Golf Bets / Paul Krishnamurty / 05 January 2012 / Leave a Comment

The PGA Tour gets into swing in Hawaii on Friday evening and, to get us in the mood for the new golf season, Paul Krishnamurty picks out the best two-ball bets from day one at Kapalua

8u Bryce Molder @ [1.76] (vs Bradley) (Starts 20.35)
It speaks volumes about last season's PGA Tour, and the declining status of American golf, that the traditional curtain-raiser has never had such a weak feel about it.
A tournament restricted to champions from the previous season, once dominated by the likes of Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh, can barely muster a big-name amongst its 28 competitors this year.
Part of the reason is the numerous shock winners on last year's schedule, though it is equally notable that so many of the game's current superstars are from overseas, and have bigger fish to fry. Clearly it isn't worth Rory McIlroy or Luke Donald's time to travel to Hawaii for a guaranteed payday, when there are preparations for the Gulf Swing to be made.
None of that will deter golf-starved punters though, who should instead look forward to capitalising on an odds-on banker in the opening two-ball of the 2012 season. The rank outsider in this field is Puerto Rico Open champ Michael Bradley, and rightly so on the basis of two poor previous appearances at Kapalua. Bradley finished stone-cold last on his first appearance here in 1999, five shots behind the next player, and barely improved last year, finishing 25th out of 28. On what is an easy course by modern PGA standards, he's never bettered 71.
Against such limited opposition, delivering at [1.76] shouldn't be too much to ask of Frys.com Open winner Bryce Molder, despite the fact he's making his course debut. Molder is a considerably superior and more consistent player, and hopefully remains in the career-best form which enabled him to finish the 2011 season with three straight top-11s, including that maiden victory.

6u Sean O'Hair @ [1.94] (vs Piercy) (Starts 21.05)
One of the few players who can boast high-class course form here is Sean O'Hair, who finished fourth in both 2009 and 2010, and that must make him a very strong favourite against another of the tournament's lesser lights.
Scott Piercy owes his place in the field to a victory in the Reno-Tahoe Open, which included absolutely nobody from golf's top-tier because it coincided with the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Apart from that week's effort, there's very little in Piercy's profile to suggest anything other than a struggle on his course debut.

5u Steve Stricker @ [1.94] (vs Woodland) (Starts 22.15)
Fresh off a superb rookie season and victory alongside Matt Kuchar in the World Cup, Gary Woodland is very much a player to follow this year, but he couldn't have been handed a tougher opening task. Kapalua has never been a happy hunting ground for debutants, and Woodland's lack of course experience could be an insurmountable handicap against the tournament favourite.
After finishing second, tenth and fourth on his last three cracks at this course, Steve Stricker sets a high standard, and the nature of this layout probably plays to his strengths much more than tonight's opponent. Short game skills are very important here and whereas Stricker is one of the very best around in that department, Woodland's scrambling remains a work in progress to say the least.

5u Nick Watney @ [2.14] (vs Simpson) (Starts 22.35)
Again, a lack of course experience will probably hinder the chances of an otherwise admirable player.
Webb Simpson was easily the world's most improved player last season, and may well carry on in the same vein this term. He may even have solved the Kapalua puzzle by the end of the week, but is worth opposing on day one against a player who looks to have his ideal set-up this week.
Kapalua's wide-open fairways and quintet of par-fives play to big-hitter Watney's strength, as does the fact that he ranked fourth for total putting amongst this field in 2011. As Steve Rawlings points out in his tournament preview, all of the last 13 winners ranked in the top-four for total putting that week. Watney fared better than most debutants when fifth in 2008, and now much improved in all areas, rates the man to beat for my money.

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