Welcome to Virtual Insanity for OTB, where we spend virtual money to try and win virtual money on golf betting. It's that simple!
The virtual pot is at €1025 from €1000 for 2021 entering this week's tournament of focus, the Northern Trust on the PGA Tour in New Jersey.
This is the first of the PGA Tour's play offs, which will finish in a few weeks time at the Tour Championship.
This tournament is played at Liberty National, a par 71 tight golf course with narrow fairways and small greens. Water is also a factor at this bentgrass layout in the shadow of New York City. It hosted the 2017 Presidents Cup and the last Northern Trust at this venue was held in 2019, when Patrick Reed emerged victorious.
The event starts at 12.20pm Thursday, Irish time.
Be sure to shop around, with bookmakers such as Paddy Power, SKY Bet, William Hill, Betfred and Betfair offering 1/5 the odds for your pick to get into the top eight places.
Our headline selection is Rory McIlroy for €4 each way at 22/1. (1/5 the odds the first 8 places, William Hill).
Ireland's Rory McIlroy is due another win and it may come this week. I think he's available at decent odds in the market after closing with three rounds of 66 for a tied 12th finish on his last start at the St Jude Invitational in Memphis. With the irons now behaving, his long game is beginning to look sharp again following work with swing coach Pete Cowen and on his last appearance at Liberty National, he ended in a tie for sixth. There's no pressure of a major golf championship this week and McIlroy is playing well enough to defeat an elite field. Rory is the headline tip and I think the price is wrong, but for us, it might be right come Sunday.
Our second selection is Scottie Scheffler for €3 each way at 30/1. (1/5 the odds the first 8 places, Paddy Power, Betfair, William Hill, SKY Bet).
American Scottie Scheffler has done everything but win a PGA Tour event. The 2020 Rookie of the Year is up to 20th in the world rankings and this year he's finished in the top ten in 8 golf tournaments, three of them majors. Another excellent ball striker, Scheffler opened with two rounds of 65 in Memphis on his last start before faltering on the weekend. Liberty National should be right up his alley and hopefully it hands him a deserved breakthrough.
Our third selection is Daniel Berger for €2 each way at 30/1. (1/5 the odds the first 8 places, William Hill).
American Daniel Berger is a model of consistency, his 8 top tens on the PGA Tour in 2021 propelling him to 16th in the world rankings. He won at Pebble Beach earlier this year and he heads to Jersey City off a tie for 8th at the Open and a tie for 5th at the St Jude. Berger played well at Liberty National in the 2017 Presidents Cup, is sixth on the approach golf stats and he can putt. He's a solid proposition to contend this week.
Our fourth selection is Joaquin Niemann for €2 each way at 50/1. (1/5 the odds the first 8 places, SKY Bet, Paddy Power, William Hill, Betfair).
Chile's Joaquin Niemann is still only 22, so he has a big future in the game based on what he's shown to date. Second three times on the PGA Tour this season, he's made 23 out of 24 cuts and played well at the Olympics. He's long off the tee and his ball striking is pure. He's also a decent putter, particularly on bentgrass surfaces. He finished in a tie for 30th at Liberty National in 2019, but is a better player now. Niemann's weakness is around the greens, but hopefully his irons will be crisp enough to avoid him having to scramble. He's got a chance.
Our final selection is Maverick McNealy for €1.50 each way at 150/1. (1/5 the odds the first 8 places, Paddy Power, William Hill, Betfair).
American Maverick McNealy has rattled off six top 30 finishes on the PGA Tour as he bids to earn a maiden victory. Former Walker Cup star McNealy plays tight golf tracks well; he was second at Pebble Beach and in a tie for fourth at the Heritage earlier this year. It's a tough ask in a field of such quality, but Heath Slocum was a shock winner of this event in 2009, so it's not impossible. We'll place our each way 'Trust' in McNealy.
So that's €25 wagered virtually on this week's golf. Make sure you bet less at home!
Please gamble responsibly, never bet more than you can afford, and good luck!
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