Betting Update; Quail Hollow Championship with the bookmakers making Woods their 3/1 favourite

Added: (Tue Apr 28 2009)

Pressbox (Press Release) - QUAIL HOLLOW CHAMPIONSHIP


WHERE: Quail Hollow Golf Club, 3700 Glen Eagles Road, Charlotte, North Carolina.


COURSE CHARACTERISTICS: The 7,442yd layout regularly attracts a high-class field because it offers simplicity, depth and variety, but most of all are the high/risk reward decisions that have to be made and that makes for exciting golf. The tree-lined fairways offer a pair of driveable par fours, as well as a quartet of par fives that can be reached to reward the well-placed shot. However, aggressive shots that go astray are bound to find trouble. So it’s definitely a thinking man’s course. Its dual character was perfectly highlighted in 2007 when just three courses (Oakmont, Southern Hills and Carnoustie where three of the majors were played that year) produced more bogeys than Quail Hollow. Yet at the same time, out of the top-20 courses in difficulty none offered more birdies or eagles. Last year holes 16-18, known as the ‘Green Mile’, proved the three toughest throughout the week with the par three 17th leading the way as it averaged out at 3.418. It has the feel of a major championship course and past winners have gone on to play well in the big ones.


THE MAIN MEN


TIGER WOODS: Landed the title in 2007 having previously finished third and 11th and but was unable to defend his title 12 months ago as he was recovering from his first knee surgery to repair cartilage damage. Although he eventually beat Steve Stricker by two shots two years ago he very nearly threw it away as a three-putt double bogey on the 13th saw a three-shot lead disappear on the back nine. He also had a lucky escape at the par five seventh as his shot from the fairway looked a certainty to have a wet landing. But it came up 18 inches shy of a watery resting place but he managed to hole out for an eagle and that catapulted him to 13-under, his final victory score and the lowest in the five-year history of the tournament. It was his short game that kept in contention as he was ranked second and seventh in the putting categories but outside the top-20 for driving accuracy. Returned to action after nearly nine months out of the game when taking part in the World Match Play Championship and the general consensus that he had made his comeback too soon was proved correct by his early exit from the contest when losing out to Tim Clark in the second round. Bounced right back to his best when sinking a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th green to beat Sean O’Hair by a stroke to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational for the sixth time, the first player to achieve that feat. Rounded off his US Masters campaign with a 68, his best score of the week, to take sixth place although at one point during Sunday’s play he got to within a shot of the lead following birdies at the 13th, 15th and 16th but bogeys at both of the closing holes finally put an end to his hopes of a fifth Green Jacket. BEST PRICE: 3-1
PHIL MICKELSON: Has cashed in on all five starts in this contest and finished inside the top eight on three occasions with a third behind Woods being the best result during that period. Started well last year with a 68 which left him a shot adrift of David Toms at the close of the first day. But things started to go awry on the Friday after a series of wayward shots. At the 15th he pulled his tee shot into the rough while his second shot ended up nestling at the base of a tree in pine straw. After finally hacking his ball out, a chip shot and two putts later he had signed for a seven and although he parred the next two holes he found the creek at the 18th and a double bogey. He did recover with a 69 on the Saturday but he was always going to be struggling after that horror round and ended up sharing 12th spot, 11 shots off winner Anthony Kim. Has won two titles already this term but he’s also missed a couple of cuts, the latest being in the Houston Open at the beginning of April but that didn’t stop him from producing a decent performance in the US Masters on his next outing. Admittedly he didn’t start too well at Augusta as he opened with a 73 but by the end of the third he was in the top and a challenge was possible despite being seven shots back with 18 holes to play. He gave it a real go as well with five birdies on the front nine pulling him to within one shot of the lead. There were two more on the back nine but there was also a double-bogey at the 12th and a bogey at the 18th which left him three shots shy and fifth place. If hadn’t slightly misread a putt for eagle at the 15th who knows what would have happened as that would have given him the lead. Nevertheless, his 67 was only equalled by Steve Flesch and bettered by John Merrick, so he should arrive in North Carolina brimming with confidence. BEST PRICE: 10-1

