Golf Form Guide: Rose and Garcia to blossom at Bay Hill

Golf Form Guide / Mike Norman / 20 March 2012 /

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Sergio Garcia can be a strong contender at Bay Hill this week if his putter behaves

"Garcia’s putting, so often his nemesis, seems to have improved recently and top-five finishes on both the PGA and European Tours since the beginning of February augers well."

With just two weeks to the Masters Luke Donald's game looks in great shape says Mike Norman, but who looks in fine form ahead of this week's two main tournaments? Read on to find out...

Luke Donald returned to the top of the world golf rankings, showing his class to come from three shots behind to win last week's Transitions Championship on the PGA Tour.

Unfortunately for us, Donald wasn't quite on our radar despite a top-10 finish in the WGC Cadillac Championship the week before. His iron play was sometimes wayward but Donald's short game, especially his bunker play, is easily amongst the best I've seen by anyone in the last 10 years, and that includes the likes of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

Why am I telling you this? Well it's the US Masters in a few weeks time and anyone who can produce play around the greens like Donald must surely have a chance. The Englishman can be backed at [16.0] to win at Augusta.

PGA Tour - Arnold Palmer Invitational

(Tournaments used: Transitions Championship, WGC Cadillac Championship, Puerto Rico Open, Honda Classic, Mayakoba Classic, Northern Trust Open, AT&T Pebble Beach, WM Phoenix Open)

Justin Rose (2)... 24.5 (T5 2011)
Phil Mickelson (2)... 19.5
Bubba Watson (2)... 17
Tiger Woods (1)... 16.5 (W 2009)
Kevin Na (2)... 15.5 (T5 2010)
Ernie Els (1)... 14 (W 2010)
Jim Furyk (1)... 13.5 (T10 2011)
Sergio Garcia (2)... 13 (T10 2011)

*number in brackets after a player's name is the number of top-10 finishes achieved in last six weeks/tournaments on tour
**information after a players' points relates to wins (W), top-five (T5) and top-10 (T10) finishes in corresponding tournament in previous three years

Despite the absence of the top six golfers in the world a strong line-up will be assembled at Bay Hill this week as preparation for the US Masters gathers pace. Amongst those lining up is Tiger Woods who has recovered from his Achilles heel injury in no time at all. But despite some improved form of late as well as a win in this event as recently as 2009 I can't bring myself to back the former world number one at a single figure price of just [9.2].

I do like Justin Rose again however. He was the obvious pick last week after a recent fifth place finish at the Honda Classic and a win at the WGC Cadillac Championship, and he certainly didn't look out of form during Sunday's closing round of 66. Rose, who often goes on a three or four week burst of excellent form, finished in a tie for third here last year so this demanding Bay Hill course certainly holds no fears.

I also like Sergio Garcia this week, and Kevin Na at a huge price. Garcia's putting, so often his nemesis, seems to have improved recently and top-five finishes on both the PGA and European Tours since the beginning of February augers well, as does his top-10 finish here last year. Na also has two top-five finishes to his name recently, and the fact that he finished in a tie for second here in 2010 makes him a lively outsider this week.

European Tour - Trophee Hassan II

(Tournaments used: Open de Andalucia, WGC Cadillac Championship, Avantha Masters, Dubai Desert Classic, Qatar Masters)

Marcel Siem (2)... 15.5
Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (2)... 14 (T5 2011)
Rhys Davies (1)... 13 (W 2010, T5 2011)

Once again Marcel Siem heads my list of golfers participating on the European Tour this week, and he really should have recorded another top-10 finish last week. The German was bang in contention approaching the back nine on Sunday, getting to within one shot of the lead at that stage. But Siem failed to birdie the par five 10th and from then on the wheels fell off; in fact it was his playing partner Julien Quesne who made the birdies to go on and win the tournament.

As long as dropping four shots late in his round hasn't affected Siem's game then he remains one of the more in-form and consistent players on the European Tour right now. But then given the strength of the fields recently, that isn't saying a great deal.

Jean-Baptiste Gonnet finished fifth here last year and has shown himself to be in decent form lately too. The Frenchman finished 12th at a high quality Abu Dhabi Championship, fifth at the Qatar Masters, and sixth at the Avantha Masters. A reproduction of that form should see him go close to recording his maiden tour victory this week.

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