Welcome to Virtual Insanity, where we spend virtual money to try and win virtual money on golf betting. It's that simple!
Last week was another kick in the teeth.
Our second selection at the Genesis Invitational, 25 to 1 shot Tony Finau, was beaten in a play off by Max Homa, whom we had tipped the week before at Pebble Beach.
So with four second places in seven weeks, it's frustrating, but it's important to keep the faith, not lose the head and hope there are winners soon.
The virtual pot is at €942 from €1000 entering this week's tournament of focus, the Puerto Rico Open on the PGA Tour.
I won't be putting anyone up for the WGC Workday Championship in Florida, this week's event which contains the world's best. The course - The Concession - is new, and one would be going in blind. If anyone wants to have a bet on it, I would recommend siding with players who are fresh and in decent form.
The Puerto Rico open starts at 11am Thursday Irish time.
The Grand Reserve Country Club where the tournament is held is a par 72 golf course with generous fairways and manageable rough. As always, the biggest defence of this type of Caribbean golf course is wind, and gusts are expected for the first two rounds.
It's important for any player to make birdies and putt well - Viktor Hovland's winning score last year was 20 under par. I am a little wary of the very talented professionals such as Thomas Pieters that are seeing the course for the first time.
Be sure to shop around, with bookmakers such as Paddy Power, Betfair, Betway, Bet 365 and Boylesports offering 1/5 the odds for your pick to get into the top seven places.
Our headline selection is Patrick Rodgers for €4 each way at 28/1. (1/5 the odds the first 7 places).
I do like the chances of American Patrick Rodgers in a weaker field compared to last week's Genesis Invitational, where he produced his best performance in a while to finish in a tie for 12th. Rodgers was a brilliant college golfer and is a former world number one in the amateur ranks. He's found the PGA Tour a tougher nut to crack, finding himself a runner-up on three occasions. Tied 21st on his first visit to Puerto Rico in 2016, he was set for a strong finish at a mark of 12 under par through three rounds last year before fading with a final round 75. Rodgers' best finish this season was a tie for 11th in the neighbouring Dominican Republic. He's still only 28 and I think he has the talent and the resolution to win if in contention.
Our second selection is Will Gordon for €2 each way at 40/1. (1/5 the odds the first 7 places).
I noticed Will Gordon's excellent opening round of 66 at Spyglass Hill in the Pebble Beach Pro Am a fortnight ago, en route to a posting inside the top 25. The 24-year-old American had the talent to parlay his limited opportunities in 2020 into a card for this year. The highlight was a tie for third at the Travelers Championship. Also last year, Gordon visited Puerto Rico and took away a tied 20th place on his first outing in this event. Gordon is a big hitter who seems to have plenty of guts. That fearlessness could serve him well this week.
Our third selection is Rafael Campos for €2 each way at 175/1. (1/5 the odds the first 7 places).
No player in this field knows the Puerto Rico Open better than local native Rafael Campos, who has two top 10 finishes in this tournament. Fit again after recovering from back issues, he finished in a tie for 7th last weekend on the satellite Korn Ferry Tour. It would be a fairytale if he won, but I do think he is overpriced.
Our fourth selection is Beau Hossler for €1 each way at 80/1. (1/5 the odds the first 7 places).
Young American Beau Hossler once led the US Open as a 17 year old, but his career has plateaued in recent years. I witnessed some nice play from him at Pebble Beach, which tailed off somewhat with a final round of 75. Hossler makes a lot of cuts, but what he needs to do is translate that consistency into contending. Twice a runner-up on tour in 2018, he's still only 25 and I won't discount his talent in a field that lacks stars.
Our final selection is Shawn Stefani for €1 each way at 200/1. (1/5 the odds the first 6 places with SKY Bet and Betfred).
This a horses for courses play on American Stefani, who has no recent form to shout about, but he does like Puerto Rico - where he finished in a tie for 14th last year and a tie for 6th the year before. Stefani has posted good results in the Dominican Republic, Bermuda, Cancun and Panama, so he likes these tracks. It's a complete flier which is unlikely to bear fruit, but the stake is minimal.
So that's €20 wagered virtually on this week's golf. 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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