Wednesday, February 8th, 2012
The USPGA Golf Championship, starting on Thursday completes the majors for 2010.
This year’s tournament takes place at Whistling Straits, a course that has been described as “links golf on steroids”
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Phil Mickelson: 14/1 with Totesport, Tiger Woods: 16/1 with Victor Chandler
Rory McIlroy: 16/1 with Ladbrokes, Padraig Harrington: 20/1 with Victor Chandler
Steve Stricker: 25/1 with Paddy Power, Ernie Els: 33/1 with Bet 365
Retief Goosen: 35/1 with Totesport, Hunter Mahan: 35/1 with Totesport
The USPGA Golf Championship looks wide open – and even when there are clear favourites, it can often be won by a rank outsider. Shaun Micheel, Y.E.Yang last year Rich Beem and Jeff Sluman are among the unlikely past victors.
Phil Mickelson has been diagnosed with an arthritic problem, and we all know the struggles Tiger Woods is having, so there are circumstances that mitigate against the front two in the betting. We’ve not seen Padraig Harrington at his sharpest for a little while, and we’re waiting for Rory McIlroy to put together four consistent rounds in a major – though time is clearly on his side.
So it might just pay to look at some left-field players. The course at Whistling Straits is not one that gives a real advantage to long hitters, it seems to be about playing the kind of scrambling, survival links golf that is necessary to take Open titles. All of which makes you wonder if Louis Oosthuizen is not worth a second look. He followed up his Open win by doing well in Sweden and he’s a handsome 70/1 with Totesport, which is irresistible value. He is +5500 with BetUs.Com. The sportnewbase.come golf gurus are already on.
The final two holes will also test the nerve, with a water 200 yard pard three with fiendish bunkers and a long, long, par 4 to finish – and Oosthuizen has that experience of getting over the line now.
Stephen Ames is another rank outsider who could go well, while Hunter Mahan has to be respected after his WGC win.
But with weather, a non PGA Tour style course and a record of unlikely winners, this USPGA is wide, wide open.