While golf fans and bettors around the world have already begun to shift their collective focus towards a certain tournament in Georgia that will be taking place next week, a strong field has gathered in Houston for the Shell Houston Open, an event that dates back to 1946 and has produced champions like Byron Nelson, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Raymond Floyd, Fred Couples, Adam Scott, and Phil Mickelson.
Australian Matt Jones won in memorable fashion last year, draining a long birdie putt on 18 to force a playoff with Matt Kuchar and then promptly chipping in for birdie on the first playoff hole. Jones is back to defend his title and he may be one to watch, as he’s played some good golf thus far in 2015, recording four top-15 finishes in his last eight starts. He’s currently priced at 38/1 at BETDAQ.
And yes, it has taken some discipline to wait until the third paragraph to brag about our win last week. Well done Jimmy Walker!! We got him at 24/1 on Wednesday (see here) and he came through brilliantly, firing a final-round 70 to cruise to a 4-shot victory. Let’s see if we can follow it up with another good result this week…
WIN MARKET
Recommendations to BACK (odds in parenthesis)
Louis Oosthuizen (29)- Oosthuizen is a regular at this tournament, having played here in each of the past four years, and his record is spectacular– 16th in 2011, 3rd in 2012, and 10th in 2013. He was last seen finishing 9th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational two weeks ago and he finished 6th at the WGC-Cadillac Championship in early March, so his game is clearly in good shape, and he told a South African newspaper last week that he’s driving the ball as well as he has in his entire life, which is a good way to feel when you’re about to tackle the 7,441-yard Golf Club of Houston. At nearly 30/1, Oosthuizen is my favorite bet on the board this week.
Bill Haas (50)- It’s been nearly a month since we’ve seen Bill Haas in competition, as he hasn’t played since finishing 7th at the WGC-Cadillac Championship. It’s all by design, though– after several years of playing every week and then taking the week before the Masters off, Haas has changed it up over the past couple of years, opting for a lighter schedule during February and March followed by an appearance at this event. He’s done well here, too, finishing 10th in 2013 and firing an opening-round 65 last year before fading a bit over the weekend. Haas is a world-class player who is being overlooked, I think, because he’s not the “hot” name of the moment. Remember, though, that he’s only made four starts since winning the Humana Challenge in January, so the fact that he’s not on the tip of everyone’s tongue this week has nothing to do with his form. Haas is definitely worth a bet at the current price.
Carlos Ortiz (100)- If you’re looking for long odds, look no further than young Carlos Ortiz, a 23-year old Mexican who dominated the Web.com Tour last year and always seems to play his best golf in the Southwest. That isn’t a coincidence, of course– Ortiz is a North Texas graduate who still resides in the greater Dallas area. He played a brilliant final three rounds at the Valero Texas Open last week, coming back from an opening-round 79 to finish 15th, so I’m sure he’s feeling good about himself at the moment. This will be his first appearance at the Houston Open so we don’t really know how he’ll take to the golf course, but he’s already notched three professional victories (all on Web.com Tour) on courses that he was playing for the first time in competition, so he’s proven that he doesn’t need much time to get acclimated. Can Ortiz pick up his first PGA Tour win this week? It’s a long shot, no doubt, but at nearly 100/1 it’s a chance worth taking.
TOURNAMENT MATCH BETS
Rickie Fowler (1.87) vs. Sergio Garcia (1.85)
I really like Fowler’s chances this week, and if his odds weren’t so short I would consider backing him to win. His game really seems to be coming around, as he’s notched top-30 finishes in each of his last two events and has shot par or better in 13 of his past 15 competitive rounds. Plus, he finished 6th at this tournament last year, so he certainly knows his way around the golf course. I think he’s a good bet to beat Sergio, who hasn’t played since his final-round 78 at the WGC-Cadillac Championship. Recommendation: Fowler at 1.87
Paul Casey (1.86) vs. Hunter Mahan (1.86)
Casey picked up his first PGA Tour win here back in 2009, but in recent years the golf course hasn’t been as kind to him, as he’s missed three straight cuts at this event. Mahan, meanwhile, has four top-10 finishes here to go along with his win in 2012, giving him a record at the Golf Club of Houston that is second to none (remember, the tournament was played elsewhere prior to 2006). And while Mahan hasn’t been regularly contending this year, he has yet to miss a cut in nine events, so his game is in good enough shape to warrant a bet. Recommendation: Mahan at 1.86
NEW !!!
You can now follow BETDAQ updates on Google+
For further details – CLICK HERE
£20 FREE BET
