The world’s best descend upon pictueresque Muirfield Village this week for the 40th edition of the Memorial Tournament, hosted, as always, by Jack Nicklaus. The Memorial is meant to be a celebration of golf’s past, and each year the tournament is dedicated to someone who holds a prominent place in the history of the game. This year’s honoree is 6-time Major champion Nick Faldo, a legendary technician on the course who spends his time these days doling out pithy, mildly self-serving commentary that walks a fine line between educational and nauseating (I actually like Faldo as a commentator, but I find this description to be pretty accurate, don’t you?).
I’m fairly confident that no one in the field traveled to central Ohio to kiss the ring of Sir Nick Faldo, though, so let’s get down to business. Six of the top 10 players in the world will be teeing it up this week but Rory McIlroy is conspicuously absent, leaving Jordan Spieth (8.4) as the current favorite at BETDAQ, followed by Dustin Johnson (19.0), Justin Rose (21.0), and defending champion Hideki Matsuyama (23.0). Five-time champion Tiger Woods is playing for the first time since his uninspiring showing at The Players Championship, and if you think he can recapture some of that old magic you can jump aboard at 39.0 (or lay him at 40.0).
BETDAQ’s outright win market is quite lively and some of the Tournament Match Bets being offered are very intriguing as well, so opportunity abounds this week. Here are a few suggestions:
WIN MARKET
Recommendations to BACK (odds in parenthesis)
Justin Rose (21.0)– Rose is one of the very best players in the world and he has excelled at Muirfield Village over the years, picking up his first PGA Tour win here back in 2010 and finishing 8th in both 2012 and 2013 (he was also the runner-up in 2008). Though he hasn’t made any noise in his last two events, finishing 38th at the BMW PGA and missing the cut at the Players Championship, it’s only been five weeks since he won the Zurich Classic, so top form is not far off. I have a feeling Rose will be a bit more comfortable at friendly Muirfield Village than he was at TPC Sawgrass or Wentworth, so I look for him to contend this week.
Matt Kuchar (33.0)- While Kuchar certainly hasn’t been playing poorly lately, with 15 made cuts in his last 16 events and a brief appearance on the first page of the leaderboard at last week’s Byron Nelson, his results over the past two months haven’t quite lived up to his standards, as he’s managed just one top-10 finish (5th at the RBC Heritage) in his last six tournaments. Now, though, he returns to a place he absolutely owns: Muirfield Village. Kuchar has played The Memorial seven times in the last eight years, and his result are as follows: 13th (’07), 10th (’08), 5th (’09), 8th (’10), 2nd (’11), 1st (’13), 15th (’14). Is that any good? I mean, this is a man who 1. doesn’t know what it’s like to play bad at The Memorial, 2. shot a 3rd-round 64 last week and has made 15 of 16 cuts, and 3. can currently be had at better than 30/1 at BETDAQ. Sign me up.
Ben Martin (76.0)- While much has been made of the batch of twenty-somethings that have overtaken the professional golf world over the last couple of years, one name you don’t often hear included in that group is 27-year old Ben Martin, though that’s starting to change. Martin has been one of the best dozen players on the PGA Tour for the past three months, and the way his recent results are trending– 4th at the Players Championship, 10th at Colonial two weeks ago– you get the feeling that a breakthrough win is right around the corner. Could it happen this week? Martin made his debut at The Memorial last year and finished 49th, playing superb golf for three rounds before falling flat with a 78 on Sunday. That means he’s tasted success at Muirfield Village but also knows its pitfalls. He may not have the pedigree of a Kuchar or a Jim Furyk, but he’s playing great golf at the moment and he’s a hungry young player whose ceiling is unknown.Throw a couple of bucks at him and you may be pleased come Sunday afternoon.
TOURNAMENT MATCH BETS
Jason Dufner (1.91) vs. Gary Woodland (1.91)
Jason Dufner has lost a bunch of weight, a gorgeous wife, and his golf game, I’m not sure in what order. He did play well last week, the first ray of light he’s seen in quite a while, but he’s never been a good bet at The Memorial, missing the cut in two of his three career appearances. Woodland has two top-5s in his last four starts and should be backed enthusiastically here. Recommendation: Woodland at 1.91
Phil Mickelson (1.91) vs. Bill Haas (1.91)
Mickelson seems to be coming out of the haze a bit, with top-5 finishes at the Masters and, more recently, the Wells Fargo Championship. He has a great history at this tournament, with four top-20s in his last seven appearances, including two top-5s. I think he has a genuine chance to contend this week and he’s a good bet to finish ahead of Haas, who has struggled with his putting this year. Recommendation: Mickelson at 1.91
NEW !!!
You can now follow BETDAQ updates on Google+
For further details – CLICK HERE
£20 FREE BET
