunk him into a tie for 15th.

Interestingly, that has been part of a pattern; he is first on the Tour in scoring average before the cut (69.17) but only 150th in Round 3 average and 184th in the final round. Granted, that is a small sampling; last year, he was just the reverse of that – 178th before the cut, 39th in Round 3 and 16th in the final round. McIlroy is +1200 in PGA betting.

Martin Kaymer was last year’s PGA Championship winner, and he was the runner-up to Ian Poulter in this year’s Accenture Match Play. His other appearances in the U.S. have not been all that successful this year for someone who was ranked #1 in the world; he was tied for 24th in the WGC-Cadillac Championship and tied for 20th in the Transitions Championship. He missed the cut at the Masters, which is the fourth straight time he’s done that. He went to Malaysia and got a top ten after that. Kaymer, who is +1300 in PGA betting this week, tied for 11th at Quail Hollow in 2009.

The guy who may merit some strong consideration, based on a very hot hand, is left-hander Bubba Watson, who won last week’s Zurich Classic in New Orleans, which catapulted him into the #10 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). Watson, who also won the Farmers Insurance Open earlier in the year and lost in a playoff at the PGA to Kaymer last year, currently leads the FedEx Cup points list. He is also tops on tour in Greens in Regulation and second in Driving Distance. The runner-up to Sean O’Hair at Quail Hollow in 2009, he’s priced rather long at +2000 in the PGA betting odds.

Don’t ignore the guy who holds the tournament record in this event either. Anthony Kim won the tourney in 2008, when it was known as the Wachovia Championship, shooting a 16-under total of 272. Admittedly, Kim will have to improve on recent form if he is going to be a factor; he has missed the cut in three of his last five events. He tied for seventh at Quail Hollow last year and had a fifth place tie in 2007, so he does not lack for history at this venue,. Can he recapture his stroke on a friendly course? If he does, he could cash a big ticket at +4500 in PGA betting this week.

No Real Favorite in 2011 U.S. Open

With Tiger Woods out of the second major tournament of 2011 because of an injury, favoritism to win at Congressional Country Club at Bethesda, Maryland this week has fallen onto two European players:  Lee Westwood and Luke Donald.

Both Westwood and Donald are at +1000 in the sportsbook to take home the U.S. Open trophy this Sunday.  Donald, the number one ranked player in the world, has been exceptional on the PGA Tour this season.  Since missing the cut at the Northern Trust Open in late February, Donald has finished in the Top 10 in eight straight tournaments including winning the WGC-Accenture Match Play Tournament and finishing fourth at the Masters in April.  Westwood, the number two ranked player in the world, has been holding his own on the European Tour, but only has eleventh place finishes at the Masters and the FedEx St. Jude Classic to show for on the PGA Tour in 2011.

The top American with a shot at U.S. Open glory is, according to the odds makers, Phil Mickelson.  America’s most popular player, Mickelson is going to have to turn around his recent form.  A twenty-seventh place finish at the Masters, followed by a thirty-third place finish at The Players Championship, should give pause to anybody looking to score on Lefty this week.

Rory McIlroy is once again receiving love to win a major at +1400 although the best he could do is finish fifteenth at the Masters.  At +4000, not much is expected from McIlroy’s fellow Irishman, and the U.S. Open defending champion, Graeme McDowell.  McDowell has missed the cut in three out of the last five tournaments that he’s played on the PGA Tour.  That includes missing the cut at the Masters.

The north of +2000 golfer that figures to garner the most attention to win the U.S. Open this week has to be Steve Stricker.  Ranked fourth in the world, Stricker finished eleventh at the Masters and goes into the U.S. Open off of a victory at the Memorial Tournament where he shot a -16.  Along with Stricker, Germany’s Martin Kaymer, the 2010 PGA Championship winner, is also listed at +2200. 

Both Dustin Johnson and KJ Choi at +2500 have a chance to make their presence felt on Sunday while Matt Kuchar at +1800 is the only other golfer going off at odds less than +2000.  Kuchar finished sixth at the HP Byron Nelson Championship and second at the Memorial Tournament in his two tune-ups for the U.S. Open.
 
Below are the golfers going off at +5000 or less to win this week’s U.S. Open.

Lee Westwood                        +1000

Luke Donald                           +1000

Phil Mickelson                        +1200

Rory McIlroy                          +1400

Matt Kuchar                            +1800

Martin Kaymer                        +2200

Steve Stricker                          +2200

Dustin Johnson                       +2500

KJ Choi                                   +2500

Nick Watney                           +3000

Bubba Watson                          +3500

Graeme McDowell                  +4000

Jason Day                                +4000

David Toms                            +4500

Adam Scott                             +5000

Padraig Harrington                 +5000

Robert Karlsson                      +5000

Golf Betting – Wells Fargo Championship

Golf betting heads to one of the biggest non-major events on the PGA Tour – the Wells Fargo Championship.

The tournament is viewed as a tuneup for The Players Championship, which is on tap for next week.

Here’s a look at the oddsmakers’ favorites to top the leaderboard in Charlotte:

Phil Mickelson +1,000

Mickelson finished second at last year’s event at Quail Hollow, shooting 11-under par for the tournament and placing just four strokes behind Rory McIlroy. Lefty has been taking some time off since a disappointing showing at Augusta last month. Mickelson went into the Masters as the favorite, having won the Houston Open the week before. However, he couldn’t find a rhythm on the course, progressively falling farther back in each round. The downtime and familiarity with Quail Hollow, where he’s finished inside the Top 5 the last two years and 12th in 2008, should help Mickelson get his groove back before The Players.

Rory McIlroy +1,200

McIlroy is the defending winner at the Wells Fargo Championship, topping last year’s leaderboard with a 15-under par, including a final-round score of 62 – which is contrary to the final-round collapse at this year’s Masters that has haunted the Irishman since April 10. But despite such a crushing outcome, McIlroy finished third at the Maybank Malaysian Open in mid-April. He has re-focused on the next big tournament at hand, The Players, and is aiming for another solid tuneup in Charlotte this week. He jumped over Tiger Woods in the World Golf Rankings this week and is sitting at No. 6 heading into North Carolina.

Martin Kaymer +1,300

Kaymer didn’t fare all too well at the Masters either, missing the cut after posting a score of 150 through the first two rounds. He appears to be back on track after a ninth-place showing at the Maybank Malaysian Open in the middle of April. Kaymer skipped last year’s Wells Fargo Championship but was at Quail Hollow in 2009, finishing 7-under par for an 11th-place showing.

Nick Watney +1,500

Watney is one of the rare Americans among the favorites at the Wells Fargo Championship. He was also one of the few Americans who took to the course following the Masters and is coming off a 20th-place showing at the Zurich Classic last week. Watney has slowed down a bit after a thunderous start to the golf season. He’s finished 13th, 46th and 20th after opening the year with five straight Top-10 finishes, including a win at the WGC-Cadillac Championship. The California native placed 22nd in his last two trips to Quail Hollow in 2010 and 2009.

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