St Jude Classic Betting Preview

This weeks’ event on the PGA Tour is the St. Jude Classic and for many in the field will be a warm-up event ahead of the US Open next week.

Played over the par-70 TPC Southwind course in Memphis, Tennessee, the defending champion is Lee Westwood who won the event in a three-man playoff against Robert Karlsson and Robert Garrigus after the latter had blown a three-shot lead on the final hole.
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Snedeker beats Donald in Heritage play-off

Luke Donald failed to capitalise on the one shot lead he took into the final round of The Heritage at Hilton Head, South Carolina and ended up being mugged for the title by United States’ Brandt Snedeker.

With the American starting the day a full six shots behind Donald, the pressure was off for Snedeker and he enjoyed a final day 64 to move him to 12-under par and present a chance at the win.

However, he would have to win it from the clubhouse as Donald, as well as the likes of defending Jim Furyk, Ricky Barnes, Tommy Gainey and Tim ‘Lumpy’ Herron were all mounting challenges of their own and it seemed at one stage that Snedeker’s 12-under par total wouldn’t be quite good enough to secure a second PGA Tour win.
Snedeker birdied seven of the opening 12 holes before a bogey on the 13th hole. He then birdied the 14th hole, dropped another shot at the 16th and made another gain at the last to post his 64.

Tim Herron arrived at the 18th needing a birdie to join Snedeker for the lead in the clubhouse but could only finish with a bogey to drop into a share of fourth alongside Ricky Barnes who made two bogeys on the homeward nine after getting into contention courtesy of four outward birdies.

Ex-baseball player, Tommy ‘Two Gloves’ Gainey needed a birdie from his last three holes to also take a share of the lead – two would have seen him climb above Snedeker’s total – but couldn’t find one, and finished 3rd.

Jim Furyk had a mountain to climb, having dropped back to 9-under par. But the defending champion suffered a disastrous 15th hole where, just short of the green he addressed his ball only to have it move. After consulting with an official, Furyk’s ball was deemed to merely have oscillated – and so no penalty – but the player also remonstrated with a spectator who tried to get involved in the rules call. The whole incident clearly rattled the 2010 FedEx Cup winner who racked up a double- bogey seven. He then double-bogeyed the last to drop to 5-under par and a share of 21st place.

It was left to Luke Donald then to beat Snedeker’s score, and not for the first time the Englishman made heavy weather of converting the winning chance. Reaching the turn one-under par, Donald bogeyed the 10th to drop one behind Snedeker before tying the lead with a birdie at the 13th hole.

However, the Englishman couldn’t convert another birdie chance and was forced to scramble for pars on each of the last two holes and so for the second year in succession The Heritage would be settled by a playoff.

Playing the 18th again, first Donald rolled in a 12-footer for birdie before being followed in by Snedeker’s putt from 10-feet. At the second extra hole – the par-3 17th – Snedeker hit the green, but Donald’s ball came up short in the greenside bunker. A sand-save to within five feet set up a par and with Snedeker failing to convert his birdie it was onto the 18th once more.

Snedeker found the green in two, but Donald tried to force a 9-iron and ended up plugged in the front bunker. His recovery shot left and came to rest in the first cut of grass. With Snedeker making par, Donald had to chip in but saw his ball spin out of the hole to hand the win to the American.

Snedeker’s win saw him pocket $1,026,000 and became possibly the last winner of The Heritage, as the event is without a sponsor for 2012. The event is likely to be scratched for next season if no sponsor can be found.

For Donald, it was a missed opportunity to become the world’s number one golfer – a win in The Heritage would have seen the Englishman climb above Lee Westwood to the top position in the Offical Golf World Rankings. Instead, it is the Worksop player who regains the top status after his win in the Indonesian Masters.

Farmers Insurance Open Betting Preview

The Farmers Insurance Open perhaps marks the ‘real’ start of the PGA Tour, and as in previous years will be played over the Torrey Pines course, California. Tiger Woods makes his return to this event, having been absent from the field for the past two renewals and he heads up a strong field for this event, including US Masters champion Phil Mickelson – making his 21st consecutive appearance in the event, and defending champion, Ben Crane.

This event is played over two courses – the north and south courses, with the field each playing one round on both before the final two days over the South course. The South Course is the tougher of the pair, measuring in at around 7,600 yards, and hosted the 2008 US Open, which Woods won despite a knee injury.

