Double Delight: Garcia impossible to ignore while DJ can bounce back

Mike Norman
13 May 2014

Segio Garcia has to go well in Spain this week says Mike

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Mike Norman had a big price winner a fortnight ago on the European Tour but couldn't get anyone to place on the PGA Tour to land the double. Can our man get a place at least on either side of the pond this week...

12 x 1pt E/W Doubles

Garcia @ 6.05/1
Wood @ 51.050/1
Otaegui @ 151.0150/1

X

Johnson @ 26.025/1
Delaet @ 36.035/1
Leishman @ 41.040/1
Stuard @ 81.080/1

Open de Espana (¼ odds, 5 places)

Back Sergio Garcia @ 6.05/1
Back Chris Wood @ 51.050/1
Back Adrian Otaegui @ 151.0150/1

Our previous Double Delight preview came up with 66/1 winner Felipe Aguilar, our third pre-tournament outright winner from just 10 columns following the success of Stephen Gallacher (40/1) and Thomas Aiken (12/1) earlier in the season.

Of course, the aim of this column is to land the double and unfortunately Aguilar's victory wasn't matched by any of our four selections on the PGA Tour that particular week, but there's absolutely nothing to stop you backing these selections individually. In fact, at the odds we've had winners you'd be foolish not to back some of our recommendations on their own - I know I do.

We will always calculate the profit/loss based on the recommended each way doubles however, so don't despair if we show a growing loss as the season progresses, you can go months without a return with this type of wager but the rewards can be huge when success does come our way.

In all honesty I found it quite difficult to leave Aguilar out of this week's recommended bet given that the PGA Catalunya Resort course usually demands accuracy - which is what Aguilar excels at.

But the Chilean is the same price this week as he was a fortnight ago yet the field assembled here looks far stronger. And it's also incredibly difficult to win back-to-back tournaments at this level so he is reluctantly passed over.

As I've mentioned a few times in this column already this season I have no problems whatsoever backing a short price runner if I feel that his odds reflect his chance, and in the case of Sergio Garcia I can quite easily see him making the frame and going very close to winning.

The Spaniard has a terrific record in his home country, winning no fewer than five times on the European Tour including back-to-back wins in 2011. Garcia openly admits to loving Catalunya, is a previous winner of this tournament, and could hardly be in more consistent form duing the last eight months, recording top-20 finishes in 13 of his last 14 worldwide starts.

The popular Spaniard beat a high quality field in winning the Qatar Masters at the start of the year, and he arrives in his homeland following an excellent third place finish at the Players Championship last week. Garcia's odds of 6.05/1 may appear short, but they accurately reflect his chance this week and he is a must for the shortlist.

Take Garcia out of the reckoning and we're presented with a wide open affair, and at 51.050/1 to back I like the chances of Chris Wood.

Admittedly Wood is not the most accurate of drivers but that is the only negative. The fairways are quite generous in width and I'm happy to take a chance that the Englishman will find his fair share of the short grass. From there he will find plenty of greens in the correct number and I'm hoping that he can take advantage of the par fives this week.

Wood played better than his finishing posistions suggest durng the Desert Swing earlier in the season and he has since recorded two top-six finishes including a fifth last time out. The Englishman finished 24th at this venue in 2009 (despite a disastrous 79 on the Saturday) and I can see him improving massively on that position if on song this week.

I forever read people say, "I make no apologies for again selecting...", well I do make an apology for making Adrian Otaegui my selection again this week as I can't find any course form to support my case on that front.

But this young Spaniard is a player I really like having caught my eye in the second half of 2013 when recording five top-five finishes on the Challenge Tour. He has had a decent start to life at this higher level, most notably when finishing sixth at the NH Collection Open and when giving me an excellent run for my money at 200/1 during the China Open.

Otaegui fell away during the final round in China and it was a similar story in Singapore a week later when a final round 74 sent him tumbling down the leaderboard. But he's 151.0150/1 to back this week, he's a very accurate driver of the ball (ranks eighth for Driving Accuracy), and playing in his national open might just be spurred on enough to contend at huge odds once more.

Byron Nelson Championship (¼ odds, 5 places)

Back Dustin Johnson @ 26.025/1
Back Graham Delaet @ 36.035/1
Back Marc Leishman @ 41.040/1
Back Brian Stuard @ 81.080/1

This week's Byron Nelson looks a real tricky affair given that some of the market leaders look opposable for one reason or another. That statement might come back to haunt me but I'm happy to swerve the likes of Jordan Spieth, Matt Kuchar, and Martin Kaymer as they've been in contention quite regularly of late and might just be starting to feel a little fatigue.

One man who hasn't been in contention of late is Dustin Johnon (26.025/1), which is rather surprising given the terrific start he made to his season. Following four top-six finishes (including two seconds) in the space of five events the tall American's recent form figures read WD-CUT-59.

But a good performance here wouldn't be the first time DJ has bounced back from a poor spell of form, and the fact that he is a proven player in the wind is encouraging should it blow quite hard at TPC Four Seasons this week. Also encouraging is the fact that he finished 4th, 7th, and 20th here in three successive years from 2009.

Marc Leishman (41.040/1) is another player who appears to handle windy condition better than most, so the fact that he has finished in the top 15 here on no fewer the four occasions, and recorded a more than respectable top-25 finish at Sawgrass last week makes him a very likely candidate to take each-way honours at least.

Canadian Graham Delaet (36.035/1) is yet to win on the PGA Tour but he's come closer than ever this season with back-to-back second place finishes at the start of the year. He's gone off the boil slightly in recent weeks but he can be forgiven missed cuts at the Players and the Masters and his worst finish in his other five most recent 'poor' performances was a tie for 34th at Doral in the WGC - Cadillac Championship.

Delaet won't mind a bit of wind either, and if accuracy to the green does have a say this week then we can be encouraged by the fact that the 32-year-old ranks first for Greens in Regulation and ninth in the Proximity to Hole stats.

Finally, another chance is taken on Brian Stuard, who - typical of my luck on the PGA Tour this season - missed his two most recent cuts when I'd backed him. When I didn't back Stuard in recent weeks he finished fifth at huge odds in the Wells Fargo Championship.

Stuard was in fine form earlier in the season when putting together form figures of 2-6-5 in three consecutive tournaments, one of those being the Sony Open in Hawaii, another venue that usually endures blustery conditions. A T17 at the Players last week was very pleasing, so at 81.080/1 to back this week I'm happy to get him on my side.

12 x 1pt E/W Doubles

Garcia, Wood, Otaegui (Open de Espana)

Johnson, Leishman, Delaet, Stuard (Byron Nelson Championship)

*Each-way multiples are settled on a win-to-win place-to-place basis using Betfair's Sportsbook product and therefore any winnings are exempt from commission