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Golf Form Guide: DJ to be on song in WGC Match Play

Golf Form Guide RSS / / 20 February 2012 /

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Will in-form Bill Haas be suited to match play golf this week?

Will in-form Bill Haas be suited to match play golf this week?

"Dustin Johnson has finished fifth and fourth in the last two weeks, his long game being particularly impressive. He’ll need to putt better this week but I like the way he is approaching peak form."

It was close but no cigar for last week's Form Guide picks, but Mike Norman is more than happy to keep the form players on his side for this week's WGC Accenture Match Play.


It wasn't quite a winning start for the PGA Tour Form Guide but it was far from a poor week all things considered.

One of our Players to Watch, Phil Mickelson, led from start to almost finish, losing in a play-off having been available to lay at less than [1.5] during the back nine on Sunday. True, he was the pre-tournament favourite so huge profits weren't available on Lefty, but he at least offered profits to his backers - a profit that The Punter gratefully accepted.

A better result for the column would have been Johnson Wagner or Pat Perez in various markets. The In-Play section highlighted their abilities to play well on a weekend so at the halfway stage Wagner was backed at [23.0] for a Top 10 Finish and Perez was backed at [21.0] in the Winner market.

Hopes were high when Wagner carded an excellent 68 on Saturday and then started with three straight birdies on Sunday, whilst Perez birdied the first to briefly share the lead. Unfortunately both fell away on the back nine and that was that, but we can't grumble that we never got a run for our money.

This week's tournament, the WGC Accenture Match Play, brings together both the European and PGA Tour Form Guides for the first time this season. Match play is completely different to stroke play and this tournament usually produces plenty of shocks in the early rounds, but I think it's still important to back players who are performing at the top of their game rather than those who might be lit-up by this format.


Tournament Finishing Positions

(Tournaments used: PGA Tour - Northern Trust Open, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, WM Phoenix Open, Farmers Insurance Open, Humana Challenge, Sony Open)

(Tournaments used: European Tour - Avantha Masters, Dubai Desert Classic, Qatar Masters, Abu Dhabi Championship, Volvo Golf Champions, Joburg Open)


Phil Mickelson (2)... 28
Bill Haas (2)... 24.5
Branden Grace (2)... 24
Kyle Stanley (2)... 21
Marcel Siem (2)... 20
Johnson Wagner (2)... 20
Jbe Kruger (2)... 16.5
Dustin Johnson (2)... 16
Rafa Cabrera-Bello (1)... 15
Paul Lawrie (3)... 15
Rory McIlroy (2)... 15


*number in brackets after a player's name is the number of top-10 finishes achieved in qualifying period
**players in bold are scheduled to participate in the next tournament on tour


Mickelson tops the combined Form Guide but he has elected to take a holiday rather than play in a tournament where he usually disappoints, so that means our focus will be on last week's winner Bill Haas, huge-hitter Kyle Stanley, and a back-to-form Dustin Johnson.

Haas has recorded four top-20 finishes already this year including a fourth and a win, and his performance in the mix last week and at last season's FedEx Cup finale hints that he has the right game for this format. The way he played the second play-off hole on Sunday, knowing that his two opponents were in deep trouble, was perfect match play golf. Fingers crossed he can play like that all week.

Stanley has four top-25 finishes to his name, including a second and a win, and he might try and drive his opponents into submission this week. It might work, it might not. Johnson has finished fifth and fourth in the last two weeks, his long game being particularly impressive. He'll need to putt better this week but I like the way he is approaching peak form.

Players to watch: Bill Haas [50.0], Kyle Stanley [55.0], Dustin Johnson [36.0]


Last week's selection Wagner is participating at the Mayakoba Classic this week, and because he remains a player very much in form he is worth keeping an eye on, even at reduced odds of just [17.0]

Mayakoba Classic Player to Watch: Johnson Wagner [17.0]


Keep checking betting.betfair golf pages throughout the week as there'll be some top previews from the bang-in-form Paul Krishnamurty, and the in-form whilst at the same time desperately unlucky duo of Dan Geraghty and The Punter.


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