Golf Events / Tareq Quiroz / 18 June 2008 / Leave a Comment

Tareq Quiroz on the betting for this week's big PGA Tour event

Nothing can follow what we saw last week in the US Open but you can be sure there will plenty of drama before the cheques are given out in the Travelers Championship this week. Last weeks unbelievable events really took it out of me! You could write a decent novel purely based on what Tiger Woods did last week let alone everything else that happened. Ninety-one holes later and we had the champion many expected but the journey is one that will stay with me for a long long time.

I am pretty confident it won't take ninety one holes to decide this week's winner at the Travelers Championship but I do expect it to be a pretty tight affair. This is a long standing tournament that has taken many a different title down the years with the most recent ones being the Buick Championship and the Greater Hartford Open. River Highlands is the host course and it will provide a decent test of the players this week. At 6,820 yards it is one of the shortest courses on the PGA Tour and whilst it is quite tricky you should expect the winning score to be around 15-under par.

River Highlands has the feel of a course that you are much better off on if you have some decent form at the venue. The greens are pretty small and if your iron play isn't up to scratch then you will be left with some tricky up and downs. The idea is to put yourself in the right place off the tee and attack the flags; the winner this week will also need a hot putter.

My main selection for this event is someone who has clearly got this down to a fine art. Hunter Mahan is the man who has come first and second in the last two years and will obviously be full of confidence coming back to this course. Mahan was in good form last week and although never really in contention he was a satisfying 18th at a tough US Open. He is definitely the man to beat this week and at current odds of [23.0] he is the must bet.

I can safely say that the player nominated as my saver bet this week is entering my staking plan for the first time. The 2003 Open Champion Ben Curtis is one of those players who doesn't play well that often but when he does he contends and can be pretty difficult to beat. As a result it is essential that you don't take too much notice of his recent form. He was second at the Wachovia earlier this season and this may be the time that he strikes again. He came fourth here a few years ago and at decent odds he is certainly worth a punt. Get on him at [95.0] and you will not be disappointed.

Major championships can often leave scars on those who get close only to capitulate. Not for the first time it was Stuart Appleby who was a big disappointment over the weekend. He was right there in the final group on Saturday only to finish the weekend with 79 and 75. Following the horror show he had with his putter it is hard to expect him to come out the very next week and play his top game. I would go to town on him this week and oppose him in both his matchbets against Rod Pampling and Justin Rose. Both players are trading around [2.0] and should be supported to beat him. Your final action against the Aussie should be to lay him in the Make The Cut market at odds of [1.2].

I anticipate a good week's golf and it will be very interesting to see how this tournament pans out. All the main protagonists took part in last weeks gruelling US Open and the question is, how will those players come out of it? I don't buy into the theory that you can't contend in a major and then win the next week. Nobody ever says that about a regular tour event and for me if you are in form you are in form. I know others disagree though...are you one of those?

Post a comment

Name:

Email Address:

URL:

Remember personal info?

Comment: