Last week he brought you Hunter Mahan at 40/1, but who does We Get Golf’s tipster Ian, suggest could win the USPGA Championship this week. Lets find out….
Once again the US PGA Champioship returns to Whistling Straits, with it last being played here in 2004 when Vijay Singh won the title. The Straits is a Links style golf course with long fescue, undulating greens and numerous deep pot bunkers. It is situated right next to Lake Michigan and this usually adds a stiff breeze to the course. Also, it is a long walking course, approximately five miles, which might favour younger and fitter players.
After going through my filtering process, six players remained: Mahan, Kuchar, O’ Hair, Overton, Harrington and Goosen. I had difficulty narrowing it down to three players but in the end, I was left with and all American affair.
Matt Kuchar each way @ 55/1
Consistency is the name of the game when it comes to Kuchar. He has already recorded eight top tens this year, which include two third places and one second place. Yet, despite this brilliant play, a win has evaded him so far. Surely a win can only be just around the corner for a golfer as talented and in form as Kuchar. Already this year, he has been tied sixth in the US Open and tied third in a World Golf Championship proving that he can play difficult courses and is not fazed by the big events. Also, in last week’s Bridgestone Invitational he finished in a tie for ninth which gives him another good finish in a big competition. Although only an average length hitter, he is very accurate and hits a lot of greens in regulation with a short game which is equally impressive. His scrambling stats are over eight percent better than the PGA Tour average while his putts per round are nearly half a shot better. When you add to the mix that his scoring average is also impressive on Tour, it can be confirmed that Kuchar is an in form player with a great game. At odds of 55/1, I cannot see how he can be ignored.
Sean O’ Hair each way @ 40/1
Following the Open Championship, I picked two players who I thought might do well in the USPGA and O’Hair was one of them. With his recent form, that remains the case. He has an impressive record in the majors, making all three cuts and finishing tied seventh in the Open Championship and tied twelfth in the US Open. His stats, while not being as impressive as Kuchar’s, are still much better than the PGA Tour average. The only part of his game that lets him down is his putting but if he can keep the flat stick working like he has in the other majors this year, O’Hair will not be without his chances. While he slipped back in the final round of the Bridgestone to finish 5th overall, he was leading going into the final round and this reinforces my belief that he is not far off his best form. At 40/1 O’ Hair looks good value.
Hunter Mahan each way @ 35/1
Yes, I am returning to the winner of last week but with good reason. As I said, I was following two people since the Open Championship and believe it or not but Mahan was my second man. Everybody knows that it is hard to win two competitions back-to-back but I firmly believe that Mahan has the game. His major performances this year have been average though he did record a tied eighth in the Masters which should give him confidence. However if you include into that, 2007, 2008 and 2009’s major performances, he amasses four top tens and eight top twentys in only fourteen tries. If anything this surely shows that Mahan is a man for the majors. Now for recent form and the result that clearly stands out is last week’s win at Firestone. Fatigue of course could be an issue coming off the back of his win last week but Im hoping it drives him on more than anything. In terms of stats, he is a lot like O’Hair in that the only weak part of his game seems to be his putting. Even though his odds have been cut since his win, Mahan still looks promising at 35/1.
So there are Ian’s tips. As always, for the main competitions, I always throw in the players I like and will be backing also. From what I have read about Whistling Straits, it will very much depend on the wind. Pete Dye set this course up on the back of the inspiration he received from multiple Irish links golf courses. Therefore, Im expecting it to play hard and fast, possibly not to dissimilar to that of Pebble Beach at times earlier in the year. I do not think looking at results from this years British Open is of much use because St. Andrews wide fairways and inability to cope with many of the pro’s length, made it a disappointing test of golf in my view. So, should the wind pick up this week, I am especially looking for guys with a good US Open record and those that are comfortable on fast greens. If the greens do indeed dry out, we can expect to see the chipping skills of the pro’s tested. With the Americans dominating this event over the past 10 years (Harrington upset the odds somewhat), my selections are also primarily Americans. Ross Fisher and Padraig Harrington are two Europeans I think could go well but on this occasion, I will let my head rule my heart and go with the following 5 players:
Matt Kuchar @ 55/1
Reteif Goosen @ 30/1
Dustin Johnson @ 50/1
Sean O’Hair @ 40/1
Nick Watney @ 50/1
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