March 3 Golf Selections
After the bracket tips for the WGC Matchplay event last week resulted in an epic fail, the question was put to me: “Why continue with a golf picks column? Why not quit when you’re miles behind and showing no signs of recovery?” Because I’m painfully stubborn… wait, that came out wrong…. because I'm strong-willed and determined, that’s why. And with that, we move to Florida and the USPGA Tour’s Honda Classic. 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 February 17 selections
Paul Casey (Northern Trust Open): T-12
Results for February 24 WGC bracket selections
Retief Goosen: First round exit
Ian Poulter: First round exit
Louis Oosthuizen: First round exit
Adam Scott: First round exit
Kyung-Tae Kim: First round exit
Year to date selection results: Nine selections, no collects.
Honda Classic
As noted above, the USPGA Tour crosses the country this week and arrives in Florida, more specifically at the PGA National Champion Course. This is a course that is best known for the group of holes from the 15th through to the 17th, which are referred to as the "The Bear Trap". This par-70 course was the most difficult non-major in relation to par in all of 2010, with an average pre round score of 71.64 (or 1.64 over par). In the four years that PGA National has hosted the Honda Classic, the key elements which have stood out are the unforgiving nature of the course when it comes to straying off the fairway, missing greens or having a poor week with the flat stick. Power and precision are critical to success at PGA National and thus it is not a week where you can roll the dice on someone who is out of form or still dusting away the off-season cobwebs. You want to be backing a guy who has started the year strongly, hits the ball long and straight and putts reasonably well. Specifically, you want to be backing Charl Schwartzel.
Schwartzel’s credentials are primarily displayed on the European Tour, as his appearances on the USPGA Tour are reasonably few and far between. But prior to his second round exit at the WGC Matchplay, his previous five tournament results were a tie for eighth in Abu Dhabi, a wins at the Joburg Open, fourth placings at both the Africa and South African Opens and a second placing at the Alfred Dunhill Championship – not too shabby at all. So far in the 2011 European Tour season (which started last November – don’t ask me why) he leads the European Tour in scoring average and is 35th in driving accuracy, eighth in driving distance and sixth in putts per green in regulation. He has no recent starts at the Honda Classic from which to draw a form line but his recent good form and strong driving, iron play and putting make the $9.00 on offer about him finishing in the top-5 is sufficiently generous for me to try and keep the loan sharks at bay for a little while longer.
Thanks to Scott Halleran/Getty Images AsiaPac for use of the photo