GEOFF OGILVY: He’s the highest ranked Australian golfer at the moment and like his compatriot Adam Scott he has yet to fall outside the top-25 in this event. The latter probably has the slightly better record than the Adelaide-born right-hander but two 10th place finishes are still decent efforts and when occupying that position in 2004 he was tied second for GIR while two years later he was joint-fourth for total putts. He’s also been inside the top-10 for driving distance on two occasions and also in the top five for GIR twice. Over the last five months while the world of golf waited for the return of Tiger Woods he was probably the hottest golfer on the planet as he picked up three title during that period starting with the Australian PGA Championship in December then strolling away with the Mercedes Benz event at the beginning of January before picking up the World Match Play title for the second time. Showed his toughness and battling qualities at Kapalua in the final round of the Mercedes as his six-shot lead dwindled away to just a stroke after eight holes following four bogeys on the front nine. Responded with an eagle on the par five ninth and then birdied five of the next holes to cruise to a six-stroke victory. Became the first multiple winner of 2009 when beating Paul Casey at Dove Mountain in Arizona where he was 12-under and bogey free when the match ended at the 33rd hole. Was in contention for a third title when involved in a six-way tie for the lead in the Houston Open going into the final round, but ended up sharing sixth spot after carding a 75. Had a good week at Redstone overall as he holed out for 22 birdies, seven of which came in the second round. Closed with a 69 at Augusta to sneak into the top-15 where he made par 42 times, which was only two less than eventual winner Angel Cabrera and one more than Chad Campbell who was involved in the play-off for that title. BEST PRICE: 22-1

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: The Dubliner has yet to break into the top-40 in two starts in the tournament but he was fast out of the traps two years ago when posting a 66, which included six birdies, to take the first round lead and stayed in contention despite a 75 on the second day to hold seventh spot at the halfway mark. That was the nearest he got to the upper echelons of the leaderboard as a 79 followed and he was down among the also-rans eventually coming home in 43rd place. It all started going wrong for the Irishman on the second day when he began it with three bogeys on the first four holes and although he reeled off four birdies starting at the 10th he had a nightmare finish. After dropping a shot at the par three 17th, he found the water next to the green at the par four 18th and compounded his troubles by three-putting from 15 feet for a triple bogey. He never recovered his composure after that. It’s been a pretty dismal year so far for the reigning Open and USPGA champion. Despite a good start with a fifth in Abu Dhabi he has failed to break into the top-10 in nine subsequent starts, but rounds of 67 and 68 in the Houston Open at the beginning of April and an earlier 66 at Doral along with an 11th in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, are encouraging signs along with a first round score of 69 at Augusta. He failed to break again in the Masters but can take some comfort from his opening day performance. BEST PRICE: 33-1

ANTHONY KIM: Gave notice that he was a strong candidate to win at Quail Hollow when finishing fifth on his debut in 2007 and confirmed that promise when sluicing up last year by five shots from Ben Curtis. That was his first tour title in just his 38th career start and was one the largest margins of victory by a first-time winner in the history of the tour. He was also at the time the youngest winner for six years. Produced a near flawless performance on the Sunday when everything he tried seemed to work and he followed monster drives with flagstick-hitting approach shots and steady putting. His finishing total of 272 (16-under par) was three shots better than the previous tournament record held by Woods. Not surprisingly his stats were good as he came out top for birdies and in the top three in both putting categories. Hasn’t really found his touch this year so far despite opening with a second in the Mercedes-Benz Championship which was followed by a missed cut at Scottsdale. However, he picked up a cheque from his next six outings with the highlight probably being his 20th in the Masters last time out. After firing a 75 on the first day at Augusta it was borderline as to whether he would make the cut if a similar score was carded in the next round. But that turned out to be a short term fear as he reeled off a record 11 birdies in a round of 65 to leave him five shots off the lead and in with a shout of mounting a challenge. Unfortunately, he couldn’t sustain that level of scoring and although he went round in par the next day it was always going to be a struggle, particularly when he closed with a 74. However, that performance will have done his confidence the world of good and he could make a bold defence of his crown. BEST PRICE: 33-1

