Written by @Matt_Cee for @Hollywoodbets. Follow them both on Twitter and Facebook now!
Quicken Loans National | Thursday 26 June – Sunday 29 June | Congressional Country Club
The Quicken Loans National (previously known as the AT&T National) tees off in Maryland this week and will be hosted at Congressional Country Club, the venue that hosted the US Open three years ago. It was here that Rory McIlroy won by an incredible eight shots, eventually finishing sixteen under and breaking a number of US Open records in the process. The most impressive of these was that he managed to shoot the lowest score in the event’s history as he systematically destroyed a course that most of the field struggled to get to grips with. What we did learn in 2011 was that to succeed here, one needs to possess a versatile game. The course plays long whilst the greens are big, so accurate iron play is required in order to get it close to the pin and avoid the three putts that are so prolific. With Tiger Woods back in the mix, the golfing world will be keeping a keen eye on this one and for once he’s available at a decent price. I can’t remember the last time Tiger was offered at 14/1 but at the moment he’s one to stay away from. At least until we see whether he has fully recovered from the surgery that put him out of action for the last few weeks. So who will win this one? Let’s have a look.
To Win Outright
Jason Day 12/1
Jordan Spieth 14/1
Justin Rose 14/1
Tiger Woods 14/1
Brandt Snedeker 22/1
VALUE BETS
Angel Cabrera (110/1 a win, 24/1 a place)
Angel Cabrera is always one to watch in competitive tournaments and against a field of this calibre he will almost certainly rise to the challenge and play some great golf. Last week he hit more fairways than anyone else in the field and on a track like this, that kind of accuracy will be invaluable. He’s also known to be great with his irons and will be getting it close to the pin if he fires this week. A T13 here last year showed he has the game to dominate the course and at 110/1 he can’t be ignored here. Each way on Cabrera is the bet for me.
Seung-Yul Noh (125/1 a win, 28/1 a place)
Seung-Yul Noh will be looking to represent the Koreans on a course that his fellow countryman YE Yang played some great golf in the 2011 US Open. Having finished fourth here in 2011 he proved then that he has the game to handle this challenge and with one victory under his belt already this season, he should be brimming with confidence this week and looking forward to the challenge. The price of 125/1 looks a lot of value and is largely due to the dip in form he’s experienced since that win in New Orleans but if he finds a bit of form this week, a Top 10 finish is a real possibility. Each way here is the bet for me.
KJ Choi (40/1 a win, 88/10 a place)
KJ Choi played some incredible golf last week at the Travellers and narrowly missed out on a win but that performance will only serve to bolster his confidence as he arrives at a course that he has performed on in the past. He won here in 2007 and the course suited his game perfectly as his accurate driving and scrambling ability proved invaluable on a track that rewards both. Not much has changed over the years and he’ll be looking forward to breaking the win drought he’s faced for a while now. Each way on Choi looks like a great bet this week.
TOP BET: Jason Day (12/1 a win, 26/10 a place)
Jason Day is definitely a player to watch this week as he arrives here on the back of a run of form that cannot be ignored. A fourth place finish in the US Open was impressive and Day followed that up with a solid performance last week, closing with a 65 after improving with every round at the Travellers. He’ll also come here with fond memories of his second place finish in the 2011 US Open where he showed he has what it takes to go low on this tough course. Each way on Day is a great bet this week, get on.
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