What The Golfinggods Say….

 

A good set of wins for two up and coming players in Ben Crane (US Bank Championship) and Nicolas Fasth (Deutsche Bank Championship). Both players have previously shown good form but did lack consistency and it will be interesting to see how they continue their momentum up the world rankings.

 

Ben Crane in particular is an interesting figure as he is widely known on the US PGA tour as the slowest player and this became prominent when Rory Sabatini played ahead of him a few weeks ago. Rory received enormous backlash for his actions but it did highlight the problem Ben has with his pace of play. He (Crane) did recognise this flaw in his game and vowed to work hard on speeding up his play. All reports from the US Bank Championship were that he has quickened up his pace of play and is benefiting from it. I guess he proves that the less time spent thinking about a shot the better!

 

A special mention must also go to Angel Cabrera this week who once again showed the Jeckle and Hyde aspect to his game by firing a ton of birdies in the final round to catch and pass Nicolas Fasth, only to bogey the last and allow a play off to occur. He then played poorly with the play off and lost. He is without a doubt the most frustrating player to watch as he has the potential to win four times a year and even a major, but unfortunately his course management and mental approach to the game is questionable.

 

And so to this week….

 

The US PGA tour moves to Warwick Hills Golf course for the Buick Open. This course is relatively straightforward with wide fairways and minimal rough. In fact if the weather is calm and the greens as receptive as they usually are then this tournament is a real birdie feast. Expect the scores to be low and the longer hitters to be prominent.

 

Selections:

 

Tiger Woods: I know this is boring but the best player in the world is starting to separate from the pack now with his new swing. If the Woods A Game is in town he wins. It is that simple!

 

John Daly: a course that suits long hitters with minimal penalty for missing the fairways is a course made for Daly. His birdie conversion rate is also high which supports a good showing this week at a course that requires a lot of birdies. A good display in Europe last week could see Daly contend.

 

Sean O’Hair: after his break through win a couple of weeks ago this Superstar in the making is finding a new level of confidence each week. This course is also set up to suit his game and another fine performance is expected, at decent each way odds.

 

Others to mention: Vijah Singh, Scott McCarron and Ryan Palmer.

 

The European tour moves to Sweden for the Scandinavian Masters. Played around the Barseback Golf course this tournament sets a stern test indeed. At a little over 7,300 yards this is the longest course played on the European continent and offers a variation between parkland and links style golf. The driving element of the player’s game is tested fully with penal rough and narrow fairways. This course is also affected by afternoon winds that will provide an additional test, especially when trying to hit the smallish greens.

 

Selections:

 

Adam Scott: a winner of this tournament in 2003 Scott has the game to win here again. He is easily the highest ranked player this week and can provide separation from the field if he brings his best to the course. One concern is his inconsistent putting which may harm his chances.

 

Arjun Atwal: India’s most successful player is carving a life for himself on the US PGA tour and during the past three weeks he has found some form to post good results. He is a good driver of the ball, which is important around Barseback. He can contend at good odds this week.

 

Maarten Lafeber: one of the best ball strikers on the European tour although he lacks from a consistent putting stroke. If his putting is consistent this week then he must contend around a course that tests every players ball striking.

 

Others to mention: Nick Dougherty, Brian Davis and Barry Lane.

 

Until next week – May The Golfinggods Be With You!

For all your Golf Betting requirements log onto www.golfinggods.com