PGA Championship Betting
April 19th Golf news ... PGA Championship Betting at pgachampionshipbetting.com
Lee Westwood a Favorite at this Year’s U.S. Open
2021-06-18
Looking for two players to place atop the list of favorites for next week’s U.S Open? Look no further than the top two finishers at the season’s first major, The Masters. Although Phil Mickelson prevailed in that event and must be considered the overall favorite, don’t be surprised to see Lee Westwood holding the trophy come Sunday, and Golf betting is watching.
Amidst all the attention given to golf’s two preeminent superstars, Mickelson and Tiger Woods, the truth is that Westwood has been the most consistent player in the world of late, especially in the big events. He has been knocking on the door in majors for years now, finishing in the top three in four of the last eight majors contested, twice finishing one shot out of a playoff—at the 2008 U.S. Open and 2009 British Open. The U.S. Open performance was especially sensational given that he was playing in the final group with Tiger Woods and had to contend with the external frenzy that accompanied his improbable victory on one healthy leg. He also played in the final group with Mickelson at this year’s Masters and had a respectable final round amidst all the pro-Mickelson sentiments. Westwood’s ability to focus on his own game and stay in contention on Sunday shows that he will not be moved by the pressure inherent of the U.S. Open, often described as the most mentally taxing of the four majors. Given the difficulty of the course setups, mistakes are bound to happen. Westwood’s steely resolve allows him to mentally recover from mistakes and not compound them, which as all keen people in golf betting know is his weakness.
Westwood is also a proven winner, having won 31 times around the world, including 20 on the esteemed European Tour, which should silence any concerns about his ability to close a tournament. He has shown the ability to sustain this consistency throughout the course of an entire season, winning the vaunted European Tour Order of Merit in both 2000 and 2009. He is habitually in contention and the fact that he hasn’t broken through yet in a major is nothing more than a testament to how difficult they are to win. As stated before, his overall consistency lends credence to the belief that one of the big ones will eventually go his way. After all, it’s not uncommon for it to take longer than expected for a player to break through. It’s easy to forget that for a long time, there were similar fears about Mickelson. His numerous close-calls had many in the media wondering if his day would ever come. Not only has he broken through, he now has four majors to his credit. Thus, Westwood’s previous habit of coming up just short shouldn’t be a negative in handicapping his chances at the U.S. Open. As we have seen, if a player continually puts himself in a position to win, it should be expected that the day will come when everything goes right and they break through.
The aforementioned consistency possessed by Westwood doesn’t merely apply to majors of the past but also to his play thus far this year and current form. A pillar of consistency, he already has seven top-10 finishes in tournaments this year. His last tournament on American soil, The Players Championship, proved that he was not suffering from any Masters hangover. He led the so-called “fifth major” through 54 holes and wound up with a tie for fourth place. He is playing in this week’s PGA Tour event in Memphis so don’t expect any rust come next week.
Westwood can also draw positive memories from the 2000 U.S. Open, the last time it was held at Pebble Beach. Although he didn’t win, he tied for fifth, his highest finish to that point. His game is a very good fit for Pebble Beach, where a premium is placed on ballstriking, one of Westwood’s strengths. His combination of distance and accuracy promises to serve him well.
It can be argued that Westwood is the safest pick. Whereas some of the other elite players can be erratic, the world’s third-ranked player is the picture of consistency. Players often say before majors that their only goal is to have a chance going into the final round. Westwood’s track record has shown that he will very likely have a chance going into Sunday at Pebble. The only question is whether or not he will win.
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Can Tiger Wood win the 2010 US Open?
2021-06-18
Coming into the 2010 US Open at Pebble Beach, circumstances are much different for Tiger Woods than the last time Pebble hosted the event in 2000. At that time, Woods was in the midst of a stretch of dominance the game had never before seen and might never see again. He would go on to win the tournament by a record 15 strokes and complete the first leg of the “Tiger Slam.” However, this time around, Woods enters the tournament with more questions and concerns than ever before in his career and his chances of winning are murky.
Six and a half months after his bizarre car accident and subsequent tabloid frenzy that revealed marital transgressions, there are some concerns that his legendary on-course focus is being compromised. Numerous reports have speculated that he and his wife are in the midst of filing for divorce, which all Golf Betting now think will hurt his chances to win any majors this year.
Even worse, Woods’ golf game is rusty and more in doubt than ever. He has only played four tournaments in the last seven months and failed to finish the tournament in two of those, giving him a grand total of 11 competitive rounds during that time. The task of fixing his swing flaws is magnified by the sudden resignation of his swing coach, Hank Haney. Woods has not hired a new coach and is relying solely on himself to diagnose what is plaguing him.
Another significant question is Woods’ health. He walked off the course during the final round of last month’s Players Championship, fearing that he had a bulging disk in his neck. Although tests refuted this, he was forced to rest and take time off. He has only played one tournament to test the neck’s condition and can’t be looking forward to subjecting it to the penal rough of the U.S. Open. Considering that he is one of the least accurate drivers on the PGA Tour and figures to hit some wayward shots, this raises significant concerns, and makes all Golf betting nervous.
Although Woods is currently the co-favorite with Phil Mickelson at odds of 6/1, it’s important to not be fooled. For reasons outlined in previous articles, Mickelson and Lee Westwood must be regarded as having better chances than Woods. These odds are a larger reflection of the perception that Woods will have a distinct advantage with the venue. However important this may be, it’s important to remember that the U.S. Open is the most demanding event in golf and requires one’s game to be in pinpoint condition. Currently, Woods’ game simply is not. Also, with a field of players as large and deep as that of the U.S. Open, odds are good that someone will break through with a spectacular week.
With all that being said, it would be ludicrous to dismiss Woods. If he has taught us anything over the years, it is that nobody should ever count him out. His victory on one healthy leg at the 2008 U.S. Open showed that he is capable of doing virtually anything on a golf course. He has consistently shown an ability to raise his game on golf’s grandest stages, including at this year’s Masters. In his first tournament back since the scandal, he fought insatiable media scrutiny and erratic play to somehow find himself in contention on Sunday and finish fourth. His familiarity with Augusta National and past success at the tournament undoubtedly helped.
He can rely on similar past success at next week’s U.S. Open. Even if the venue won’t necessarily give him a physical advantage, it can certainly give him a mental one, allowing him to summon memories from the 2000 edition, a singular performance that many call the best ever.
Also, if anyone is capable of fixing their own swing, it is Woods. Haney said he possesses a greater understanding of the golf swing’s technical aspects than any other player he has ever seen. Woods seems to be making strides too. Although he only finished tied for 19th in his first tournament back since the neck injury, he completed four rounds and said he feels that his game is approaching where he wants it to be.
We all know what the results are when Woods’ swing is at his best. The only question is if it will get there in time for the U.S. Open to give him a chance to win. In a week dominated by questions surrounding Woods, the state of his swing is the greatest one.
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