Written by @Matt_Cee for @Hollywoodbets. Follow them both on Twitter and Facebook now!
The Australian Masters | Thursday 20 November – Sunday 23 November | Metropolitan Golf Club
This week Adam Scott will attempt to become the first golfer in history to win the Australian Masters three times in a row as he tees off at the Metropolitan Golf Club on Melbourne’s famous sandbelt. The area is well known for being one of the best golfing destinations in the world and is home to eight top class courses, all equally challenging, but focus this week will be on the Metropolitan Golf Club. The course consists of rolling fairways lined with gum trees and thick rough waiting to swallow any wayward tee shots, so accuracy off the tee is a must if players want to fare well here. Accurate iron play is also going to be of vital importance as most of the greens are surrounded by large bunkers. Once on the green, things don’t get much easier as they are lighting fast and often difficult to read. Almost each hole on this historic course poses a unique challenge and whoever ends up on top here is going to have to be a great all round golfer.
To Win Outright
Adam Scott 28/10
Geoff Ogilvy 16/1
Marcus Fraser 18/1
Boo Weekley 22/1
Steven Bowditch 25/1
VALUE BETS
Matthew Griffin (66/1 a win, 14/1 a place)
Matthew Griffin has had an up-and-down season but when he’s been good he has been great. Nowhere was that more evident than at the Victorian Open where he won following a hotly contested playoff, or at the Perth International where he finished a solid fourth. He seems to play his best golf in Australia and will be looking forward to returning to the sandbelt where he spent a lot of time as an amateur. Each way here is the bet for me.
Stuart Appleby (25/1 a win, 11/2 a place)
Until a few weeks ago Stuart Appleby hadn’t really done much this season but over the past few weeks he has come into his own and put in a few great performances. They included an unexpected second in the Barclays and a T22 at the McGladrey Classic, two finishes that very few competitors in this field would be able to manage. He also arrives here with some tournament form, having won back in 2010. Although he’s not the golfer he used to be he should fare well against this field. Each way is my tip here.
Nick O’Hern (80/1 a win, 17/1 a place)
Nick O’Hern is one of the more experienced players competing this week and the left-handed golfer has shown in the past that he has what it takes to compete on these sandbelt courses. Despite never shooting the lights out on the European Tour he has fared well at home in the past and won the Australian PGA Championship in 2006. Since then he’s won four more times, which is more than most of this field combined. A win may be a bit of a stretch here but places look like a good bet.
TOP BET: Adam Scott (28/10 a win, 6/10 a place)
I’ve been searching for reasons not to back Adam Scott this week but despite my best efforts I’ve come up with nothing. After searching for anyone who may have the slightest chance of edging out the world number two this week I’ve drawn a blank and finally had to accept the fact that even at 28/10, the shortest price I’ve seen a golfer on offer in years, Scott represents a bit of value. One of the few players in this field who has a chance of outplaying him this week is Geoff Ogilvy and he currently ranks 86th in the world and even on his best day, he’s outclassed by Scott. I’ll be shocked if Scott doesn’t win easily here.
