Written by Matt Cee for @Hollywoodbets. Follow them both on Twitter and Facebook now!
The Tour Championship | Thursday 24 September – Sunday 27 September | East Lake
The final event of the PGA Season, the Tour Championship, heads to East Lake in Atlanta this weekend and all eyes will be on this one as we wait to see who walks away with the FedEx Cup. Everyone knows that this is one of the key events of the season and excitement is reaching fever pitch as Thursday draws closer.
For golf punters who bet on futures this is the moment they’ve been waiting for, as the winner of the FedEx Cup will be crowned on Sunday. But for the more impatient punter such as myself, the idea of a limited field is appealing, it makes it seem like we have a better chance of finding a winner! The course is one of the toughest we’ve seen all year and rightly so, at this level nothing less than a serious challenge will suffice. The fairways are notoriously difficult to hit off the tee so players who rank highly in driving accuracy are going to be worth keeping a close eye on. That’s just the beginning though as hitting greens in regulation and putting well to make birdies will both be musts in this highly competitive event. This promises to be a very challenging event and the winner will be made to work for the massive pay cheque he has to look forward to at the end.
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To Win Outright
Jason Day 33/10
Rory McIlroy 13/2
Jordan Spieth 8/1
Henrik Stenson 10/1
Rickie Fowler 11/1
VALUE BETS
Jordan Spieth (8/1 a win, 16/10 a place)
Two years ago Jordan Spieth finished T2 here and this week he will be confident he can go one better and walk away victorious. Over the past few weeks he hasn’t looked his best and he’s missed more fairways than he would have liked, but he’s proven on more than one occasion this season that he thrives under pressure and this week I’m expecting him to do just that. When you consider that he’s available at more than double the price of Jason Day he begins to look like he’s definitely worth a bet and I’m doubling my stake on him to win here, the place price just isn’t worth it.
Henrik Stenson (10/1 a win, 2/1 a place)
I have the feeling that Stenson will come out firing this week and this price looks to be too good to ignore. He’s a previous winner on this course, having edged Spieth out two years ago, and although he’s been quiet the past few weeks he’s still been playing some great golf. Unlike Spieth he has a tendency to crumble under pressure so whether or not he’s in the mix come Sunday really depends on where he is at mentally. At 10/1 I’m taking my chances though, you should too.
Jim Furyk (50/1 a win, 10/1 a place)
Moving away from the favourites the first player to catch my eye is Jim Furyk who has always been one to watch in this event. He won here in 2010 and of the eight events he’s played in, he’s finished inside the Top 10 five times. That kind of form cannot be ignored and when you consider that technically he is the most consistent driver in this field, Furyk starts looking like he has a real chance. Whether or not he does against these young guns remains to be seen but I’ll take my chances. Each way is the bet for me.
TOP BET
Rory McIlroy (13/2 a win, 13/10 a place)
Rory hasn’t been at his best lately and hasn’t looked like winning in a while but last week he showed flashes of brilliance on his way to a respectable fourth-place finish. A few missed birdie opportunities in the early stages were his undoing but he gained momentum throughout the tournament and finished strong. I’m hoping that he arrives at East Lake and picks up where he left off and given that he finished second here last year, I’m convinced that is possible. Jason Day may be the man to beat but at East Lake I think Rory may one-up him, let’s hope that is the case.