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Snedeker and Day lead at half-way in Deutsche Bank Championship

United States’ Brandt Snedeker and Australia’s Jason Day share top spot in the Deutsche Bank Championship on 12-under par and will take a one-shot lead into Sunday’s third round at TPC Boston.

Snedeker had a single dropped shot during his round of 64, and added eight birdies to his tally to add to his opening 66, while Day recorded an error-free 67 which saw back-to-back birdies on the 1st and 2nd holes, and the 17th and 18th holes.

The pair are one ahead of The Barclays winner and current FedEx Cup number one Matt Kuchar and Charley Hoffman, both of the United States. Kuchar went round in 65, while Hoffman shot a 67 and that pair are one ahead of Englishman Luke Donald, who sits on 10-under par.

Defending champion, Steve Stricker holed a bunker shot for birdie enroute to a bogey-free second round 68 to share sicth place with DJ Trahan on 9-under par, while there is an eleven-man tie for eighth place and 8-under par. The group includes Stewart Cink, the 2009 Open Champion at Turnberry and current US Masters champion Phil Mickelson, who enjoyed a hot day on the greens. Two-time 2010 US Tour winner Hunter Mahan, Vijay Singh and Zach Johnson are other notable names on the 8-under par mark.

Tiger Woods engaged top gear at just the right time to card a second round 65 and ensure his place in the final two rounds, after threatening to miss the cut following an opening 72. The current world number one carded an error-free round for the first time in over a year to move into a tie for 29th place after starting the day in 87th. His five-under par total still leaves him seven strokes off the pace however.

Padraig Harrington, who handed a European Ryder Cup pick last week by Colin Montgomerie, missed the cut and could now be eliminated from the Playoffs with a projected FedEx Cup position of 76. Only the top 70 in the rankings will progress to next week’s BMW Championship.

Other notable names to miss out include Ben Crane, Jeff Overton. Justin Rose and Anthony Kim.

Snedeker shares Wyndham lead

Brandt Snedeker moved into a share of the halfway lead at The Wyndham Championship, North Carolina with second round 65 to tie overnight leader Arjun Atwal at 12-under par.

Tipster pick Snedeker carded an eagle and three birdies to adopt a familiar position in this event. Snedeker won this event in 2007 and had shared the first round lead last year. Snedeker’s only previous PGA Tour success came in this event, although that win came at the nearby Forest Oaks Country Club.

“I feel comfortable here. Though the golf courses are different, they’re the same kind of grass and greens, stuff I grew up on, very similar,” Snedeker said. “And I don’t know what it is about this time of year. I seem to be playing my best golf come this time of year. I don’t know if it’s I’m playing into form, or see the finish line at the end of the year.”

However, it could have been a lot better for Snedeker, the number one ranked putter on the PGA Tour as he missed FOUR putts from inside eight feet.

Stats are on Snedeker’s and Atwal’s side going into the weekend’s play, however, as since the tournament moved back to the Sedgefield Country Clun in 2008, both winners since have held or tied the lead at the halfway mark – Carl Petterson in 2008 and Ryan Moore last year.

Snedeker and Atwal hold a one shot lead over Kevin Streelman, Lucas Glover and John Rollins, with Webb Simpson a further shot behind.

Justin Leonard fired a best-of-the-day round of 63 to move into a share of seventh place on 9-under par, alongside Boo Weekley and Tim Herron.

Snedeker’s fellow tipster picks, Richard S Johnson and Michael Sim are perched further down the leaderboard, but still close enough to challenge. Swedish player Johnson carded a secound round 66 to move into a tie for 20th on 7-under par, while Sim recorded a 68 to finish on 6-under par.

With the cut line falling at 3-under par, 78 players made the halfway cut. Among those going home this week are Canadian Mike Weir, who finished 2-under par despite struggling with tendonitis and Brett Quigley who also finished 2-under par. Both players now miss the Play-off series that starts next week.

Perhaps the biggest omission of the weekend will be that of Anthony Kim, who missed the cut with a 2-over total. It’s the second cut in succession Kim has missed and now casts a doubt over his Ryder Cup selection hopes.

“I know I put the captain in a tough spot here … but hopefully, with enough practice, I’ll start getting my game into shape … and make it an easy decision,” Kim said.

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