Billyless Westy to get the W at Sawgrass

The Players Championship @ TPC Sawgrass

This week we have by far my favourite tourney outside the majors, the Player’s Championship at TPC Sawgrass. The Player’s Championship is not a normal PGA Tour tourney, it carries more prestige than most, actually all, apart from the majors, and this is where the debate begins!

Should there be a fifth major? Or will changing tradition ruin the value of the other four?! It’s a debate that will go on and on. If you’re watching the golf on Sky this week, expect this debate to take centre stage for the majority of the four days. Personally I don’t think it should be a major and I also think regardless of what we think or however long the pundits debate the topic, it never will! The problem is that some players in the last couple of years have chosen to skip it, for whatever reason, be it for rest or that they would rather prepare differently for the US Open in June.

The Player’s Championship was traditionally held in March but since 2007 has been shuffled (like many other tournaments) to a different time of the year. There a few reasons for this, one being that the players themselves tend to play in stretches so by positioning it in May it helped out tourneys in New Orleans and the Wells Fargo attract a few bigger names. Last year Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood were the major absentees, this year we have the newly crowned Masters Champ and fans favourite Bubba Watson. Now it should be pointed out that Bubba is skipping the tourney for family reasons. Bubba and wife Angie adopted a baby boy (named him Caleb) the week before the Masters and he has stated that he wishes to spend some quality time before a busy summer. Rors and Westy had no such excuse! Will Bruce and the boys (Sky Pundits) acknowledge the difference...probably not!

Sawgrass.... If there was ever a course that sets up for drama on a Sunday evening, this is it! In particular the infamous 17^th hole, with its island green, it really is a true test of nerve. I always wondered why Pampers don’t pay Tim Finchem and the boys a few quid to get some advertising boards popped up round the tee, it’s a PR dream! I read a stat today which sums up the hole, you have to go back to 1987 to find the last player who has birdied the 17^th all four days, the player in question was Paul Azinger.

The signature 17th hole @ TPC Sawgrass

Like TPC Louisiana, Sawgrass was designed by Pete Dye, same grass, the works, so it will do us no harm to look at the players that finished near the top of the leaderboard in New Orleans. The Zurich Classic was won by Jason Dufner and the Top 10 (and ties) comprised of Donald, Els, DeLaet, Palmer, Stricker, Duke, Tringale, Rollins, Fowler, Mathis and Rose. Out of those 12 names, here’s how they did at Sawgrass last year. Three finished inside the top 15 (Donald, Dufner and Stricker), four didn’t play, and one finished in 45^th and the other four missed the cut. As four didn’t play it means that nearly half of the remaining eight finished inside the Top 15, so there’s maybe a pointer there after all. Rickie Fowler is one of the four who missed the cut last year but he got his first PGA Tour win last week.

When I look through the previous winners at Sawgrass it’s not easy to find a trend. A small one I suppose would be out of the last five winners, only two (KJ Choi and Phil Mickelson) teed it up in May before Sawgrass, both finished T-3 in their respective tourneys  and none of the other three missed the cut on their last appearance. So that trend will be pleasing for Donald (3^rd in New Orleans) and Westwood (T-5 Wells-Fargo) fans and won’t give much encouragement to Tiger fans.

Although it’s only Monday (it is as I write this) all the major book makers are out to get the Tiger fans. Paddy Power have went 20/1 for a Tiger win and have sent a few tweets around to make sure everyone knows of this “massive” price. Can I just say, I’m a massive Tiger fan (second favourite golfer after Sergio) but I couldn’t back the man with monopoly money this week, he had to resort to irons off some of the tees last week and still didn’t make the cut for god’s sake!

My first selection this week is going to be Lee Westwood. Westy is off the back of a 66 last Sunday which got him a 5^th place finish in the Wells Fargo Championship. It was great to see as I thought last week could have been a struggle with the loss of Billy to injury! Yep, caddy Billy Foster regularly touted as the best in the business and one of the many reasons for Westy’s return to form in the last few years injured himself in a charity football game. Not exactly the thing that Westwood wanted to hear going into the busy summer time on tour. But Westy drafted in Cayce Kerr, who is Freddie Couples caddy. It was obviously a slow burner but by Sunday it all fell into place. As stated above Westwood missed last year, and has only teed it up nine times at the stadium course, resulting in three Top 10s. He’s had four Top 5 finishes on the PGA Tour this season including a T-3 at the Masters. Westy also had a win in Indonesia a couple of weeks ago, granted it was a weak tournament, but wins breed confidence and confidence is something you need this week at Sawgrass.

My second selection is Sergio Garcia. Sergio won this event in 2008 and that wasn’t a fluke, he was runner up in 2007. Garcia is hard to rely on when it comes to having a bet on him, but he does enjoy it here, he hasn’t missed a cut since ’03 and I fancy him to go well this week. Sergio hasn’t challenged much in America this year, six appearances, and six cuts made but only notching up the one Top 10. Ironically his putting has improved no end, ranked 13^th in Strokes gained through putting this year with his reliable accuracy been more at fault this year. That said he is still ranked in the Top 10 in Total Driving this year.  Hopefully when he sets his eyes on the 17^th green memories of his win in 2008 will come flooding back, especially that iron shot he hit to win it!

My third and final selection is Ian Poulter. Poults’ is a man in form and a man that oozes confidence. The 90/1 offered by BET365 won’t last. He has been a runner up here (’09) and is just off the back of a 3^rd place finish at Arnie’s tourney and a 7^th place finish at the Masters. A lot of people don’t like backing Poulter because they think he’s “all show” and is more interested in his fashion range but don’t be fooled he maybe doesn’t have the talent of a Woods or McIlroy but what he does have is a lot of fight and can grind like the best of them. This will be a grinding week, for everyone!

My Selections:

Lee Westwood @ 16/1 each way with Coral

Sergio Garcia @ 45/1 each way with Bet365

Ian Poulter @ 90/1 each way with Bet365