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Wachovia Championship
Johnny O'Shea, readaBet.com
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View Betting Verdict
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2003-05-08
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FURYK'S FORM IS THE KEY |
There is a brand new tournament on the US Tour this week, the Wachovia Championship. The Quail Hollow Golf Club in North Carolina has hosted PGA Tour events before, but not since 1988, meaning very few players have played there before. Thus, one of the key indicators is out of commission this week, as just about all of the players have no course, or tournament form to analyse.
It is a course that has undergone changes over the years, and reports suggest that it is now a very tough test of golf. The 7,396 Yards of length only tell part of the story, and the tree lined fairways add another dimension. There has been heavy rain all week which will mean the course shall be playing to its every yard. Comparisons have been made to the Harbour Town Links which held the MCI Heritage three weeks ago.
With this in mind it is hardly surprising that Davis Love III has been installed as favourite with odds of . Currently atop the Money List, Love has won three times already in 2003, and has been playing some of the best golf of his career. His shot making ability is well documented and his golf this year has been sublime. He is second, behind Tiger Woods, in the statistics relating to consecutive cuts made, and only one of nine stroke play tournaments has seen him end up outside the top seventeen. Love is also second on the all time earners list, once again behind a certain Mr Woods, who does not compete this week. The Harbour Town course has suited him enough to have won five titles there, and he is playing well enough to be a factor on any style of course at the moment. An added issue is that Love is a graduate of the nearby University of North Carolina and so should have plenty of support. He has already won twice having been selected by us and his all round game is likely to take him close again this time.
The season, until last week at least, has been dominated by multiple winners. Tiger Woods, Davis Love, Mike Weir and Ernie Els all fall into that category. Jim Furyk has won a title every year since 1998 and the way he is playing suggests that the run is all set to continue. Only two of the nine stroke play events entered have seem him finish outside the top ten. The American tops the Greens in Regulation statistic, and is 2nd in driving accuracy. On the tight tree lined fairways, this will be of prime importance. Well rested after missing the New Orleans event, Furyk can win this week, and his best odds of lure us in.
Jeff Maggert has only been playing every other week for most of this year, but it is a strategy that seems to be bearing fruit. His last seven tournaments have all seen him make the cut, and the last three have been particularly good. His eleventh place at the Players Championship was bettered by a fifth place at the Masters. The last event entered by the two time PGA Tour winner was the Shell Houston Open, and his sixth place there continued this fine form. Accuracy from the tee has always been a major part of his game, and will be the key to success this week. His odds of seem generous considering his current form and, on a course where nobody has any experience, Maggert has as good a chance as any.
For Mike Weir, this is the first tournament since winning the US Masters last month. That win was hardly a flash in the pan, having already won twice on the tour this year. However, winning at Augusta lifted him into the game’s elite, and the Canadian can no longer be regarded as just another ‘good’ player. Looking at the last four first time major winners however, none of them have gone on to win, or even to finish in the places at their next start. The players in question are Rich Beem (US PGA – 2002, David Toms (US PGA – 2001), David Duval (Open – 2001), Retief Goosen (US Open – 2001). Their respective cuts have been made, but with no repeated glory. We expect a similar performance from Weir this week and will omit him from our staking plan.
Our final selection is a golfer who has been playing well without really making the headlines. Skip Kendall has only missed one cut in thirteen starts this year, and his best result to date is an eighth place in the Ford Championship at Doral. The fact he is thirteenth in driving accuracy should stand him in good stead, and there is certainly the potential to win what would be his first victory on the full tour. His odds of are worth taking at a venue where nobody has any prior knowledge. |
| Betting Verdict |
3 pts Davis Love III to win at
Has been in great form and his game should suit the Quail Hollow course.
1.5 pts Jim Furyk each way (1/4 odds 1,2,3,4,5) at
Has been consistently impressive all year with more top tens than any other player, and a 2003 victory is surely only a matter of time away.
1 pt Jeff Maggert each way (1/4 odds 1,2,3,4,5) at
Has played and scored well in his last three tournaments.
1 pt Skip Kendall each way at (1/4 odds 1,2,3,4,5) at
Has been playing consistently all year, and at a course where nobody has any experience, it could be a chance to gain his first tour win. |
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