Ballantine's Championship - 2013

After just one week on European soil, the tour heads East and to South Korea for this week's Ballantines Championship, hosted at Blackstone GC for the third year. The tournament has already lost some notable participants from the USA following recent political tension in the region, so hopefully the week passes with good weather and some good scoring. Head of the market this week is Louis Oosthuizen but he is easy to oppose this week as recent form is questionable. I had tweeted my shortlist yesterday (Monday 22nd) but 2 of those players are also missing this week which has led me to rethink my staking plan. I was hoping for 18/1 about Alex Noren and have thought about the 16s on offer for quite a bit last night. Alex has some good results under his belt from his 6 starts this year, including 2 top 10s. He has finished no worse than 32nd,that being his first outing of the season. I backed him in Malaysia but he fell prey to the weather and therefore the wrong side of the draw where he eventually finished 6th. I can't get away from him this week. This is a long 7200 yd course, tree lined and the greens are undulating. His game should suit this week and indeed on his two visits here the past 2 years he finished 7th & 5th. As always though, he needs to get a decent start and I like his midday start on Thursday playing alongside the favourite, Louis Oosthuizen and local boy, K.T. Kim. They will then have a 7:20 tee time Friday which hopefully will see the Swede build on a solid opening round. Thats the plan anyway ! I'll have a nibble @ 16s with Paddypower

RBC Heritage - Hilton Head 2013

The PGA Tour heads out of Georgia and onto South Carolina this week for one of the best tournaments on the calendar. The Heritage is played at Harbour Tour GC, a short course with small greens, where accurate play is required. Yet again on the PGA Tour we have a very strong field assembled making the selection process difficult once more. One thing that can be considered for the shortlist though is that there have been numerous multiple winners here. Davis Love has won this 5 times! Some players this week would have played at Augusta last week and may not be "ready" this week whereas some will. Brandt Snedeker heads the betting and despite being disappointed with his final round at Augusta he may just be ready this week but is not backable for me at 13/1 despite having won the plaid jacket 2 years ago. Luke Donald should go well as he has done in the past but I'm looking for better bang for my buck this week.
I had shortlisted Boo Weekley for this, he is twice winner here.(2007 & 2008) and comes into the week with some decent form. He has won just twice on tour- both here so its hard to take 33/1 for him to complete a hat-trick.
Another experienced player that has won twice here in the past (2000 & 2004) that does take my fancy @ 55/1 with Bet Victor is Stewart Cink. T25th in Augusta proves his game is in fine nick, following a T6th at Houston. This is a player that will be looking to perform well on a track he likes to continue his decent 2013 season.

My second pick this week is also a former winner here and has shown a real liking for this course. he's also a player that may also be inspired to better things this week following his compatriots win at The Masters. Step forward Aaron Baddeley @ 50/1 with Paddypower. A brilliant putter, the Aussie should be excited to be playing here and comes in with decent form this season too. TOP20s at Texas and Pebble Beach and a TOP10 at the Farmers suggests his game is right for this. Although he missed the cut last year, the previous 6 years saw him finish no worse than 22nd with a win and 2 TOP 10s.

My final two picks are  Martin Kaymer and Bob Estes. The German made the cut last week at Augusta (T 35th), a course that he has not performed well on in the past. Being a short course this week, Martin's length off the tee will not be of any advantage but his iron and short game could serve him very well here. This is his first full season on tour in America and he will be anxious to start producing some results. A quality player that cannot be ignored most weeks and if he gets a solid first round under his belt he could get stronger over the 4 days. 66/1 is enticing with Paddypower.
Bob Estes has made 6 cuts from 7 starts this year and comes here off the back of a TOP 10 in Texas. A hot and cold player who also has indifferent form at Harbour Town but there is enough to like about his season so far. His last 6 visits here resulted in 3 MCs and 13-24-22 finishes. Small stakes at 125/1 with Boylesports just about give me some value and is added to the staking plan as an outside chance.

TIP 1: 1 pt e/w S.Cink @ 55/1 Bet Victor

TIP 2: 1 pt e/w A.Baddeley @ 50/1 Paddypower

TIP 3: 0.5 pts e/w M.Kaymer @ 66/1 Paddypower

TIP 4: 0.5 pts e/w B.Estes @ 125/1 Boylesports

Open de Espana - 2013

The oldest Open on the European Tour (apart from The Open) takes place for the fourth time at The Parador de El Saler Golf Club outside of Valencia in Eastern Spain. This will be the first time since 2001 the course has hosted the event, so it makes it difficult to assess course form for this week. This golf course has generally wide fairways; vast, challenging greens; and almost one hundred bunkers, some of them natural, created by using the dunes that seperates the course form the sea and the pine forest that it was built on. Measuring just under 7000 yards, the course will be a test this week and will suit good putters ot those that show the creativity of getting their approach shots close as pin locations over the 4 rounds will change significantly due to the sheer size of the greens.