JIM FURYK: Although he’s missed the cut twice at Quail Hollow he’s also taken home the first prize and been beaten in a play-off on two other occasions, while last year he came home in seventh spot. His win in 2006 came at the first extra hole when his opponent Trevor Immelman came up short of the green with his approach from a bad lie in the rough and was unable to save par. That victory made up for his play-off defeat a year earlier when he lost out to Vijay Singh. Did well to finish so high up the leaderboard in 2008 considering he only hit 28 fairways compared to the 39 he found when winning and he was only just inside the top-30 for GIR. Didn’t begin his 2009 campaign until February when playing in the AT&T Pebble Beach contest and although he made the cut in each of his first two outings he didn’t trouble the judges until the World Match Play tournament where he reached the third round before losing to England’s Ross Fisher. But that effort obviously sharpened his game up as his next outing produced a third in the WGC-CA Championship and four sub-70 rounds. Looked as though he was going to follow up that performance with another one in the Transitions Championship when grabbing the first round lead following a 65 on the opening day. Unfortunately, he carded a 78 in the next round and was never in contention from thereon in. Disappointingly missed the cut in the Arnold Palmer event but bounced right back to form at Augusta where he started with a 66 to lie in second spot at the end of the first day and remained in the top-10 throughout the week eventually closing with a 73 for 10th place. It was no surprise to see him make an early exit from the Heritage tournament the following week and having had nearly two weeks to recharge his batteries he could be in the firing line this time round again. BEST PRICE: 35-1

SERGIO GARCIA: This event has helped his bank balance each year as his five starts at Quail Hollow have produced just over $713,000. Should have landed the title four years ago when he led from the outset and went into the final round with a six-shot lead but ended up having to take part in a three-man play-off from which he was the first to depart after he three-putted from 45-feet, which was surprising as his game on the greens had been the highlight of the week and he came out top for total putts. Hasn’t really been in serious contention since despite a 14th two years ago but at least seven of his last eight rounds at the North Carolina venue have been at or better than par. Finished 2008 with a flourish, picking up the Castello Masters, which he hosts, and the HSBC Champions tournament where he closed with a 68 and began the new year with a couple of top-10s and an 11th on the Middle Eastern swing of the European tour. An early exit from the World Match Play Championship in Arizona was followed by a decent 13th in the Honda Classic and although outside the top-30 in the WGC-CA Championship, he was in the top-20 for driving distance and pars there. Shaped as though he might figure in the finish of the Masters when, as the top European player, he was in sixth place at the halfway mark after shooting a 67 before weekend rounds of 75 and 74 saw him drop down to tied 38th to extend his winless streak in majors to 42. BEST PRICE: 35-1

VIJAY SINGH: Four top-10s from six starts and just under $2m in prize money are plenty enough reasons for the Fijian to enjoy his trips to Quail Hollow. Cashed in on Garcia’s implosion four years ago when coming from six shots off the pace to card a final round 66 and force a three-way play-off which he won at the fourth extra hole after Jim Furyk pulled his drive at the 18th into the creek. His stats for the week that year were pretty consistent with top-15s for driving accuracy, GIR and total putts and in the end it was a deserved success as he had previously finished 10th and second in the tournament. That runner-up finish came in 2003 when he could so easily have landed the title but for finding water at the 17th and had to sign for a double bogey. Although he picked up the Chevron World Challenge in the close season he has been struggling somewhat since his return from knee surgery. Gave a hint of better things to come when firing a 69 in the first round at Doral in the WGC-CA Championship and when closing with the same score at Bay Hill subsequently. However, a missed cut followed in Houston before he produced his best result of the year so far, a 30th in the Masters at Augusta where he delivered three rounds of par or better prior to a 74 on the last day. That could spark a revival and back at a track he feels comfortable at he could suddenly bounce back to form. BEST PRICE: 50-1

