Bamford

Schauffele 22/1
Hovland 25/1
Berger 30/1
Zalatoris 50/1
Woodland 100/1 

DeChambeau 11/1
Rahm 13/1
Garcia 45/1
Scott 66/1
Wallace 100/1 

The old 1-2 forecast

@Bamford unlucky with Fleetwood !

Well played Fader

Well played with Homa

A second visit to Mexico of 2019 for the Mayakoba Golf Classic. This end of year tournament is played at El Camaleon at Mayakoba Resort. It's a pretty non-descript sub-7,000 yard, 36/35 format Par 71 track in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. The course runs through dense tropical jungle, mangrove forests and oceanfront so players who miss fairways can be in serious trouble. It's short and often features soft conditions - as per 2019 - with it's only true defence being wind - as per all coastal tracks. With no real wind forecast, I can see another sub -20 winning total required on this course, which features Paspalum greens. 
I'm going with Knox (33/1), Kisner (40/1), English (55/1) and Varner III (66/1). Best of luck. 
 

Woodland for a place. Good call on Thomas, Bam.

The strongest domestic tournament on the PGA Tour this week with the Memorial at Muirfield Village. Jack Nicklaus' tournament always attracts the very best and this 120-man field is always the strongest non FedEx Cup event of the year. 11 of the world's top 16 are present this week with only Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Paul Casey, Tommy Fleetwood and Sergio Garcia absent. The course is a classical, tree-lined affair which is located in Ohio. There are definite links with Ohio's other world-class course Firestone South and you can find other correlating form links with other Nicklaus course designs played at Career BuilderChallenge, Honda Classic and RBC Canadian Open's played at Glen Abbey. The Champions List is varied. 2010 - 2013  saw Kuchar 22/1; Woods 16/1; Stricker 28/1; and Rose 80/1 win here with Justin capturing his first PGA Tour title. But since then Matsuyama 66/1, Lingmerth 500/1, McGirt 200/1 and Dufner 66/1 have triumphed here. The wins for the first 3 of those were maiden victories with Dufner delivering his 5 PGA Tour victory.
With the top 6 in the betting priced between 12/1 to 16/1 and with Tiger Woods now at sub-20/1 this is a loaded contest. But as we can see above, longer prices do tend to be victorious. I'm going with Leishman 33/1, Grillo 50/1, DeChambeau 50/1, Moore 80/1 and Hoffman 150/1. I'm also backing Charley in the FRL market at 125/1. 
 

We return to the cathedral of top-class power ball-striking - TPC Scottsdale. Think desert golf, at altitude on a relatively short course, with 660,000 mad fans in attendance. Always a highlight in my mind of the domestic PGA Tour events. With Hideki Matsuyama going for the 3-peat, and the likes of Louis Oosthuizen, Bubba Watson and Rickie Fowler all going close of late, it's easy to see comparisons with the likes of Augusta. Shorter hitters can be competitive - as we saw with Webb Simpson 12 months ago, but power wins in the end.
I'm going for Rickie Fowler (14/1), Justin Thomas (16/1), Scott Piercy (66/1) and Chesson Hadley (125/1).
 

Birdie-fest pro-am in Californian desert, which can numb the mind! Played over a 3-course rota to allow for 156 players, this large field event is always a challenge to nail down, with short-prices not winning this for a long period of time.
I'm going for players who are hitting lots of birdies coming into the event, but who haven't been at the very summit when it comes to in your face results. So Kirk (60/1), Knox (66/1), Vegas (66/1), JJ Spaun (80/1) and a wild punt on Hossler at 300/1. These prices were on Monday.
 
Best of luck. 
 

The Matsuyama selection is a great bet

Matt Kuchar will go off heavily backed this week at the RBC Canadian Open and when he does win - I know it's rare - it's always after a period of near misses. Naturally that always makes his price not very attractive to say the least. The Canadian Open is played at Glen abbey this week which has been the host course across 2007,08.13. 15 & 16. A classical tree-lined course, it can be taken apart by bombers and plotters alike. No Canadian has won this since 1954, but in Hearn, DeLaet, Taylor and Hadwin the home supporters have a set of players who have done well this season. With a receptive course likely this could be a real birdie-fest. Hot form in has been key of late, so I'm following that route, with a couple who are just bubbling under the surface.
Hoffman (25/1), Stallings, Schniederjans and Rodgers (all 66/1) + Woodland 80/1.
 

Paul Williams our European Tour tipster has gone for Fowler (16/1), Rose (22/1) plus two more with Skybet 10 places each way - so Grace 45/1 and Snedeker 70/1 - bigger prices with less places available elsewhere. 

A short and pretty stock Par 70 on the PGA Tour this week, after +7,800 yards last week. It's scorable and bombers and plotters can both contend. Turns into an approach shot fest, allied to a putting contest. Naturally tidy plotters can win, with a good week with the flatstick - Knox, Streelman Duke, Jacobson, but players of the ilk of Watson and Leishman have used a little more brute force - indeed Patrick Rodgers was right in the mix 12 months ago. I'm also loathe to go for players who felt the white-heat at the US Open last week, although this year it did play a little more like a PGA Championship - as it did when Freddie Jac contended at Congessional, (he eventually finished 14th) before winning this.

Snedeker 28/1, Watson 33/1, Cauley 60/1, Simpson 70/1 and McGirt 110/1.

