Double Delight: Talented youngsters to go close in Singapore and America

Mike Norman
29 April 2014

Adrian Otaegui - Mike's 100/1 fancy in Singapore

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Mike Norman's Double Delight column landed another place a fortnight ago but it's a win or place on each Tour that pays out, so our man is back for another crack at doing just that and hopefully landing the ultimate, big-price win double...

12 x 1pt E/W Doubles

Cabrera-Bello @ 19.018/1
Aguilar @ 67.066/1
Otaegui @ 101.0100/1

X

Fowler @ 34.033/1
Na @ 51.050/1
Donaldson @ 51.050/1
Harman @ 81.080/1

The Championship (¼ odds, 5 places)

Back Rafa Cabrera-Bello @ 19.018/1
Back Felipe Aguilar @ 67.066/1
Back Adrian Otaegui @ 101.0100/1

A relatively narrow, tree-lined, and possibly fast Laguna National in Singapore is the venue for this week's The Championship (formerly the Ballantine's Championship), and although there are scatterings of course form available I'm more inclined to select in-form players with high-ranking Accuracy stats to land the money.

Rafa Cabrera-Bello (19.018/1) is arguably the class player in the field and has enjoyed a very decent season to date, recording four top-10 finishes, including three top-fives, from his seven tournament starts. This is possibly the worst field assembled of any of those tournaments and surely just a reproduction of his usual game will see him go close.

The Spaniard ranks fifth for Greens in Regulation in 2014 which should stand him in good stead providing he can find a high percentage of fairways, so just a decent week with his putter - which can sometimes be his Achilles heel - can see him build on last week's top-10 finish in China.

True, Felipe Aguilar (67.066/1) doesn't really fall into the 'in-form player' bracket but he did finish in a tie for fourth at the NH Collection Open earlier this month, suggesting he's ready for a return to form. Aguilar was a model of consistency in the early part of last season (seven top-10 finishes by early June), and the fact that he ranks fifth for Driving Accuracy and seventh for GIR augurs extremely well.

My final selection in Singapore probably won't come as a surprise to those who know me but once again I can't let Adrian Otaegui (101.0100/1) go at a triple-figure price. He was my selection at 200/1 in the regular each-way column last week and gave us a great run for our money, being in contention throughout before a poor final round sent him tumbling down the leaderboard.

You have to expect poor rounds like that from someone so inexperienced looking for their first win at this level but as long as it's factored into the price then you don't mind. And I believe Otaegui has a much better chance than odds of 100/1 suggest.

He's an extremely talented player who made giant strides on the Challenge Tour last season (five top-five finishes in the latter part of 2013), and has already shown this year that he's close to being ready to win his maiden European Tour title. What's more, he ranks eighth on the Driving Accuracy stats and I feel that will be the key attribute this week. Otaegui looks over-priced to go well.

Wells Fargo Championship (¼ odds, 6 places)

Back Rickie Fowler @ 34.033/1
Back Kevin Na @ 51.050/1
Back Jamie Donaldson @ 51.050/1
Back Brian Harman @ 81.080/1

This week's tournament on the PGA Tour is perhaps slightly more problematic than it might have first appeared because of some significant course changes to Quail Hollow. This might result in course form being thrown out of the window, but until we see any evidence of that then I'm happy to consider previous results at the venue just as important as I would any other week.

The key change is on the putting surfaces - bentgrass has been replaced by ultradwarf Bermuda grass - while the last three holes, known as The Green Mile, have been lengthened meaning the course now measures over 7,500 yards.

Course form does stand up really well here; three of the four market leaders - Rory McIlroy (8.07/1), Phil Mickelson (15.014/1), and Lee Westwood (19.018/1) - have multiple excellent finishes to their name and shouldn't be discounted lightly. But for one reason or another they're all a bit short for my liking and instead I'm going with a quartet of bigger-price selections.

Rickie Fowler's only win on the PGA Tour remains this event in 2012 when he beat McIlroy in a play-off. A sixth-place finish in 2010 also highlights his liking for the lay-out and the extra yardage to some holes won't be a problem for the young American - the tougher and longer a course plays usually plays to Fowler's advantage.

A missed cut last time in the Zurich Classic doesn't worry me as Folwer had previously finished sixth in Houston just a week before recording an excellent top-five finish at the Masters. A player in form, one that plays difficult courses well, returning to a venue he has fond memories of; Fowler looks a rock solid each-way candidate this week at 34.033/1.

Kevin Na is another player who regularly seems to pop up on leaderboards when a more testing course is the venue and I'm happy to forgive him a missed cut at the Heritage a fortnight ago. In five of his previous six outings he'd recorded top-20 finishes including a second and a fourth so we know that Na is in decent form. Back-to-back top-15 finishes in 2010 and 2011 hopefully suggest he's comfortable at Quail Hollow also, so at 51.050/1 to back I'm keen to get him on side.

European Tour veteran Jamie Donaldson (51.050/1) is making a good impression when he travels to America and although this will be his first visit to Quail Hollow I can see him going well. The Welshman finished second at an ultra-tough Doral last month and also recorded a top-15 at the Masters on only his second Augusta appearance, proving that he's in the form of his life presently.

Finally, I'm including Brian Harman at 81.080/1, a player who is increasingly catching the eye in 2014, and two weeks ago finished in a tie for seventh at the Heritage - his fourth top-10 of the season. A top-10 finish in this tournament 12 months ago also offers encouragement.

12 x 1pt E/W Doubles

Cabrera-Bello, Aguilar, Otaegui (The Championship)

Fowler, Na, Donaldson, Harman (Wells Fargo)

*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