The Tour moves to L.A. this week as the West Coast Swing draws to a close with just the World Match Play remaining next week. Riviera CC is a classic,old style course that will put a premium on shot placement, course management, and the short game. Players who can work the ball both ways and chip and putt well will have a good week here.These are the matches I have wagered on and why. My 2003 record to date is 17-13-2. I'm looking to improve on that this week.
1. Scott Verplank(-115) over Peter Lonard
I read yesterday that Lonard injured his thumb playing in Austrailia last week. His Dr. advised him to take 7 weeks off,but he refused wanting to play his way into shape for his first Masters in April. He is going to try to play with the help of painkillers. Ever try to grip a club with a sore thumb ?
2. Charles Howell 111 (-120) over Sergio Garcia
Charles tied for 6th here last year and shot a 64 in the process.Also 7th last week in SD. Done well this year going against Sergio who can't find a putter or putting stroke that he is comfortable with.
3. Jim Furyk(-135) over Sergio Garcia
If this is the week Sergio starts to drain putts I am in trouble. However, I will go against him here. This is a perfect course for Furyk who can hit draws or fades with equal success and has a terrific short game.
4.Brad Faxon( +115) over Bob Estes
Faxon really likes this course and his record here shows that.When the PGA was held here in 1995 he shot a 65 on Sun to be the last qualifier for the Ryder Cup team. He was 2nd here in 2002 and 4th in1994. His 3rd place finish in SD last week,and his 7th place at Pebble 2 weeks ago shows us that he is in good form this season. Faxon may have the best short game on Tour and we are fortunate to get him as a dog here.
5. Jay Haas (+120) over Tom Lehman.
2 seasoned vets go at it here. i haven't been on the right side of a Lehman match all year and I hope that ends here.Haas is a medium length hitter but very straight, has a great short game and plays these kinds of courses well. Tom is very good, but I still thnk he is one dimensional hitting that low hook and his putting is suspect at times.
Iwas hoping to find matchups with Fred Couples or Corey Pavin. Both have stated that this is their favorite course on tour and both have great past records here ,and both can be had at a good price as their recent form has not been that good.I will continue to look for them, maybe on the weekend.
FL HAVEN,T BEEN FOLLOWING THE GOLF THING BUT ARE YOU MAKEING ENOUGH CASH ON IT TO MAKE IT WORTH YOUR TIME JUST ASKING?
I made about $2500 in 2002 with golf wagers. That's not a lot considering how long the season is, but it beats getting poked in the eye with a sharp stick.
It is by far my favorite sport, closely followed by baseball. So I guess it makes sense for me to do a little wagering with it. I like football, but could really care lesss about hoops. I'll only watch a basketball game if i have $ on it.
The thing I don't like about golf is the carts don't go fast enough.
i guess i should ask were you stand this year in golf.
17-13-2 +380
that beats a stick in the eye and a nice return
Lots of high scores in the wind on Thursday. Even Tiger was over par.Results so far :
Verplank tied with Lonard
Howell III 4 up on Garcia
Furyk 1 dn to Garcia
Faxon 6 dn to Estes
Haas 2 up on Lehman
Some pretty nice results so far :
Verplank 1 dn to Lonard
Garcia missed cut....Howell III Winner
Garcia missed cut....Furyk Winner
Lehman missed cut....Haas Winner
Faxon missed cut........Faxon Loser
I'm 3-1 so far with 1 match left on the board. I will be checking the Sat/Sun only matchups as soon as they are posted. Looking to find a match to bet HowellIII again and Corey pavin who is tough on this course.
2 added matches for the weekend :
Rich Beem ( -135 ) over Stephen Ames
The Beemer might be the streakiest player on tour and he got hot yesterday.
Fred Couples ( -105 ) vs Loren Roberts
This is Fred's favorite course on tour and he is a multiple winner here. If he gets into contention here the crowd will go ballistic and he will feed off it on every shot.
3-1 in matches that ended on Fri after cut.
Active matches thru round 3 on Sat :
Verplank 3 up on Lonard
Beem 3 up on Ames
Couples 1 up on Roberts
You are now the official CappersNetwork golf guru. Nice work!
MC
What happened to him, didn't a guy by that name used to post here. As I recall his picks were pretty good.
You know what you are right, I don't know. Maybe he will be back for bases. We should see a lot of new old faces here in a few months...
MC
final results for Nissan open :
Verplank push
Howell III winner +100
Furyk winner +100
Faxon loser -100
Haas winner +120
Beem winner +100
Couples winner +100
Nissan Open 5-1-1 +420
2003 PGA Tour to date 22-14-3 +800
I know that betting on golf does not appeal to a lot of people , in particular non- golfers, but i feel it is easier to show a profit wagering on golf than in team sports. There is some handicapping to do , but here are some reasons :
1. No refs or officials......Have you ever lost a bet on what you thought was a bad call by an official ? I know i have. I don't ever recall a golf tournament being decided by a ruling.
2. No clock or buzzer beaters.....when the match is over it is over. Have you ever lost a bet on a buzz
er beater or because of time clock mismanagement ? I know i have.
3. No injury report.....In almost all cases a golfer will not tee it up when injured or will withdraw and it will be a no bet situation. Did you ever lose a bet because of an injury you knew nothing about ? I know i have .
4. man vs man ( no team mates )....In most cases golfers aren't out the night before a match doing crack and banging white women. Most golfers wives and kids travel with them on the road. Many PGA kids are home schooled and an extensive day care system travels with the tour. Have you ever lost a bet only to find out later that the star player was in the midst of a sustance abuse situation ? I know I have.
These are some reasons why I feel there is value in betting on golf. I know a lot of guys don't like to tie up their cash for 4 days, but you get used to it, especially once you start winning the cash.There are some golf handicappers that are quite good at what they do and a handsome profit is there for the taking. Why not give it a try ? It's also fun in the summer months for the hoops bettors who don't care for baseball.