Long, tough (goes without saying) and with an undoubtedly links feel. Erin Hills will be a stern-test this week. Thunderstorms may soften the course a little more than the USGA would like, but with constant win in-play and a forecast which will see temperatures up into the 28-30 degree Celsius bracket. this is unlikely to become Congressional 2011. However with the purest of A4 Bentgrass putting surfaces and with Mike Davis saying that more putts will be made here than we have seen for a long while at the US Open, we could potentially see a number of players strategising their way around to a mid single-digit under par closing total. As with any US Open I have gone for players who are clearly confident with their driver and approach play, and who have ranked well in the All-Round category in their last appearance. So muy selections are:
Jason Day 14/1, Justin Thomas 33/1, Branden Grace 50/1, Kevin Kisner 55/1, Kevin Chappell 66/1 and Shane Lowry 70/1 

TPC Southwind is a tough track, which plenty of pros say is in the top 5 courses on Tour. The tournament's spot in the schedule, never helps when it comes to field strength and this week is a particularly weak field. The likes of Andres Romero getting in as alternates says everything. However there is still a full PGA Tour title to earn and Fowler, Koepka, Scott, Mickelson and Molinari headline the betting.

The winners list here is varied with rank outsiders and short prices all winning. Elite players though that have won here, have all had a period of time with no victories, so I wouldn't fancy Fowler for the victory. I think players need a great mid-iron game, the ability to birdie par-4s and a strong putting game outside of 15 feet on grainy Champion Bermudagrass greens. 

I like Koepka (14/1), Henley (33/1), Horschel (33/1), Stricker (50/1 if he plays) and Brown (150/1).

I'm not getting involved in this team thing on the PGA Tour this week in New Orleans. Instead I like the look of the following on a very easy and short Par 72 on the European Tour. The Volvo China Open - Levy 25/1, Larrazabal 40/1, Burmester 45/1 and Southgate 200/1. 

I'm not getting involved in this team thing on the PGA Tour this week in New Orleans. Instead I like the look of the following on a very easy and short Par 72 on the European Tour. The Volvo China Open - Levy 25/1, Larrazabal 40/1, Burmester 45/1 and Southgate 200/1. 

Chappell came in. Nice one @Bamford

Tough track this week and with a continual Texan wind across at least the final 54 holes, there will be plenty of players who won't fancy the job this week. The Valero Texas Open is one of the weakest events of the season and plenty in this field won't be a factor. The course is a long Par 72, where 3 of the 4 par-5s are difficult to reach in 2 shots. A feature though of the course, are the fast and pretty undulating green complexes. Poor putters need not apply.
So we need a real mix this week. A player who thrives on a technical course, has the power or wedge ability to score well on long par-5s and who can putt well on tough green complexes, which favour those who are comfortable on Bentgrass. Naturally we also want those who are more than comfortable in the wind. 
I've gone for Branden Grace 28/1, Ryan Moore 28/1 and Kevin Chappell 33/1.

Tough track this week and with a continual Texan wind across at least the final 54 holes, there will be plenty of players who won't fancy the job this week. The Valero Texas Open is one of the weakest events of the season and plenty in this field won't be a factor. The course is a long Par 72, where 3 of the 4 par-5s are difficult to reach in 2 shots. A feature though of the course, are the fast and pretty undulating green complexes. Poor putters need not apply.
So we need a real mix this week. A player who thrives on a technical course, has the power or wedge ability to score well on long par-5s and who can putt well on tough green complexes, which favour those who are comfortable on Bentgrass. Naturally we also want those who are more than comfortable in the wind. 
I've gone for Branden Grace 28/1, Ryan Moore 28/1 and Kevin Chappell 33/1.

Augusta is actually a pretty precise exercise. No defending champion, no defending World Number, no course debutants and players with plenty of height with their approach shots and the balls to Go for the Green on par-5s. I'm talking about actual winners here rather than each way places for all those interested in Rahm, Hatton, Hadwin, Pieters, Noren etc. I would have said drawers of the golf ball as well before recent developments and Danny Willett who has a pre-sominate fade won here 12 months ago. When the wind is up, faders can and straight drivers can be competitive. 
2017 looks a particularly messy tournament weather-wise. It's set to rain lots in the build-up to the event making the course softer than organisers would want. Think -18 with Jordan Spieth in 2015. But strong wind is set to save them and make scoring difficult over Thursday and Friday.
I like Spieth (8/1), Rose (25/1 8ew 1/4 odds), Leishman (60/1 8ew 1/4 odds) and Berger (80/1 8ew 1/4 odds) 

The Riviera Country Club is always a highlight on the PGA Tour. Hogan's Alley is a beautiful, old classical course, which many can't get on with. Los Angeles has had plenty of rain in the New Year, so expect cut in the turf, which will only be enhanced by a day of rain on Friday, which will see a gnarly front pass through. So soft course specialists will likely gravitate to the top of the leaderboard. Spieth, Day, Matsuyama, Mickelson and Moore top my rankings when it comes to receptive courses per se.

3 on my shopping list this week. I missed the scarce 10/1 on Dustin Johnson, but like his chances enough at 9/1. As much a course specialist as Bubba Watson, his liking for classical courses is obvious enough. Love his high, fade shot shape as well for the Riviera test and his win at Crooked Stick last year was on a sodden golf course. That takes me onto Sergio Garcia who at 25/1 is unlikely to go back-to-back on his PGA Tour 2017 debut. However he tends to perform well the outing after a win and his liking for Riviera is clear to see. High, long and again like his fade shape. A must each-way punt.

Finally the 66s lasted a few minutes, yesterday but J.B. Holmes is another I like at 50/1. Another power ball-striker, he's been all over the place at Torrey Pines and Scottsdale, but Pebble Beach saw him sneak into the top 13 for ball-striking and 7th for GIR. Classical course positive, Holmes has an excellent record at Riviera and on the West Coast in-general.

The last of a long season. Seaside golf on the eastern seaboard of Georgia. Gnarly Bermudagrass greens which are difficult to make putts on from outside 10 feet. The course is scorable, but wind on Saturday/Sunday will make this interesting. Keeping it simple with Kirk (18), Chappell (28) and Castro (66).