Tour opens in Hawaii
By Sportsbook.ag
Tournament: Hyundai Tournament of Champions
Date: Jan. 9-12
Venue: Kapalua Resort-The Plantation Course
Location: Kapalua, Hawaii
The first PGA Tournament of 2015 begins Friday in Hawaii when winners from the last calendar year’s events come together and look for an early season victory. There have been no multiple winners so far in this young season with Bubba Watson and Jordan Spieth being the only players from the top-25 to grab a trophy.
The par-73, 7,411-yard course at Kapalua Resort has yielded some low scores since it was first used in 1999 with just one victor having a score worse than 14-under par while eight golfers in that time have been able to get better than 20-under. If your last name is Johnson, then this tourney has been good to you over the past two seasons. Zach Johnson grabbed a one-shot win last season with three rounds of 67 or better, while Dustin Johnson won with a score of 16-under back in the 2013 season over three just rounds.
So with all the big names in this one, let’s take a look at a few players who have a chance to walk away with the big purse this week.
Golfers to Bet
Bubba Watson (11/2): Watson is the chalk for the weekend simply because he's the top golfer in this tournament. He ranks fourth in the World Golf Rankings and has already topped the leaderboard this season with a playoff victory at the WGC-HSBC Champions in early November. Watson's big drive has aided him in tremendous success on par-5’s so far, as he has a birdie or better in 81.3% of his chances (best on tour). He’s played in just three events during this season, but has placed in the top-11 each time, and finished in fourth at Kapalua last year, so he is primed for another solid performance.
Jason Day (6/1): Day has the second lowest odds despite having minimal wins on the PGA Tour. He has grabbed a trophy in just two tournaments, including making into this one with a victory at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championships last year. Day finished in the top-10 in 6-of-15 events that he played last season and is coming off a fifth-place finish at the Hero World Challenge after taking fourth in last year’s Tour Championship. Day ranked in the top-20 last season while driving the ball on average 301.2 yards, and should be able to use that power to record a low score in this one.
Matt Kuchar (29/4): The other low-odds favorite for this tournament is Kuchar, who has become one of the most consistent, well-rounded players on tour. He has ranked in the top-10 at this course in each of his past four attempts, and Kuchar is also coming off an eighth-place finish at the Hero World Challenge, giving him single-digit finishes at 11-of-24 events last season. He doesn’t have the power (286.8 yards per drive) that others on tour do, but does have accuracy with his big stick (71.4%, 23rd on tour) and should be able to navigate this course with ease over the weekend.
Patrick Reed (19/1): Reed is an all-or-nothing type of player who has proven himself with three victories since the summer of 2013, including a great win over a talented field at the WGC- Cadillac Championship last season. He’s placed in the top-30 in each of his three events so far this season, while being one of the best scramblers (77.5%, 4th on tour). This is a risky pick, but this darkhorse can pay off in a big way as he has the chance to put up birdies in a hurry, and is not intimidated by the big names around him.
Robert Streb (55/1): Streb has been the best player so far in the young season and leads the FedEx standings after winning his first PGA event against Brandon de Jonge and Will MacKenzie in a playoff at the McGladrey Classic in late October. Streb has finished in the top-10 two other times already this year has he’s averaged a score of 67 in the final round of his tournaments while seeming ready to have a breakout campaign in the 2014-15 season. At 55-to-1 odds, he's the best longshot to drop a one-unit wager on.
