Written by @Matt_Cee for @Hollywoodbets. Follow them both on Twitter and Facebook now!
The ISPS Handa Perth International | Thursday 23 October – Sunday 26 October | Lake Karrinyup Country Club
The European Tour heads to Australia this week for the ISPS Handa Perth International which will be hosted at Lake Karrinyup Country Club. The event is co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the PGA tour of Australasia and offers a US $2 million purse, a fairly handsome prize fund which has attracted some of the Tour’s more talented golfers. This is the third instalment of the tournament and we now know a fair amount about the course and what can be expected of players if they stand a chance of winning. Accuracy off the tee will be important as water features on seventeen of the holes and there’s a lot of bush waiting to swallow wayward tee shots. The same goes for GIR% as wayward approaches may never be found.
The par 72, 7,143 yard course has allowed for some low scores in the past and last year Jin Jeong won with a final score of -17. He makes a return this year and will be hoping to retain his title but the bookies haven’t given him much of a chance and have priced him up at 250/1. Based on the fact that he is a previous winner he may be worth a small bet but at that price I can’t tip him, I’ll be looking for something a bit more realistic. So who will win this one? Let’s have a look.
To Win Outright
Charl Schwartzel 10/1
Victor Dubuisson 11/1
Jason Dufner 16/1
Danny Willett 18/1
Geoff Ogilvy 18/1
VALUE BETS
Jason Dufner (16/1 a win, 7/2 a place)
Jason Dufner has been struggling with a back injury for the past few months so it will be interesting to see how he fares in Australia, but if the media reports are to be believed he is back to his best and looking forward to playing competitive golf again. He’s an incredibly talented golfer who has managed three wins on the PGA Tour and finished runner-up here in 2012 so we know his game suits the course. On his day he’s as good, if not better, than anyone in this field. Each way on Dufner is the bet for me.
Victor Dubuisson (11/1 a win, 24/10 a place)
Victor Dubuisson fared well at the Volvo last week and managed to make it through to the quarter-finals where he was edged out by an in-form Mikko Ilonen, who went on to win the tournament. Watching Dubuisson on the course last week, he looked as confident as ever, and it was evident that his game is in good shape and that he has a few good finishes left before the year closes. At 11/1 he doesn’t offer much value but against this field that price looks right. Each way is the bet for me here.
Steven Bowditch (50/1 a win, 11/1 a place)
Steven Bowditch looks the best of the local players this week and I have a funny feeling he’s going to surprise almost everyone here with a huge performance. I first noticed him this year when he won the Valero Texas Open in March and since then I’ve been waiting to see how the bookies price up when he tees off in Australia. I’m not disappointed at the 50/1 on offer, especially when you consider that his performance in the Masters this year was better than almost everyone in the field. What’s even more impressive was that he did so well his first time out at Augusta. Each way on Bowditch looks a good bet.
TOP BET: Charl Schwartzel (10/1 a win, 22/10 a place)
For some odd reason South African’s have an incredible track record at Lake Karrinyup. The course hosted the 2002 and 2003 Johnnie Walker Classic and it was in 2002 that Retief Goosen shot a record low score on the course. Never one to be outdone, Ernie Els arrived in 2003 with something to prove and finished with a record final score of -29. I’m hoping that Charl Schwartzel can replicate some of that South African form here and if he plays like he did towards the end of last season there’s no reason he won’t go far. 10/1 isn’t the most generous price out there but it’s worth an each way bet. Get on.
