Golf

The Barclays 2014 Preview

by
IAMaverick
August 20, 2014

Written by @Matt_Cee for @Hollywoodbets. Follow them both on Twitter and Facebook now!

The Barclays | Thursday 21 August – Sunday 24 August | Ridgewood Country Club

Last week marked the end of the regular season and the PGA Tour now reaches the business end as the FedEx Cup playoffs begin. The top 125 – well, most of them – in the FedEx Cup rankings will be heading to New Jersey this week to play at Ridgewood Country Club, a 7320 yard par 71 course which last hosted the tournament in 2010. It was then that Matt Kuchar won with an impressive -12 but I think things may be more difficult this week and would be surprised if the winner goes that low. The course plays fairly short but distance off the tee will still be an asset in assisting birdie-making. Accuracy is important, as the fairways are tight and lined with trees. Wayward tee shots are going to be punished. Once on the green, things don’t get any easier. They are like lightning and will be difficult to master so keep an eye on players who rank highly in the putting stats. Rory McIlroy is the clear favourite to win this one and that comes as little surprise. He’s in incredible form and doesn’t look like he can be beaten, but, no-one in their right mind could possibly back a golfer at 4/1 against a field of this quality. I’m looking elsewhere.

To Win Outright
Rory McIlroy 4/1
Adam Scott 14/1
Henrik Stenson 16/1
Rickie Fowler 20/1
Sergio Garcia 20/1

VALUE BETS
Sergio Garcia (20/1 a win, /10 a place)
Trust Sergio Garcia to hit the form of his life at exactly the same time as Rory McIlroy and in doing so, manage to go another year without a Major. The talented Spaniard has been nothing short of impressive over the last two months and that is all thanks to how great his all-round game has been. He’s always been a great striker of the ball but the past few weeks he has been in control of his putter and his devastating ability with the short stick has ensured that he’s finished second three times in his last five starts, against some very stiff competition. He arrives here with great course form after coming second in 2008 so expect him to go close again. Each way is the bet for me.

Matt Kuchar (35/1 a win, /10 a place)
Matt Kuchar arrives here with great course form, having won the 2010 instalment of the Barclays which was hosted at Ridgewood. That is bolstered by his current form which has been some of the most consistent on the Tour. He managed his first win of the year in April when he won the Heritage and has come close since, most recently when he finished T4 in the Canadian Open. Like Garcia, Kuchar is a great ball striker and should go close this week. Each way is the bet for me.

Rickie Fowler (20/1 a win, /1 a place)
Over the past few weeks, I have been backing Garcia and Fowler consistently and although they have been keeping my head above water, neither has given my balance the boost I know they will soon. It would therefore be remiss of me to leave either out this week in a tournament that they both have the ability to win. Fowler has finished inside the Top 10 seven times this year but perhaps more impressive has been his form in the Majors, which has been almost flawless. For those of you not keeping score, here’s a quick recap of his Major form: T5 in the Masters, T2 in the US Open, T2 in the Open Championship and T3 in the PGA Championship. Based on that alone, no-one sensible can ignore him at 20/1 this week. Each way is the bet for me.

TOP BET: Henrik Stenson (16/1 a win, /10 a place)
Henrik Stenson came into his own last season and will arrive for the first leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs confident that he can start getting into the swing of things. He loves this part of the year and although he’s yet to win this season, you can be certain that over the next few weeks he’s going to go close. He thrives in stiff competition and his Major form shows that. His most recent start was in the PGA Championship and had it not been for a disappointing second round 72 there, he could have finished even better than third. Each way on Stenson looks a good bet.