Hyundai Tournament of Champions Betting Odds
Bubba Watson 11/2
Jason Day 6/1
Matt Kuchar 29/4
Zach Johnson 27/2
Hideki Matsuyama 14/1
Chris Kirk 29/2
Jimmy Walker 15/1
Ryan Moore 18/1
Patrick Reed 19/1
Billy Horschel 20/1
Hunter Mahan 20/1
Kevin Streelman 29/1
Russell Henley 30/1
Tim Clark 30/1
Brendon Todd 35/1
Geoff Ogilvy 35/1
J.B. Holmes 40/1
Sang-Moon Bae 40/1
Ben Martin 45/1
Scott Stallings 45/1
Seung-Yul Noh 45/1
Brian Harman 50/1
Charley Hoffman 55/1
John Senden 55/1
Robert Streb 55/1
Angel Cabrera 70/1
Kevin Stadler 70/1
Chesson Hadley 100/1
Steven Bowditch 100/1
Ben Crane 130/1
Matt Every 130/1
Matt Jones 130/1
Nick Taylor 160/1
Hyundai Tournament of Champions Preview and Picks
By Matt Fargo
Playbook.com
The 2015 PGA Tour unofficially gets underway this week with the Hyundai Tournament of Champions from the Plantation Course at Kapalua. This is a Friday start with a Monday finish that is designated for 2014-15 winners only. Of the 38 qualifiers, 34 are slated to tee it up this week. While the official start to the season is already 3 months in, the Hyundai is the first stop of the New Year and this is where we begin our tournament coverage and previews for the upcoming season.
The Plantation Course at Kapalua is a par 73, 7,452-yard track that is usually one of the easier stops on tour. It is a bombers paradise but because of wide fairways and several elevation changes, short hitters are not at a huge disadvantage. The scores tell the story as the last six years, the winners finished at -19 (Zach Johnson in 2014), -16 (Dustin Johnson in 2013), -23 (Steve Stricker in 2012), -24 (Jonathan Byrd in 2011), -22 (Geoff Ogilvy in 2010), and -24 (Ogilvy in 2009). Expect more of the same this year as long as winds do not play a factor.
The four players not making the trip are four big names as Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott, Justin Rose and Martin Kaymer are skipping. 24 of the 34 players are Americans with this being the most international players in quite some time. Surprisingly, Byrd was the first American to win since Jim Furyk took home the prize back in 2001 which was the last of six consecutive American champions. Since he snapped the nine-year, non-American wins, the United States has won the last four Hyundai TOC's.
Since 1994, the winner has been decided in a playoff eight times so there is the chance for some good Monday drama. Bubba Watson is the favorite this week at +550 followed by Jason Day at +600 and Matt Kuchar +725. Defending champion Zach Johnson is at +1350, one of 11 players at +3000 or shorter so it is a pretty wide open event where past history usually plays a big factor. There are 12 first time players at the Plantation Course which we can eliminate right away.
Matt Kuchar (+725) is my favorite of the top three as he has experience here and has been successful on top of it with a T6 last year, a T9 in 2013, a T6 in 2011 and a solo third in 2010. He recorded one win in 2014, a one-shot victory over Luke Donald at the RBC Heritage and overall, he finished with 11 top tens. He finished T8 at the Hero World Challenge prior to the holiday.
Ryan Moore (+1,800) picked up his third career win last year at the CIMB Classic and he followed that up by defending his title in October with a three-shot win over Sergio Garcia, Kevin Na and Gary Woodland. This will be his fourth start at the Hyundai TOC's with his best finish being a T6 in 2010 and last year, he was solo tenth. He also has a T28 this year at the WGC-HSBC Champions.
Billy Horschel (+2,000) will be making his second straight start at the Plantation Course following a T6 last year. His -12 over the weekend was the lowest out of anyone and that can build his confidence heading into this event. While 2013 was his breakout year, 2014 was his best with two wins and 12 top 25's and of course the FedEx Cup. He is coming off a T8 at the Hero World Challenge.
Kevin Streelman (+2,900) won for the second consecutive year as he took home the Travelers Championship thanks to birdies on his final seven holes to pull out a one shot win over K.J. Choi and Sergio Garcia. He played here last year and finished T3 as he was just one of three players to record two bogey-free rounds in 2014. He finished solo second at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in October.
We are getting some great value on two-time champion Geoff Ogilvy (+3,500). While last year was far from a career year, he did get back into the winners circle for the first time since 2010 as he won the Barracuda Championship in Reno. It was not a big name tournament win but it gets him back to Kapalua where he won in 2009 and 2010, his last two starts here.
Recommended Tournament Win Five Pack at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions - All for 1 Unit
Matt Kuchar (+725)
Ryan Moore (+1,800)
Billy Horschel (+2,000)
Kevin Streelman (+2,900)
Geoff Ogilvy (+3,500)