Golfers to Bet - The Barclays
By Sportsbook.ag
The top golfers in the world are set to compete in The Barclays on Long Island this weekend. After a rather lousy string of tournaments, The Barclays should bring golf fans the excitement they’ve been waiting for.
This field is set to include almost all of the big name golfers, as Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson, Jordan Spieth and Justin Rose will all be teeing off on Thursday.
Vijay Singh will also be playing in this tournament, and he has actually won this event four times in his career (1993, 1995, 2006, 2008).
Two other multiple winners that will be competing are Ernie Els (1996, 1997) and Sergio Garcia (2001, 2004). The last time Bethpage Black was the course played in this tournament was in 2012 and Nick Watney edged out Brandt Snedeker by three strokes to win it that year.
Watney will not be on the course when these guys tee off on Thursday, but Snedeker will be.
With that information out of the way, let’s take a look at some of the best values to win this gigantic tournament this weekend:
Golfers to Watch
Jason Day (11/2) - Jason Day has not played since the PGA Championship in late July, but he was excellent in that tournament and that was without much preparation. Day was with his wife in the hospital in the days leading up to that one, so he went in a bit cold and still shot a 13-under to finish in second place. Now the superstar returns to The Barclays, which he has really dominated over the past few years. Day shot a 19-under to win this tournament in 2015, defeating Henrik Stenson by six strokes. He also came in second place in 2014, so clearly this is an event that he is very comfortable at. Day also happens to be having one heck of a season, as he has won three events and has finished inside the top-five six times. With favorable 11/2 odds, it’d be irresponsible not to put a few units on Day this weekend.
Henrik Stenson (19/2) - Stenson got off to a rough start this season, but he has really bounced back and is now playing as well as anybody coming into The Barclays. After withdrawing from the U.S. Open, Stenson returned a month later and won The Open Championship with a 20-under. There was no let down for him after that, as he finished tied for seventh at the PGA Championship and then finished in second at the Olympics. With the way Stenson is swinging the club right now, it’s hard to pass up on him at 19/2. He could end up paying off huge and it would shock pretty much nobody if he were to win this thing. Of all of the top golfers in the field, Stenson is the guy that is most likely to provide a huge payday because of his odds.
Brandt Snedeker (30/1) - As previously mentioned, Snedeker has come close to winning this thing before. In 2012, Snedeker shot a seven-under and finished in second place in this tournament and that also happened to have been the last time Bethpage hosted this event. He should feel very confident when he gets out there on the course on Thursday, but his performance here last time is not the only reason. Snedeker also happens to be coming off of a very good showing at the Wyndham Championship, as he shot a 15-under and ended up tying for third in that one. He’s a very high upside play at 30/1 and is worth putting a unit or two on in this one.
Emiliano Grillo (70/1) - When looking for a guy that could be considered a dark horse to win this one, Grillo is somebody that really stands out. He is playing extremely well recently and has the talent to earn a big victory on Sunday. Grillo comes into this one after having finished tied for 13th with a six-under at the PGA Championship and then tying for eighth place with a seven-under at the Men’s Olympics. He has now finished inside the top-15 at five of the past seven tournaments he has played in and could make a splash by winning this one on Sunday. He’s a tremendous value at 70/1 and is certainly worth putting a unit on.
The Barclays Preview
By Matt Fargo
Covers.com
The PGA regular season is in the books and now we concentrate on the FedEx Cup playoffs. The first stop is The Barclays which is being hosted by Bethpage State Park Black Course in Farmingdale, New York. 121 of the top 125 players in the FedEx Cup standings are in play this week with the top 100 advancing to the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston over Labor Day weekend. That will then be decreased to the top 70 and then eventually to the top 30 for the Tour Championship.
Bethpage Black hosted the 2012 edition of The Barclays, won by Nick Watney, and it is considered one of the toughest stops on tour. It has hosted the U.S. Open twice but we cannot look at those results based on those being a totally different setup. Black is a par 71 that reaches 7,468 yards and consists of narrow fairways and small greens so precision is arguably more important than distance. It ranked No. 15 in difficulty out of 49 tournaments back in 2012 and players will be put to the test once again.
While precision is leading factor, long hitters will have an advantage here as long as they can keep it under control. Three of the four par threes are over 200 yards so we will not see an overabundance of birdie opportunities. There are only three par fives which also hurts scoring chances and some of the par fours are monstrous. Two are measured at over 500 yards with another four between 450 and 500 yards so these are nine holes where big hitters need to take advantage.
There are pros and cons for the Playoffs but the biggest draw is the field as we are getting the best players on tour to compete whereas in years past, the season was done. With $10 Million on the line, motivation won't be an issue. The biggest notable player missing is Sergio Garcia (No. 20) who is sitting out The Barclays for a second straight season. Danny Willet (No. 75), Shane Lowry (No. 87) and Anirban Lahiri (No. 117) are other absentees with Lahiri being the only of the bunch not able to advance.
