Welcome to week three of Virtual Insanity, where we spend virtual money to try and win virtual money on golf betting. It's that simple!
Last week Sungjae Im was in the hunt at the American Express tournament, but we ended up empty-handed.
One must not lose hope though, because the winner, Andrew Landry, was returned at 200/1!
Golf betting is about patience. All that's often needed are a couple of decent wins and a few each ways for the year and one is looking at profit. It can all change in a week. Just ask Andrew Landry, who shot 77, 76 to finish 13 over par and miss the cut at the Sony Open in Hawaii, 9 days before he won.
So the pot is at €950 entering this week's tournament of focus, the Farmers Insurance Open in California.
This week's event starts at 3pm on Thursday.
The tournament is played at two courses, Torrey Pines North and Torrey Pines South.
Torrey Pines South hosts three of the four rounds, and it's the venue for next year's US Open.
Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods and Jon Rahm are among those in a quality field this week. It's a test which suits big hitters that possess a touch of class.
With calm weather forecast, it should be a great watch and it really feels like the week when 2020 gets into gear.
McIlroy hasn't played since November, Woods can't win all the time at 44 years-of-age and Rahm has just got married. They all have Augusta in the back of their minds, so while any of them could win with ease, I won't be wading in to back them at short odds.
I am picking three players all available at 1/5 the odds to finish in the first 8 places with Paddy Power, Betfair, SKY Bet and Boylesports.
Our first selection is Tony Finau for €4 each way at 25/1.
Finau is the best player in the world to contend, but not win golf tournaments! The American has only tasted victory once, at the 2016 Puerto Rico Open, but he was in the top 10 six times last year and on 11 occasions the year before. He has regularly been around the top of major leaderboards, so he has comfort playing in the big leagues. His record at Torrey Pines is good, with finishes of 13th, 6th and 4th in the last three years. He warmed up for this with a top 20 in the desert last week and the track suits his crisp long game. It's only a matter of time before Finau returns to the winner's enclosure and this could be the week.
Our second selection is Hideki Matsuyama for €3 each way at 18/1.
The Japanese star is also overdue a win, back to 2017 when he last won on tour. However, his consistency remains strong and he was 12th on his first start of the year in Hawaii. Matsuyama is a brilliant tee to green merchant and his record in this event is stellar; a 12th placed finish in 2018 followed by a third last year. He's won at Memorial and he's picked up two World Golf Championship victories in a young career. He's just too good not to win again and if the putter co-operates, it may be on Sunday.
Our final selection this week is Keegan Bradley for €3 each way at 80/1.
If it's a field for elite golfers, one must remember that American Bradley is a major champion. The former US PGA winner is grooving back into form with a 12th in Hawaii. A really high hitter, Torrey Pines fits Bradley's eye. He was 4th at the Farmers in 2017 and 5th in 2018. A four time winner on tour, he could give one a run for their money at a decent price this week.
So that's €20 wagered this week.
Please gamble responsibly, never bet more than you can afford and good luck!
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