Welcome to Virtual Insanity, where we spend virtual money to try and win virtual money on golf betting. It's that simple!
The virtual pot is at €900 from €1000 for 2022 entering this week's two tournaments of focus, the Scottish Open and the Barbasol Championship.
The Scottish Open takes place at the Renaissance Club, a par 71 in East Lothian.
The tournament starts on Thursday at 7.15am.
Be sure to shop around, with bookmakers such as Paddy Power, Ladbrokes, Betfair, William Hill, Betway, Betfred and Coral going 1/5 the odds for 8 places each way, and both SKY Bet and Boyle Sports paying 10 places.
Our headline selection is Corey Conners for €5 each way at 50/1. (1/5 the odds the first 8 places, William Hill).
Ball striking is important at links courses, especially if it becomes breezy, as it's forecast to be this week. Canadian Corey Conners is one of the purest ball strikers on the PGA Tour and was tied for fourth going into the final round of the Open Championship last year. He did miss the cut in the preceding week at the Renaissance Club, but notably, shot a 65 in the second round. He missed the cut at the recent US Open, but before that, he finished sixth in his native Canada and posted a top ten at the Masters earlier this year. He lies inside the top twenty in the strokes gained category this year and has improved his putting, traditionally the weakest element of his game. Precision iron play can put Conners in a position to be on the front page of the leaderboard against this elite field, many of whom will have their heads stuck in next week's Open Championship at St. Andrews.
Our second selection is Robert MacIntyre for €3 each way at 66/1. (1/5 the odds the first 10 places, SKY Bet).
There's nobody who would love to win this tournament more than Scotland's Robert MacIntyre, who has demonstrated a liking and a talent for links golf. He has finished in the top ten on his two starts at the Open Championship and holds two top twenty finishes on his last couple of appearances at the Renaissance Club. MacIntyre finished well at the Irish Open at Mount Juliet last week with a tie for 13th place and he's a gutsy player with a future. The home fans will be on his side and he can contend.
The Barbasol Championship is staged in Kentucky at Keene Trace golf club, a benign par 72 which has yielded winning scores beyond 20 under par in the three renewals. Seamus Power won the event last year.
The tournament starts on Thursday at 11.45am.
Paddy Power and Betfair are offering the most each way places at seven, but other bookmakers may be quoting better odds.
Our headline selection is Kelly Kraft for €3 each way at 45/1. (1/5 the odds the first 6 places, William Hill).
Former U.S. Amateur champion Kelly Kraft has shown signs of life in recent performances - he has made three cuts in a row and finished in the top 25 at the John Deere Classic last week. Injury prone, he has form at Keene Trace - finishing second there in 2019. He ranks inside the top ten in putting on the PGA Tour this season is the headline pick.
Our second selection is Austin Smotherman for €2 each way at 50/1. (1/5 the odds the first 8 places, Boyle Sports).
The putter is the weakest club in the bag of Austin Smotherman, but he did win on the Korn Ferry Tour in neighbouring Tennessee last year and his fine ball striking can make him a proposition in a seriously weakened field. Smotherman has four top 25 finishes in 20 starts this season and is one of the more progressive prospects in this line-up.
Our third selection is Doc Redman for €2 each way at 80/1. (1/5 the odds the first 7 places, Paddy Power, Betfair).
The ability of Doc Redman to come out of nowhere and contend for golf tournaments may serve him well this week - he posted three top four finishes last season and has gone close to winning in this region - he was second in South Carolina last year. The former US Amateur champion has to find it - there's no question about that after five missed cuts in a row, but we saw with Nick Hardy recently that a talented player can compete if playing at a lower level. Redman is one of the more naturally talented players in this field of journeymen. It's a flier, but it might pay off.
So that's €30 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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