Welcome to Virtual Insanity, where we spend virtual money to try and win virtual money on golf betting. It's that simple!
Last week's American Express tournament yielded no joy from our selections, but that's going to be the nature of this feature all year. There will be barren weeks when you are dealing with fields of 144 or 156 golfers!
So the virtual pot is at €974 from €1000 entering this week's PGA Tour tournament of focus, the Farmers Insurance Open in California.
The tournament is played at two courses at Torrey Pines; the easier North Course and the more testing South Course, which was the host venue for last year's U.S. Open, won by Jon Rahm.
World number one Rahm, perennial winner Justin Thomas, Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, Olympic champion Xander Schauffele, big hitting Bryson DeChambeau and major winners Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka are all in the field this week.
It's a test that suits big hitters that possess a touch of class and can putt smoothly on the poa annua greens.
One needs to hit the golf ball well around Torrey Pines and one must scramble efficiently around the small undulating greens at the South Course. Conditions can get windy, so it really does test many skills on the 'West Coast Swing' of California.
Please note! The tournament starts at 5pm on Wednesday, with action beginning a day earlier than usual so there's no clash with the NFL playoffs.
Be sure to shop around, with bookmakers such as Paddy Power, Betfair, Ladbrokes, Coral, Betfred and SKY Bet offering 1/5 the odds for your pick to get into the top 8 places.
Our first selection is Will Zalatoris for €5 each way at 28/1. (1/5 the odds the first 8 places, Ladbrokes, SKY Bet).
Will Zalatoris won a lot of fans with his rookie performance at the Masters last year, finishing in second place. He then admitted that he tried too hard for a first victory in the second half of last season. That victory remains elusive, but there's every reason to believe it could come this week. The 25 year old returned from some time off with a tie for sixth last week at the American Express, a run which included a second round of 61. Evidence shows that Zalatoris tends to perform well in bursts and in this event last year he was tied for seventh. His iron play is immaculate and I believe he is a more confident putter now after working on his stroke. It's time.
Our second selection is Scottie Scheffler for €4 each way at 25/1. (1/5 the odds the first 8 places, Paddy Power, Betfair, Ladbrokes, Coral, Betfred, SKY Bet).
When is Scottie Scheffler going to win a PGA Tour event? Like Zalatoris, Scheffler has not won a tournament on the main circuit. It's not long since the former rookie of the year dusted Jon Rahm in the singles at the Ryder Cup. Scheffler posted eight top ten finishes last season and at the US Open at the South Course he ended in a tie for seventh. Already this season he's been in the top five twice and tuned up for this with a closing 67 at the American Express last week. Scheffler is a strong driver of the golf ball and regularly ranks highly in terms of birdie average. He is due a win and he's not afraid of elite fields.
Our third selection is Patrick Rodgers for €3 each way at 150/1. (1/5 the odds the first 8 places, SKY Bet).
When one thinks of what's required at Torrey Pines - strong driving and sure putting - Patrick Rodgers comes to mind. He's comfortable in California, having delivered a college record at Stanford which was just as impressive as that of Tiger Woods. Rodgers survived the Korn Ferry Tour finals to lock up his card for this season and he started the new campaign with two top six finishes. That will take the pressure off as he returns to Torrey Pines - where he shared the 54 hole lead in this tournament in 2017. He also played well at last year's US Open and I really believe he is deserving of a win to match his undoubted potential. I think he's a cracking outsider this week.
Our fourth selection is Maverick McNealy for €2 each way at 66/1. (1/5 the odds the first 8 places, Betfred).
The common theme of this week's Virtual Insanity is backing golfers to make their breakthrough, so when it's a 1-2-3 of Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas and Hideki Matsuyama - then we are going to look silly. However, one must have the courage of one's convictions and I like the look of Maverick McNealy this week. He began the season with a second place at the Fortinet Championship and has reeled off four top 30s in a row. He's long enough off the tee and has a touch of class - he's the former world amateur number one and played in two Walker Cups. McNealy is from California and was 15th in this tournament two years ago. I think he can threaten the big guns on the top page of the leaderboard.
Our fifth selection is Luke List for €1.50 each way at 80/1. (1/5 the odds the first 8 places, SKY Bet, Betfred).
Drive for show, putt for dough is what they say, and there's few better from tee to green than Luke List, who sits 34th in the Fed Ex Cup standings. List tops the strokes gained tee to green statistics this season, but is 208th in putting. If he can get some putts to drop at the difficult South Course at the weekend, he is capable of improving previous finishes of tied 10th and tied 12th in this tournament.
Our final selection is Joseph Bramlett for €1.50 each way at 150/1. (1/5 the odds the first 8 places, SKY Bet).
I have noticed an uptick in the form of Joseph Bramlett, who won the Korn Ferry Tour Championship at the end of last year. He's very happy with how he's hitting the golf ball and for someone who is third in driving distance, that provides opportunities. He has started the year with solid displays, a tie for 20th in Hawaii and a tie for 33rd in the American Express shootout. Bramlett came home in a tie for 18th in last year's Farmers Insurance Open and I think he's playing much better golf now. One of the better outsiders.
So that's €34 wagered virtually on this week's golf.
Please gamble responsibly, never bet more than you can afford, and good luck!
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