NICK WATNEY: Has made the cut in each of the last four years and has yet to go over par with his tied 11th in 2005 being the best of those results so far. Despite his lowly finish of 40th last year he still managed to finish inside the top-10 for driving distance and posted top-20s for pars made and putts per round. Dropped 22 places after shooting six bogeys on the fourth day. Produced a more polished performance in 2005 when he was third for GIR and carded rounds of 68 and 69. He’s been in pretty decent form so far in 2009, landing the second title of his career when taking the lead for the first time on the final shot of the tournament, a two-foot birdie putt, to win the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines. He came from five shots off the pace to collect the first prize there after making birdies at two of the last three holes and not dropping a shot over the final 11. He was also the only player that week to post all four rounds below par. Shared the third round lead in the WGC-CA Championship but lost out to Mickelson by a stroke, although he went agonisingly close to forcing a play-off when his 30-foot putt from the fringe of the final hole hung tantalisingly on the lip. After a 12th in the Transitions Championship he was back in the firing line in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill where he was never out of the top-10 throughout the four days before eventually coming home in fourth place. His stats there were good also as he was top for birdies and tied second for GIR. Not disgraced when sneaking into the top-20 in the US Masters but he may have been a little disappointed with his 73 on the last day as he had begun it in 10th spot. Suffered his first missed cut of the year at Hilton Head, but that came as no surprise considering his exertions at Augusta. With six golfers from the top-10 in the world rankings taking part he’s likely to offer some value this week, particularly since he‘s been in such good form. BEST PRICE: 55-1

TREVOR IMMELMAN: Missed the cut badly last year but this event came soon after his US Masters victory, so he could be forgiven that blemish. Prior to that he had finished 14th (2007) and second (2006), given him good course and distance form. That runner-up finish came after he lost out in a play-off to Jim Furyk at the first extra hole (18th) when he came up short of the green with his approach from a bad lie in the rough and was unable to save par. The Cape Town golfer was ranked 11th for GIR and seventh for total putts that year. Rounded off his 2008 campaign in cracking style with five top-10s in his last six outings, albeit two were off-season events, the PGA Grand Slam of Golf and the Nedbank Challenge, but they clearly showed he was in good shape. Despite only missing one cut from nine starts he hasn’t really figured strongly in any of the contests he’s taking part in and has only finished in the top-20 on two occasions, but at least one of those was his return to Augusta to defend his title. Found that challenge too tough but he did close with a 69 and that momentum continued the following week as he opened with a 66 in the Verizon Heritage. Sadly that proved to be a false dawn as he slipped out of contention with a 74 in the next round and ended down in 30th position. Nevertheless, there were some encouraging signs in those results, for instance, he shared 12th spot for driving accuracy last time out at Hilton Head and tied 11th for putts per GIR when 19th in the Transitions Championship. BEST PRICE: 66-1

ADAM SCOTT: Not missed the cut in four appearances and has yet to figure outside the top-25. Posted a 66 in the third round of the 2006 renewal on his way to a third and posted the same score in the same round last year when occupying eighth place behind Anthony Kim. Only two other players posted a better return on the third day in 2008. His length off the tee has proved a valuable asset at this week‘s venue as he has figured in the top-10 for driving distance in each of his four starts but only once in the fairways hit statistics, which means he should trying exerting a little more control. Made a solid start to 2009 when 18th in the Mercedes Benz Championship and followed that up a week later when chasing home Zach Johnson in the Sony Open where he closed with a 64, which was the best round of the day of those in the top-10. That was his first top-10 since his eighth in this event. For a change it was his short game that shined in Hawaii as he made more birdies than anyone else and was in the top five in both putting categories. After that promising display he made his way to the Qatar Masters to defend his title but whether it was the arduous journey or his effort in the Sony he never really looked like a serious challenger despite closing with a 66 to finish in 21st place. Has to bounce back from three successive missed cuts, including in the Masters, but it could be that the knee he injured while surfing in December is still causing him problems. Whatever the reasons he will be keen to regain his position as the world’s top Aussie and that could make him a dangerous player to oppose at a track where he has proven form. BEST PRICE: 70-1

