Golf Tips: This week's best bets for Valspar and SDC Championship

• Steve Rawlings back Hadwin to deny Burns threepeat

• Dave Tindall backs 80/1 Cole for First Round Leader

• SDC looks up Ramsay's street says Matt Cooper

• Lingmerth too good to ignore at 129/1

• Course info, key stats and players to watch

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Valspar Championship: Burns bids for threepeat

Steve Rawlings says: "The reigning US Open champ, Matt Fitzpatrick, who finished fifth last year, having missed the cut on his only previous visit in 2018, has the game for Copperhead but having suffered with a neck injury, he hasn't really got going this year and he's missed three of his last five cuts.

The defending Champ, Sam Burns, is another that isn't in the best of form. He finished sixth at the Phoenix Open a month ago but his form figures since, reading MC-MC-35 aren't too inspiring and he's bidding to achieve a feat that hasn't been accomplished for 12 years.

Steve Sticker, who won the John Deere Classic between 2009 and 2011, is the last player to win three straight editions of the same tournament. It's perfectly possible that a return to the venue may spark a big improvement in form but he's no value to find something at around 20/1.

"I got a very small bet matched on Adam Hadwin, at 32.0, and I've also had a very modest bet on the reigning John Deere Classic winner, J.T Poston."

Valspar Championship: Back 80/1 Higgo e-w

Dave Tindall says: "The left-hander Gareth Higgo doesn't have exposed form: this is his course debut and he finished 44th at Sawgrass after missing the cut at Bay Hill.

"But let's start to dig deeper. Earlier on the Florida Swing he shot middle rounds of 66-66 at the Honda before finishing tied 29th while a Saturday 68 at The Players put him 26th after 54 holes.

"Wind a little further back and he was tied 11th in The American Express and tied 20th at Pebble Beach. Almost all the recent winners here thrived on the four Par 5s. Burns ranked 1st and 2nd on the long holes in his two wins while Casey was 1st and 4th in his.

"A look at the current Par 5 Birdie or Better leaders shows Higgo ranked 7th. The six players above him aren't teeing it up so he's 1st in the field in that category."

Find Me a 100 Winner: In-form Lingmerth impossible to ignore

Steve Rawlings says: "Sweden's David Lingmerth has teed it up four times previously in this week's PGA Tour event - the Valspar Championship - which I've previewed here and although he's never contended, he's never missed the cut.

"The case for the Florida-based 35-year-old couldn't be simpler, and it's based purely on form.

Having finished a solid 10th in the Honda Classic, he was never in-contention after a slow start to the Arnold Palmer Invitational (finished 70th) two weeks ago but he really caught the eye last week at Sawgrass when finishing sixth. Put simply, he's playing far too well to be priced up at 130.0."

Valspar Championship First-Round Leader: Choose 80/1 Cole

Dave Tindall says: "Eric Cole so nearly became a PGA Tour winner for the first time when just missing out at the Honda Classic.

"Inevitably after that close shave, he took a step back and missed the cut at Bay Hill after a Friday 80 but the 34-year-old responded with an impressive tied 27th at The Players Championship.

"Cole was one of just six players to shoot two rounds in the 60s on the weekend so that must have given his growing confidence another massive boost.

"But while he did his best work over the final 36 holes at Sawgrass, Cole has been taking the eye on Thursday in recent tournaments."

Valspar Championship: Course and form stats

Andy Swales says: "Although putting surfaces were slightly enlarged during the upgrade [eight years ago], with the purpose of creating a greater variety of pin positions, they remain about average size for PGA Tour events.

"A number of bunkers were repositioned, while the pros will be tested by a handful of subtle dog-legs on fairly tight fairways. Water comes into play on seven holes...

"Akshay Bhatia, the 21-year-old from California, continues to make progress on the PGA Tour. He was runner-up on his last outing in Puerto Rico which was his highest Tour finish to date. Already a winner on the Korn Ferry Tour and a good each-way proposition this week."

SDC Championship: Sensational scramblers shine

Steve Rawlings says: "It would be quite a surprise to see the title go to someone that hasn't played the course before.

"According to the venue's website, the tees are not artificially perched above the playing areas and the holes follow the terrain provided so a "sighter" is needed to get the feel of the land.

"South Africans have a great record in their homeland on the DP World Tour and the European contingent are going to be up against it.

"Look at form at other events staged on links layouts for clues and looking at the very early forecasts, an ability to play in windy conditions look vital...

"George Coetzee is tricky to catch right and he's often a bit flaky in-contention. He led the Mediclinic Invitational in his homeland with a round to go last week before a disappointing 70 on Sunday saw him slip to third but he's also comfortably converted from the front, including here in the South African PGA Championship in November.

"Coetzee also won wire-to-wire on the Sunshine Tour in August last year so he's fairly prolific and I thought he was fairly priced at 34.0 given he ranked fifth for Scrambling and eighth for Putting Average last week."

SDC Championship: New test up Ramsay's street

Matt Cooper says: "We need to address Scotsman Richie Ramsay's withdrawal after last week's first round of the Kenya Open - he was feeling sick and had the shakes but has travelled on for this fortnight in South Africa and I have a feeling this first test might suit him nicely.

"He is, after all, a winner at Hillside and he also finished fifth there in his only previous start.

"He's also finished fourth and fifth at Murcar Links, his Irish Open log book includes second at Portstewart, 10th at Royal Country Down and 16th at Royal Portrush, while in the Scottish Open he's been sixth at Castle Stuart and 15th at The Renaissance Club.

"In the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship he has four top 20s including a second and fourth."

SDC Championship 2023: Course and form stats

Andy Swales says: "Opened in December 2006, the course is located around one mile from the coast and has kikuyu grass fairways and bent grass putting surfaces.

"The undulating fairways need to be treated with respect, as there is plenty of dense vegetation waiting to gobble-up any errant drive or approach. Water comes into play on four holes, late in the round...

"Julien Brun continued his strong start to 2023 by finishing tied-seventh in Kenya on Sunday, which was his third top-10 in four starts. The Frenchman is a three-time winner at Challenge Tour level."