Bill Haas previous at Riviera

Northern Trust Open at Riviera

Last week Jimmy Walker joined an elusive club when he won for the third time this season on the PGA Tour. Only Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and David Duval have won three times in a similar stretch (eight tournaments). Nice club to be in! Walker will be well fancied again this week, as he has said this is one of his favourite courses. But I'll let him be this week.

Riviera is a very traditional ball strikers golf course with a real classic feel to it. The tenth hole is one of my favourites on tour and it will sure to be a telling factor again this week. Some decent form going into this week seems to be a common trend along with previous form at the course. My picks have a mixture of both.

First up this week is Bill Haas. Haas is a previous winner and has other has other decent course form too. He was leading going into the final round last year before a closing 73 left him in a tie for third. Haas has had a quiet enough start to the season, making cuts without really challenging over the weekend. His best finish in recent weeks was a T-6 in the Humana Challenge. He's won each year since his 2011 Tour Championship / Fed Ex Cup victories and surely he will start to challenge regularly in majors soon enough. His strong iron play will be key this week and he'll surely give his backers a sweat come Sunday.

My second pick has already had a victory this season. Harris English got over the line for his maiden win at the St Jude Classic last year and has already followed up this season at the Mayakoba. He's had a decent start to the calendar year with a fourth place in Hawaii and another Top 10 in his last start, in Phoenix. Like Haas, he's a strong iron player and is in the Top 10 in Greens in Regulation this season. Unlike Haas, he doesn't have any course form to speak of, made the cut last year but finished in the middle of the pack. But he's a different player now with two victories to his name.

I fancy a Top 10 bet to cover my stakes in case it goes all a little Pete Tong this week. Looking through my previous posts I actually did the same bet in 2012. Kevin Na is definitely one of the more unpredictable players on the PGA Tour and has run up some silly numbers in his time. But on form he can rack up some Top 10s - 38 in his PGA Tour career, compared to his one victory tells you he's not the greatest in contention. But a Top 10 is all I ask of him this week! He was in the Top 5 at Pebble Beach last week and has previous course form when third in 2011 at Riviera. That does me!

My Selections:
Bill Haas @ 28/1 with Paddy Power (6 places) (1 pt each way)
Harris English @ 33/1 with Paddy Power (6 places) (1 pt each way)
Kevin Na 'Top 10 finish' @ 13/2 with Stan James (1 pt win)