LUCAS GLOVER: Has secured two top-10s from five appearances at Quail Hollow with his best finish being a fourth in 2006 when he was third for total putts, while he also occupied third spot in the driving distance charts when 10th two years earlier and although he was back in 69th place 12 months ago he still figured in the top-10 for distance. Accuracy off the tee has been the main problem as he has yet to break into the top-20 in that chart. Got the new year off to a bright start with five rounds in the 60s, including a 65 on the first day, when just sneaking into the top-20 in the Bob Hope Classic and it looked as though that form would be maintained when he opened his FBR campaign with a 65 to lead at the end of the first day. Sadly, that wasn’t to be the case and he dropped out of contention and out of the top-40. Didn’t let that effort get him down, however, as he bounced back in the Buick Invitational with a weekend score of seven-under par, the lowest over the final 36 holes, to pick up the third place cheque. He and eventual winner Nick Watney were the only players to post three sub-70 rounds for the week. Missed two of his next three cuts but came good again when the tour reached Florida and the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. In difficult conditions he ground out a very respectable 11th which hinged on a solid third round performance of one-under par and a second place for pars made. Hasn’t really troubled the scorers in two subsequent outings but he was tied for seventh for driving accuracy at the Redstone course in the Houston Open where he also shared the best round of the day (66) on the Saturday. Repeated that feat in the Zurich Classic last week after finishing the Friday with a birdie to be right on the cut mark before firing a six-under 66 to climb up to 15th from 55th spot before eventually finishing 19th. Being born in South Carolina he will be keen to grab some prize money in the north. BEST PRICE: 80-1

STEVE MARINO: His record in this event is nothing to write home about with two top-40 finishes and just one round below 70, although he did figure in the top-10 at the halfway mark in 2008 and was tied 10th for GIR. So there is a degree of course form to recommend him. He arrives at Quail Hollow with progressive form figures (19-13-5; 22-under par) and that makes him worthy of consideration. Got his season off to a good start with a seventh in the Sony Open, closing with a 66 to climb 10 places and had rounds of 65 and 64 on his way to 25th in the Bob Hope. Missed the cut in his next three starts but came alive again in the Mayakoba Classic in Mexico when posting a 20th place finish, but his current run began in Houston when he closed with a 70 to secure 19th and came home strongly next time out in the Heritage with final rounds of 67 and 68 where he was inside the top-20 for driving accuracy and GIR. His best performance since the Sony came last time out in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans where a 68, comprised of eight birdies, gave him sole possession of second spot at the end of the day’s play. Had chances to land the title in the fourth round and was only a stroke down when he found the fairway bunker at the 18th and that meant there was no way he was going to make an eagle and a birdie opportunity slipped by when he came up short of the green on his third shot. That effectively ended all hope but it was still a pleasing performance, particularly as he was third for putts per GIR, shared sixth for birdies made and was tied eighth for GIR. So he should have plenty of confidence going into this tournament. BEST PRICE: 80-1

RORY SABBATINI: Although he’s only missed one cut in six starts in the tournament it hasn’t been the Durban-born golfers most profitable venue with a third two years ago being his only top-40 finish. Back in 2007 he certainly showed he could handle Quail Hollow as he holed out a sand wedge for an eagle on his opening hole and when he downed an 18-foot birdie on the 18th he had equalled the course record of 64 and taken the lead. Unfortunately, he shot 10 strokes more on the last day and never looked like causing Tiger Woods too many problems. Nevertheless, that was a promising effort and will give his supporters hope for this week’s renewal, particularly as he comes into it in cracking form with his last three form figures reading 20-8-2, the first being the US Masters where he signed for a 67 in the second round and was lying in sixth at the end of the third. Next time out in the Heritage contest in South Carolina his 66 on the last day was shared by two others but only beaten by eventual winner Brian Gay. His short game was in good nick there as he topped the birdie charts, was tied sixth for GIR and eighth for putts per GIR. Followed that by sharing the runner-up spot in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans last week, coming up a shot shy of Jerry Kelly but once again featured high in the birdies stats (tied 10th) and driving distance (ninth), while his 67 last Sunday was the best of the day and only three other players equalled that score. In the middle of a good spell at the moment (currently ranked seventh for putts per GIR on the tour) and with Woods and co taking part his odds could look attractive. BEST PRICE: 80-1


SELECTIONS: Lucas Glover, Steve Marino, Rory Sabbatini, Nick Watney




• All prices correct at time of writing.

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