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The pot is at €831 from €1000 for 2021 entering this week's tournament of focus, the Bermuda Championship on the US PGA Tour in Bermuda.
Played at the par 71 Port Royal golf club, this is the third successive year of the tournament, which this week contains just eight of the world's top 100 in a field of 128.
It's a short golf course with generous fairways, but it's set to be quite windy, so that will be a challenge for the players.
This week's event starts at 11.35am Irish time on Thursday and there's a place on offer to the 2022 Masters for the winner.
Be sure to shop around, with bookmakers such as William Hill offering 1/5 the odds for your pick to get into the top 8 and firms including Paddy Power, Betfair, SKY Bet, Betfred and Betway going 1/5 the odds for 7 places.
Our first selection is Lucas Herbert for €10 each way at 60/1. (1/5 the odds the first 7 places, SKY Bet).
I feel that you need to be looking at natural talent in this event and 25 year old Australian Lucas Herbert has a good future in the game. Just outside the world's top 50, he's not afraid to win. He conquered windy conditions to claim the prestigious Dubai Desert Classic in 2020 and followed up on that by landing the Irish Open at Mount Juliet this summer. He hits the ball far and is a decent putter. He's not pulled up any trees on the PGA Tour to date, but I don't think that matters, because I believe he capable of winning an event like this. I think he's a decent price and is the headline selection.
Our second selection is Lee Hodges for €8 each way at 70/1. (1/5 the odds the first 7 places, Paddy Power, Betfair).
There are many golf graduates from the satellite Korn Ferry Tour looking to make an impact on the 'Big Show' that is the PGA Tour. One of the promising players is young American Lee Hodges, who posted nine top 10 finishes in 37 starts over the extended Korn Ferry season, winning a tournament along the way in Portland. He finished in a tie for third in Panama in windy conditions and I am interested that he tied for 13th at the Puerto Rico Open last year, breaking 70 on the final day in a brutal gale. Inside the top 10 in the putting average, birdie average and all around ranking on the Korn Ferry Tour, he's started the PGA Tour season nicely, with a top 30 at the Shriners Open. He has a good opportunity this week to make his mark and I believe he can.
Our second selection is Denny McCarthy for €7 each way at 40/1. (1/5 the odds the first 8 places, William Hill).
American Denny McCarthy is the one of the best putters on the golf circuit and we put him up as a selection for the recent Sanderson Farms Championship, where he was right in contention to win before slipping into a tie for 17th with a final round 73. The common denominator of his best finishes on the PGA Tour has been Bermuda greens - he putts magically on them. On his two visits to Port Royal, he's finished in a tie for 15th and a tie for 4th. He's carded rounds of 65 and 63 at the course, so he's already demonstrated the ability to make birdies here. It could finally be the week for the former Walker Cup player.
Our third selection is Danny Willett for €6.50 each way at 40/1. (1/5 the odds the first 8 places, William Hill).
A year ago, England's Danny Willett opened with a respectable 67 in this event before fading away. I am not hung up on that though, because he's in much better form now, illustrated by his win in the Dunhill Links Championship earlier this month. We know he's a fine golf player in the wind and as a former Masters champion, he's proven he can finish the job once in contention. If we forgive his one average display at this course, 40/1 could look very big come Sunday evening.
Our fifth selection is Kramer Hickok for €5.50 each way at 70/1. (1/5 the odds the first 7 places, SKY Bet).
Texan Kramer Hickok was really unlucky not to win the Travelers Championship back in June, losing an eight hole play off to Harris English. We know that English went on to play in the Ryder Cup, while Hickok has yet to recapture that form. His excursion to the ZOZO Championship in Japan is a negative, but a positive is that he's shot 8 rounds in the 60's in two appearances in Bermuda, posting finishes of a tie for 15th and a tie for 8th on the island. I remember watching Brian Gay win this event last year off the back of a tie for third the year previously. Horses for golf courses and all that.
Our final selection this week is Camilo Villegas for €3.50 each way at 100/1. (1/5 the odds the first 7 places, Paddy Power, Betfair, Betway).
Colombia's Camilo Villegas has experienced tragedy in recent years, but he's still competing on the PGA Tour. A windy course with Bermuda greens should suit him; he didn't make an impact here last year, but he did play well in Florida at times last season and enters this event off a tie for 35th at the Shriners Open. Once a winner of the Tour Championship and a former top ten player in the world, I believe another PGA Tour win is still within his compass.
So that's €81 wagered virtually on this week's golf. Remember this is virtual, it's an experiment. Please make sure you bet less at home! A euro each way will do!
Please gamble responsibly, never bet more than you can afford, and good luck!
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