 Berhard Langer, who put up such a strong showing at Augusta last week, has won twice here and holds the course record 62. The latest instalment of the Open de Espana staged here was won by Sweden's Robert Karlsson. The field this week will be headed by Spain's own Sergio Garcia who won the title in 2002. The locals have only won the Spainish Open 5 times so it may be prudent to look elsewhere this week.

The US Masters - 2013

The eagarly waited US Masters is finally upon us as all golfing eyes turn towards Augusta National in Georgia next week. It goes without saying that golfs majors make riveting viewing on TV, and despite reduced coverage on the opening two days, I'm sure alot of my spare time will be spent fixated on the coverage throughout the tournament. Bubba Watson is the defending champion having beaten Louis Oosthuizen in a playoff last year. Bubba bids to become just the fourth player ever to win back to back green jackets. Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods being the others who have achieved this feat.

The first Major of the year, is always hosted at Augusta National Golf Club. The course was opened in 1933 and co-founder Bobby Jones declared
    "Our oveall aim at the Augusta National has been to provide a golf course of considerable natural beauty,enjoyable for the average golfer and at the same time testing for the expert player striving to better par.We want to make bogeys easy if frankly sought, pars readily obtainable by standard good play, and birdies except on par 5's, dearly bought."

Green Jacket
Since 1949, the Masters Champion has received the now famous green jacket. Sam Snead was the first to win such a jacket. The custom is now that the preceeding champion presents the new champion his jacket. Jack Nicklaus, when defending successfuly in 1966, slipped on his own jacket, whereas Tiger Woods was helped into his when successfuly defending in 2002 by Augusta chairman, Hootie Johnson.

Amen Corner
The course comprises many fantastic holes but none moreso than the 11th -13th holes known as "Amen Corner". This name was penned by Herbert Warren Wind of Sports Illustrated in 1958. Wind defined Amen Corner as being comprised of the second shot at 11 through the drive on 13. He used the phrase from an old jazz recording, "Shoutin' in that Amen Corner." He wrote
  "On the afternoon before the start of the recent Masters golf tournament, a wonderfully evocative ceremony took place at the farthest reach of the Augusta National course - down in the Amen Corner where Rae's Creek intersects the 13th fairway near the tee, then parallels the front edge of the green on the short 12th and finally swirls alongside the 11th green."
   - Excerpted from "The Fateful Corner," by Herbert Warren Wind, Sports Illustrated, April 21, 1958.
 Many a player has "prayed" around Amen Corner, and seen their Masters bid evaporate and indeed in that infamous final round in 1996, Greg Norman lost his tee shot in the plantation behind the green only to offer afterwards in his press conference anyone 50 bucks who could tell him where it went (he never found it). The cameraman in the overhead crane, duly obliged later that day.

The Par 3 Contest
Since 1960, the Masters tournament has been preceeded on the Wednesday by a par 3 contest on the par 3 course. This is a fun event and its worth noting that no winner of the par 3 has gone onto win the green jacket in the same year. If you want to hold of placing your bets until this concludes and scratch the winner from your staking plan by all means !

My TOP 3 Shots at Augusta

1. Last year we witnessed one of the rarest scores to be made on a golf course, an albatross (a 2 on a par 5).This was achieved in the final round by Louis Oosthuizen on the 2nd hole, the first ever on this hole. Louis would later that day lose in a play-off to Bubba Watson who also performed one of the greatest approach shots from the trees to seal victory.



2. My all time favourite golfer, Greg Norman is the only man in history to be beaten in all 4 Majors in a play-off. In the 1987 Masters, my betting slip was squashed within my fingers,as whilst the Shark was lining up his birdie putt on the 11th hole, Larry Mize did this .....



3. Every golfing fan will recall this shot from the 2005 Masters. I do, because that year I was on Chris Di Marco! Another betting slip chewed up when Tiger did this.......



and for me one of the greatest shots I have ever seen ( and I bet we get to see it sometime during coverage this year too)