Welcome to Virtual Insanity for OTB, where we spend virtual money to try and win virtual money on golf betting. It's that simple!
We are back in profit!
Last week, headline selection Will Zalatoris won the WGC Fed Ex St. Jude Invitational at Southwind in Tennessee, recommended beforehand at odds of 25/1. It was a welcome winner after a quiet spell, but golf predicting has its ups and downs - we have managed to tip two 25/1 winners, a 66/1 winner and an 80/1 winner on Virtual Insanity this year.
It all means that the virtual pot is at €1144 from €1000 for 2022, profit of 11.4% entering this week's tournament of focus, the BMW Championship on the PGA Tour in Delaware.
We are now in the play offs and there's a limited field of 70 for this event, with no cut.
The host course is a new venue for the PGA Tour - Wilmington Country Club - a long par 71 with large greens. There's always a degree of guesswork involved when a tournament reaches a new course, so you just have to use a bit of feel and gut to deliver your selections. Irish trio Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Seamus Power are in this week's line up.
The event starts at 2.10pm Thursday, Irish time.
Be sure to shop around, with bookmakers such as Paddy Power, SKY Bet, William Hill, Betfred, Ladbrokes, Coral, Betway and Betfair offering 1/5 the odds for your pick to get into the top seven places.
Our headline selection is Patrick Cantlay for €5 each way at 16/1. (1/5 the odds the first 7 places, William Hill).
American Patrick Cantlay is the defending champion this week, but his victory last year came at a different course, Caves Valley in Maryland. That said, he likes the type of grass they play on this week - Bentgrass - he's been the top putter on that surface in recent times and it's likely that the Bermuda greens didn't suit last week. Major championships aside, 30 year old Cantlay is Mr. Consistency - he has collected ten top ten finishes in 18 starts this season, including a tie for eighth at the Open Championship last month and a tie for second on his penultimate start at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. He's strong off the tee and a very good lag putter, so Wilmington Country Club may be right up his alley. Cantlay won the Fed Ex Cup last year and is a seven time champion on the PGA Tour. The fourth ranked player in the world rates as the headline selection this week to go back to back.
Our second selection is Cameron Young for €4 each way at 28/1. (1/5 the odds the first 7 places, SKY Bet).
One thing I have noticed about American Cameron Young is his propensity to turn up at new courses and hit the ground running - this is his first full season on the PGA Tour and he's finished either second or tied for second five times. He closed with a 66 on the final day of the St. Jude Invitational last Sunday and that tie for 31st followed a pair of runner up spots, including an excellent display behind Cameron Smith at the Open. Young is second in strokes gained off the tee this season, hits it a mile, is 13th in strokes gained tee to green and 13th in strokes gained total. He knows how to win - he tasted victory in consecutive weeks on the Korn Ferry Tour last year. He can take inspiration from Will Zalatoris' breakthrough last week and contend for his first PGA Tour win.
Our third selection is Taylor Pendrith for €3 each way at 80/1. (1/5 the odds the first 7 places, Ladbrokes, Coral, SKY Bet).
Canadian Taylor Pendrith is one of the bigger hitters and once again, this test may suit him. He sustained a rib injury at The Players Championship back in March and was out for four months. He returned with four top 15 finishes in a row, including a tie for second place at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. The wheels fell off on the weekend at Southwind for Pendrith, but he still managed to scrape into the top 70 and this is a new week. He's 11th in driving distance and 10th in greens in regulation this season and can make a bunch of birdies. I feel he's one of the better outsiders.
Our final selection is Mito Pereira for €3 each way at 100/1. (1/5 the odds the first 7 places, Paddy Power, Betfair, Ladrokes, Coral, SKY Bet, Betway).
It's been a bittersweet year for Chile's Mito Pereira, who had one hand on the U.S. PGA Championship trophy back in May, only to see his challenge derailed by a double bogey on the 72nd hole at Southern Hills. He admitted to nerves that week, but very nearly pulled it off. It's all about comfort with the 27 year old, who got his head around the Korn Ferry Tour last year to win three times on it. Pereira has been quiet since June - his missed four cuts in a row before the Fed Ex St. Jude, but shot two under par rounds last weekend. He's a good ball striker - 16th on the circuit in strokes gained tee to green and if the putter co-operates, he's well capable of being around the top of the leaderboard come Sunday at a tasty price.
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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