Written by Matt Cee for @Hollywoodbets. Follow them both on Twitter and Facebook now!
Quicken Loans National | Thursday 30 July – Sunday 02 August | Robert Trent Jones Golf Club
This week the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club plays host to the Quicken Loans National, a tournament that has the misfortune of being played just after two Majors and which, possibly for that reason, hasn’t attracted too many big names. With the likes of Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson and Jason Day opting to sit this one out the door has been opened for Justin Rose and Rickie Fowler to earn some valuable FedEx Cup points and they’ll be hoping to finish near the top to take full advantage of the situation. That may be easier said than done though as they’ll arrive with little idea of what to expect as the course is an unknown entity for most of the field.
From what we can gather the layout is tight and course management is key if you want to avoid dropping shots. A big part of that will be knowing when to play aggressive golf and when to hold back as there are a number of shorter holes that can be attacked with big drives and accurate iron play. It may take a day or two before most of the field find their feet so keep an eye on the betting on Saturday and Sunday, there could be some value to be found on the bigger priced players. Interestingly, it’s been almost exactly two years since Tiger last won a tournament. Is this his chance to break the drought or will he be sidelined come Saturday?
To Win Outright
Justin Rose 9/1
Rickie Fowler 9/1
Jimmy Walker 18/1
Brendon Todd 25/1
Justin Thomas 28/1
VALUE BETS
Tony Finau (28/1 a win, 6/1 a place)
As it stands we don’t know much about this course but everyone seems unanimous in their opinion that it is going to suit an aggressive style of play. They don’t get much more aggressive than the big hitting Tony Finau and with his booming drives and ability to attack the pin from almost any lie he looks a good outside bet this week. Finau is teetering on the edge of greatness and will win this season, let’s hope he gets it right this week. Each way here is the bet for me.
Justin Rose (9/1 a win, 19/10 a place)
This event has attracted a rather poor field by PGA Tour standards but there has been a lot of golf played over the past couple months and you can’t blame some of the bigger names for wanting to sit this one out. Fortunately for us there are still a handful of the top players competing and the best of the lot looks to be Justin Rose. He looked to be in good form in the Open on his way to finishing just outside the Top 5 and prior to that he almost claimed his first win of the season at the Memorial. He’ll be hoping to go one better this week and against this field there’s no reason that he can’t. Each way is my bet on Rose.
Jimmy Walker (18/1 a win, 39/10 a place)
Jimmy Walker has had a spectacular year in 2015 and has won twice already this season, both of those victories coming against relatively stiff competition on tough courses in Hawaii and Texas. Although he does seem to have gone a little off the boil since winning the Valero Open, against a field like this he certainly has claims and will be one to keep an eye on. With the two favourites sitting at 9/1 apiece Walker is available at a respectable 18/1 and that seems a decent bet on a player who has made it to the weekend almost every time he’s teed off this year. Each way is the bet for me.
TOP BET
Brendon Todd (25/1 a win, 11/2 a place)
Brendon Todd has been making waves for the past few months and much like Tony Finau you can’t help but think that it’s not a matter of if he can win, but rather when. He arrives with some consistent form and although his best finish was only a T6 at the Greenbrier Classic, he does have a couple of Top 20s under his belt against far stiffer competition than he faces here. He’ll be looking forward to playing on a track that suits his iron game and should make more than his share of birdies with putting. Each way on Todd is my bet of the week.
