May 12 Golf Tips
The unofficial ‘fifth major’ of the calendar takes place this week at Sawgrass in Florida, perennial host of The Players Championship. As with many a Pete Dye-designed layout, Sawgrass offers plenty for the senses, with sand and/ or water prominent on the vast majority of holes – most famously at the 17th, a short par-3 with an island green that offers plenty for the paying customer or TV viewer.
To recap, similar principles to those which apply for “Sting’s racing selections” will be in place here – bets will only be recommended for a top-5 finish in the tournament of that week where the price offered is $6 or better, with odds offered by Centrebet being used in the analysis.
Results for May 5 selections
Jim Furyk (Wells Fargo Championship): T-24.
Year to date selection results:16 selections, one refund, no winning collects.
The Players Championship
With the aforementioned sand and/ or water waiting to snare errant shots, the premium here is on ball striking – keep your ball in play at all times or suffer the consequences. Last year's Players Championship provided the lowest average scoring in the tournament for over a decade (at around 0.3 of a stroke under par) and the lowest winning score (272, or 16-under par) since 2003. Generally, a score of around 12-under par will see you contending for the title deep into Sunday afternoon. Experience and a cool head are also critical, as mistakes have a tendency to compound quickly at Sawgrass. After assessing all of these factors, I have come to the view that Matt Kuchar is the man who will be carrying my cash this week.
After starting the 2011 season with six top-10 finishes in eight tournaments, Kuchar ‘slumped’ to T-27 at the US Masters and T-21 at ???. This follows on from a 2010 season where he posted five top-3 finishes and eleven top-10 finishes. His last two starts at Sawgrass have yielded a pair of top-15 finishes and statistically he seems to be a nice fit for the course, raking 13th in greens in regulation and 11th in scrambling. His star has risen significantly in the past 18 months and a win at the ‘fifth major’ is well within his capabilities – the $8.00 on offer at Centrebet about a top-5 finish is very appealing.
Thanks to Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images North America for use of the photo