With such a strong field, the odds are heavily skewed toward to top as usual. Jason Day (+655) is the favorite and reigning champion followed closely by Dustin Johnson (+855). Next is Rory McIlroy at +1,000, Henrik Stenson at +1,050 and Jordan Spieth at +1,500 to round out the top five. Because of the chalky prices, there is a ton of value down the board with Adam Scott at +3,300, Bubba Watson at +3,500 and Rickie Fowler at +4,000, three players that are ranked in the top ten in the world and catching big odds.
SPORTS WAGERS
The Barclay's
This course has twice been the host of the U.S. Open (2002, 2009) and last was the venue for this event, the Barclays, in 2012. The fact that arguably the toughest major has been played here on multiple occasions proves it is going to be a tough test for the golfers who head out there this week. To give you an idea of how tough this course is, when the U.S. Open was played here in 2002 and 2009, Tiger Woods and Lucas Glover came away with trophies with a score of three-under and four-under, respectively.
The infamous Bethpage State Park (Black Course) is deemed to be one of the toughest tests in golf and will measure in at a long 7,468 yards while playing as a Par 71. Here’s what we know about this track: it’s long, it’s filled with bunkers, and if you miss the fairway, you’re pretty much screwed. The Black Course will require accuracy, consistency, and one heck of a short game. Getting off the tee and landing safely in these fairways is key to the success of every golfer in the field. Total Driving is a stat we’re focusing in on this week, and of course, Scrambling.
There is a trio of long par 5’s, and five of the par 4’s will measure in at longer than 475 yards. Black doesn’t have the largest putting surfaces, so tighter ‘approach-to-green’ games work better here.
Here are four golfers we’re going to invest in: Wagers to win outright will be placed at Bet365 because of their buyout option during the event. Heads up wagers will be placed at Pinnacle:
Kevin Na +70-1
Na may be having the best 2016 season of all players out there without a victory, making 20-of-23 cuts (87%) with eight Top 10’s and four finishes in the Top 3. He comes into this week on the heels of four consecutive Top 22 performances, with his last two at the John Deere Classic and Wyndham Championship, going for eighth and 10th respectively, combining for a score of 27-under-par. Na has had no issues with the strong fields, raking in Top 25’s at each of the past three majors, including a seventh on the tough conditions of Oakmont at the U.S. Open in June. The 32-year-old has made up 0.834 strokes on the field when approaching the green (3rd on TOUR) thanks to a 34’1” proximity to hole (31st on TOUR) and the ability to knock it close from the 125-150 yard distance (17’5”, best on TOUR). Na always seems to be in the mix, and is certainly due to add a second career victory very soon (Risking 0.2 units to win 14 units).
Head-to-head matchup
K. Na +105 over Z. Johnson (Risking 1 unit).
Emiliano Grillo 80-1
The 23-year-old out of Argentina has had no issues acclimating himself to the life of a PGA TOUR player, and comes into this event in the 32nd spot of the FedExCup standings and 37th in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR). He has not lived up to the victory that kicked off the 2016 season, but has continued to be a consistent performer from week to week, and since the win, has gone 17-for-20 (85%) at making it to the weekend with eight Top 25’s. Four of his last five times out have resulted in a Top 15 performance, including a 12th at the Open Championship, 13th at the PGA Championship, and eighth in the Rio Olympics. At such a young age, he already shows the poise of a player who will rack up the trophies throughout his career, and thanks to an accurate driver (67.40%, 18th on TOUR), solid GIR (68.17%, 39th on TOUR), and Proximity To Hole (34’10”, 54th on TOUR), he should be able to continue his recent success here. There is no question that Grillo is ready to pop again so expect to see him on our “win” slate often until he does. At 80-1, don’t miss him (Risking 0.2 units to win 16 units).
Head-to-head matchup
E. Grillo -106 over P. Casey (Risking 1.06 units to win 1 unit).
Russell Knox +66-1
Knox sat out the Wyndham last week after he triumphed to victory at the Travelers the week before. This guy is super accurate off the tee (11th in Driving Accuracy on TOUR, 8th in the field). He also sits pretty at 2nd in GIR and T13 in proximity. It looks as if his game is locked in right now, and he strolls into Bethpage with four consecutive Top 30 finishes, including two Top 10’s. Knox has a legitimate chance of winning the FedExCup trophy coming in as the 4th in points. A price tag like this on a player like Knox is a no-brainer and a big overlay (Risking 0.2 units to win 13.2 units).
Head-to-head matchup
R. Knox -124 over C. Scwartzel (Risking 1.24 units to win 1 unit).
Kevin Kisner 100-1
Kisner comes into N.Y. quietly in 11th place on the FedExCup leaderboard with a pretty solid record over the last few weeks. In his last five starts, Kisner notched four Top 26 finishes, including three in the Top 18. In that span, he’s made 17 cuts in 22 events total on the season. Kisner ranks 9th on TOUR (7th in field) in Strokes Gained: Putting and 23rd in Birdie Average. A high-oods long-ball hitter with very nice accuracy is what you get when you back Kisner this week. That’s not a bad place tpo start with a 100-1 shot (Risking 0.2 units to win 20 units).
Head-to-head matchup
K. Kisner +102 over J. Thomas (Risking 1 unit).