GOLF
This week’s Wells Fargo Championship is the one and only (to date) PGA victory for Rory McIlroy following his stunning comeback from almost missing the cut to hitting an unforgettable 10 under par 62 on the last day to secure his maiden win in the U.S.
McIlroy will certainly have many backers to defend the crown but I feel he might be suffering a little from his meltdown in the recent Masters and also in last year’s British Open. Although brilliant at times, McIlroy can be inconsistent and the odds are too short on this occasion.
Favourite Phil Mickelson turned up at Augusta full of confidence having won in good style the previous week but failed to get into contention and is easy to pass over here.
German Martin Kaymer will be eager to regain the number one ranking but he is completely out of form and again, the odds are far too short.
I am investing on two players in this (each-way)
Paul Casey has all the ability in the world but doesn’t win as often as he should. When he does get into contention though he definitely has the ‘bottle’ to close the deal.
My other selection is Bo van Pelt. He was going really well in the Masters but came up just a little short but is certainly capable of winning this.
Wells Fargo Championship
P Mickelson 12/1
R McIlroy 14/1
M Kaymer 16/1
Bubba Watson 20/1
D Johnson 20/1
N Watney 20/1
J Furyk 20/1
H Mahan 25/1
G Ogilvy 33/1
M Laird 33/1
J Rose 33/1
P Casey 33/1
Rickie Fowler 33/1
R Barnes 40/1
D Toms 40/1
R Allenby 50/1
S Garcia 50/1
E Molinari 50/1
P Harrington 50/1
C Hoffman 50/1
B Haas 50/1
B De Jonge 50/1
W Simpson 50/1
C Howell 50/1
Anthony Kim 50/1
B Van Pelt 50/1
Each-way bets 1/4 odds first 5
Italian teenage sensation Matteo Manassero heads the market here and he has all the relevant skills to make his mark.
Spaniards very often do well in their home country and Jimenez (runner-up last week), Quiros, Cabrera Bello and Alejandro Canizares are sure to all play well.
Scotland’s Paul Lawrie, Richie Ramsay and Stephen Gallacher are amongst the market leaders and are also likely to be high on the final leaderboard.
I fancy an each way punt on Swede Alexander Noren. A very good player at his best, he finished a creditable fifth in last week’s Ballantine’s Championship in Seoul.
Open de España
M Manassero 12/1
MA Jiménez 12/1
A Quiros 12/1
R Jacquelin 25/1
N Colsaerts 33/1
T Bjorn 33/1
J Donaldson 33/1
A Noren 33/1
D Willett 33/1
R Cabrera Bello 33/1
G Bourdy 40/1
G Havret 40/1
T Aiken 40/1
T Jaidee 40/1
Richie Ramsay 40/1
A Hansen 40/1
R-J Derksen 40/1
S Hansen 50/1
Paul Lawrie 50/1
B Rumford 50/1
P Larrazabal 50/1
Alejandro Canizares 50/1
S Dyson 50/1
S Gallacher 50/1
Peter Lawrie 50/1
G Maybin 50/1
Each-way bets 1/4 odds first 5
All odds supplied by Ladbrokes.