Golf Betting: RBC Canadian Open Preview
No Tiger? No problem. Woods won't be at the RBC Canadian Open this week at St. George's outside Toronto, and that means the media will have to focus on the actual golf being played.
Only two of the top 10 players in the World Golf Rankings are in the field at this week’s RBC Canadian Open just outside of Toronto, but maybe that’s a good thing.
No Tiger Woods means no constant coverage of the world’s top ranked – albeit struggling – player failing to make shots he normally does with his eyes closed.
As for all the cursing and swearing, while it’s bad for Woods’ image, it’s highly entertaining. Nothing wrong with a little Happy Gilmore-style behavior at a Tour event as far as I’m concerned.
There’ll also be no Phil Mickelson this week. Yes, Mickelson won The Masters, but it’s been an otherwise underwhelming year for the World No. 2. Needless to say, Lefty continued his poor play across the pond last week.
There aren’t too many courses in the world that match up with St. Andrews in terms of beauty and uniqueness, but St. George’s Golf and Country Club is one of the best around.
St. George’s is also a short course. At only 7,046 yards, it’s a par-70 featuring five par 3s. Players that consistently hit the green in regulation, and that have the ability to get themselves out of the sand with success, should do well.
The bunkers at St. George’s are raised above the greens, making the ball run downhill after being struck back onto the green.
Paul Casey (+1000 to win the tournament outright) is the favorite on the betting odds board this week, and he should be given the dearth of big names in the field. Carrying momentum after finishing third at the British Open, Casey has five top 10s in 10 Tour starts.
The stat page also likes Casey. The Englishman is ninth in greens in regulation (70.0%), and fifth in birdies per round (3.34). Birdies are key with five par 3s in play this week.
Casey is the eighth-ranked player in the world, one spot ahead of Luke Donald, who heads into St. George’s as a +1200 underdog. Like Casey, Donald is winless this season, although he has four top 10s in 13 events. 11th at St. Andrews, Donald is first on Tour in sand saves (71.4%).
There’s also value in Retief Goosen, who’s priced at +1400 along with Sean O’Hair. Goosen scored five top 10s in his first seven starts this season, and now has seven such finishes after coming in sixth at the British Open.
Goosen lost on the second hole of a playoff to 2009 Canadian Open champion Nathan Green (+13000), but I wouldn’t read into it. The Canadian Open changes venues nearly every year; the event hasn’t been played at St. George’s since 1968.
The best outright play this week is O’Hair, even if he has only two top 10s in 17 tournaments this year. A deeper look reveals a player set to break through. O’Hair has top 12s in five of his last six starts, including a seventh-place result at St. Andrews, where he was the low American.
Camilo Villegas is intriguing at +1800, and unlike the four aforementioned players, he has a win this season (The Honda Classic). That said, three of Villegas’ five top 10s came in his first three tourneys of the year, when he finished third and eighth before cashing at TPC Scottsdale.
Villegas also struggled at the British Open, where he was 44th, and in his previous Tour stop at the U.S. Open he finished a disappointing 70th.
If you’re looking further down the odds list for value, Tim Clark (+1800), Matt Kuchar (+2000), Hunter Mahan (+2000), Ricky Barnes (+2500), Charlie Wi (+4000), and Matt Jones (+5500) are better wagers.
Clark in particular should be handicapped. The South African did miss the cut at the British Open, but he’s third on Tour in driving accuracy (73.0%), seventh in putts per hole (1.735), and 11th in sand saves (59.4%).
Before bombing at St. Andrews, Clark was seventh at the John Deere Classic to post his fifth top five in 12 cuts this season.
No Tiger? No problem. Woods won't be at the RBC Canadian Open this week at St. George's outside Toronto, and that means the media will have to focus on the actual golf being played.
Only two of the top 10 players in the World Golf Rankings are in the field at this week’s RBC Canadian Open just outside of Toronto, but maybe that’s a good thing.
No Tiger Woods means no constant coverage of the world’s top ranked – albeit struggling – player failing to make shots he normally does with his eyes closed.
As for all the cursing and swearing, while it’s bad for Woods’ image, it’s highly entertaining. Nothing wrong with a little Happy Gilmore-style behavior at a Tour event as far as I’m concerned.
There’ll also be no Phil Mickelson this week. Yes, Mickelson won The Masters, but it’s been an otherwise underwhelming year for the World No. 2. Needless to say, Lefty continued his poor play across the pond last week.
There aren’t too many courses in the world that match up with St. Andrews in terms of beauty and uniqueness, but St. George’s Golf and Country Club is one of the best around.
St. George’s is also a short course. At only 7,046 yards, it’s a par-70 featuring five par 3s. Players that consistently hit the green in regulation, and that have the ability to get themselves out of the sand with success, should do well.
The bunkers at St. George’s are raised above the greens, making the ball run downhill after being struck back onto the green.
Paul Casey (+1000 to win the tournament outright) is the favorite on the betting odds board this week, and he should be given the dearth of big names in the field. Carrying momentum after finishing third at the British Open, Casey has five top 10s in 10 Tour starts.
The stat page also likes Casey. The Englishman is ninth in greens in regulation (70.0%), and fifth in birdies per round (3.34). Birdies are key with five par 3s in play this week.
Casey is the eighth-ranked player in the world, one spot ahead of Luke Donald, who heads into St. George’s as a +1200 underdog. Like Casey, Donald is winless this season, although he has four top 10s in 13 events. 11th at St. Andrews, Donald is first on Tour in sand saves (71.4%).
There’s also value in Retief Goosen, who’s priced at +1400 along with Sean O’Hair. Goosen scored five top 10s in his first seven starts this season, and now has seven such finishes after coming in sixth at the British Open.
Goosen lost on the second hole of a playoff to 2009 Canadian Open champion Nathan Green (+13000), but I wouldn’t read into it. The Canadian Open changes venues nearly every year; the event hasn’t been played at St. George’s since 1968.
The best outright play this week is O’Hair, even if he has only two top 10s in 17 tournaments this year. A deeper look reveals a player set to break through. O’Hair has top 12s in five of his last six starts, including a seventh-place result at St. Andrews, where he was the low American.
Camilo Villegas is intriguing at +1800, and unlike the four aforementioned players, he has a win this season (The Honda Classic). That said, three of Villegas’ five top 10s came in his first three tourneys of the year, when he finished third and eighth before cashing at TPC Scottsdale.
Villegas also struggled at the British Open, where he was 44th, and in his previous Tour stop at the U.S. Open he finished a disappointing 70th.
If you’re looking further down the odds list for value, Tim Clark (+1800), Matt Kuchar (+2000), Hunter Mahan (+2000), Ricky Barnes (+2500), Charlie Wi (+4000), and Matt Jones (+5500) are better wagers.
Clark in particular should be handicapped. The South African did miss the cut at the British Open, but he’s third on Tour in driving accuracy (73.0%), seventh in putts per hole (1.735), and 11th in sand saves (59.4%).
Before bombing at St. Andrews, Clark was seventh at the John Deere Classic to post his fifth top five in 12 cuts this season.
