Golf Betting 2009: Five to follow on the PGA tour

General / Paul Krishnamurty / 23 December 2008 / Leave a Comment

Paul Krishamurty picks five PGA stars who he expects to make the break-through sooner rather than later.

Sergio Garcia

With still no date set for Tiger Woods' return from injury, and uncertainty over whether he will be able to immediately resume winning ways, a golden opportunity exists for someone to break away from the rest and establish themselves as the main challenger. Nobody is better positioned to be that person than Sergio Garcia. But as so many golf punters will be painfully aware, Garcia has repeatedly blown opportunities in the Majors, most recently in the last PGA Championship.

Nevertheless, nobody played more consistently world-class golf in the second half of 2008. A pair of European Tour wins towards the end of the year, in addition to the most prestigious title of his career in the Players Championship, suggest he has finally begun to nail those final-day demons, and he enters the New Year carrying a huge burden of expectation. I feel sure that we shall see a flood of money for Garcia in the Majors, with his prices shortening considerably for their current marks around [18.0]. In particular, the US Open venue of Bethpage Black looks ideal for his long-game brilliance and he is fancied to improve on fourth place there in 2002.

Antony Kim

No player has made such a quick impression on the PGA Tour this century as 24 -year-old Kim, and the sky really is the limit. He's already won two top-class events on championship courses, challenged strongly in numerous others and made a thrilling Ryder Cup debut, and this is just his first two seasons. Like any player of his age, there is much room for Kim to improve further, which is a frightening proposition for the rest. I'm loathe to give anyone the 'Next Tiger Woods' tag, but there is definitely something about Kim's talent, attitude and inspirational brilliance that is reminiscent of the great man.

He seems certain to win more regular tour events in 2009, but the big question is whether he can translate that form into the Major championships. That is never straightforward, but a top-10 finish at brutal Royal Birkdale on his Open, (and British links), debut suggested the breakthrough could come sooner rather than later.

Hunter Mahan

Besides Kim, Mahan appears the only other American twenty-something to be certain of a very big future. Nobody was more influential in regaining the Ryder Cup for his country, which was all the more impressive given that his debut was shrouded by controversy after some unwise remarks during the build-up. His focussed and unfazed reaction points to an excellent temperament.

The most encouraging aspect of Mahan's profile is his impressive long game stats. Still only 26, he's bound to become more consistent and eliminate mistakes with greater experience, and must be strongly fancied to add to his 2007 Travellers Championship title very soon.

Andres Romero

The 2008 Rookie of the Year is one of the few players that could quite conceivably shoot 62 and 82 on consecutive days. Romero's course strategy can be defined as ultra-attacking bordering on reckless, and its hard to escape the conclusion that with an older, wiser head he could shave several shots off most of his scorecards. It must augur well for the Argentinian that he has already won on both sides of the Atlantic relatively early in his career, and there is plenty more to come.

Most encouraging about Romero's rapid rise has been how well he's played in Major championships - remember he blew a golden opportunity to win the 2007 Open at Carnoustie. Eighth place on his Masters debut was equally impressive, illustrating a superb putting touch could make him a regular contender at Augusta over the years. Ideally though, Romero wants a low-scoring putting contest and there are always plenty of those on the PGA Tour.

Paul Casey

With the exception of elite players like Garcia and Harrington, Casey looks the likeliest European to break through across the Atlantic in my view because, unlike many others, he seems to play at least as well on US courses. His wife is American, and he was based over there in his college years, so perhaps the unsettling factors of playing away from home are less relevant in his case. 2008 was a generally disappointing year for Casey, largely due to a cold putter, but I felt he improved his long game consistency and rate him higher than 12 months ago. When the putts start dropping, he will start winning again.

Casey has challenged strongly three times already in US Majors, only to badly let himself down on the final day for two of those. He comes across as a very confident player, who will learn from those previous experiences and cope much better next time. Certainly the Masters, a Major in which he's already featured strongly twice, looks an ideal opportunity. And this year's long, brutal US Open venue, Bethpage Black, should be perfect for his power game.