Accenture Matchplay 19-23 Feb

[kevshat]

Strokeplay is shoved to one side this week for the first WGC of the season the Accenture Matchplay. The top 64 in the world head to Tucson for the straight knockout event which begins on Wednesday instead of Thursday. All things Accenture in here :ok

[kevshat]

Re: Accenture Matchplay 19-23 Feb Tournament preview: 2pts ew I.Poulter to win Accenture Matchplay 35/1 Boylesports (1/4 1-4) Rory McIlroy is the headline name in this bracket while experienced players like Sergio Garcia and Charl Schwartzel also hide here but I can’t ignore the former champion Ian Poulter in this section. His first round draw against Rickie Fowler could be iffy but then he looks to have a clean run to the quarter final and there’s nobody who could face him in that who I would fear. Poulter doesn’t come into this event in the best form but we do know he gets himself going for this format and it brings the best out of him. He is one of the best putters around and at 35/1 with bookmakers paying down the semi final the 2010 champion is crying out to be backed this week. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/wgc-accenture-matchplay-betting-ian-poulter-can-win-another-accenture-title-in-tucson

[RussP]

Re: Accenture Matchplay 19-23 Feb Here's hoping to finally nailing that winner! Taking 5, spread across all brackets. W.Simpson to win Accenture Matchplay, 2.5pts EW @ 33/1 Coral (1/4 odds 1-4) My idea of the winner this week. All recent winners of this had reached at least the 3rd round the previous year as well as having Ryder Cup and/or Presidents Cup experience. Webb ticks all those boxes, reaching the QF's 12 months ago before narrowly losing out to matchplay expert Hunter Mahan. Appears to have an easier draw this time and provided he can dispose of Jaidee, who I feel may be his toughest opponent, I see a very big week in store for the American. Excellent with the short stick which is the crucial stat here & has desert form having gone well in Phoenix. One of the weaker brackets so 33's looks a fair price. I.Poulter to win Accenture Matchplay, 2.5pts EW @ 35/1 Bet365 (1/4 odds 1-4) The reality of any matchplay event is that Poults cannot be left out & it amazes me how one of the best exponents of this format is constantly priced higher than some of the lesser lights in this space. Anything above 20's for Poults in a matchplay event is good value, given his amazing Ryder Cup form. Forget current form, it's all about the 1v1 for him. Former winner of this as well as 2 4th place finishes including last year. Hits it relatively straight & is a terrific putter under pressure. Someone will have to play well to beat him. Opens against the enigma that is Rickie Fowler but should have more than enough to beat him. L.Donald to win Accenture Matchplay, 2pts EW @ 55/1 Bet365 (1/4 odds 1-4) The Player bracket looks wide open & is, in my opinion, the easiest of the 4 so to find Luke Donald at 55/1 is a price I could not ignore. Admittedly his form isn't what it was but this guy is one of the very best in terms of accuracy & putting when he's on song. Another former winner so his matchplay ability is not in question. Starts off against Manassero, a player he should too much for. Whilst he's not the most obvious choice, he ticks the Ryder Cup, event form & putting ability boxes so 55's is too big not to have a play at. H.Matsuyama to win Accenture Matchplay, 1pt @ 60/1 Stan James H.Matsuyama to win Snead Bracket, 2pts @ 14/1 Coral It's fair to say that this looks an impossible bracket to solve on paper with solid claims for the likes of Mahan, both Johnsons, Kaymer, G-Mac & Bubba but I'm chancing my arm with the young Japanese star, Hideki Matsuyama. G Mac & Kaymer aren't the forces of old whilst last week may just have taken too much out of Bubba & Dustin. Zach has a poor recent record whilst Mahan is always a danger but the selection is too big for me not to throw a dart at. Bit of form at the Phoenix Open, has Presidents Cup experience & is a solid putter. A risky bet but I'd picked him out before the draw so going with gut instinct & having a risky little bet here. G.De Laet to win Accenture Matchplay, 1pt @ 50/1 Coral G.De Laet to win Jones Bracket, 2pts @ 14/1 Coral In the same bracket as Simpson but De Laet is a really good golfer & could surprise this week. Great with the irons & is a player in form, he also has Presidents Cup experience & certainly took to it well gaining 3.5pts from 5 including his singles win over Jordan Spieth. Stricker is a danger but I'm concerned about his focus (with his family issues) & Day is another to worry about but I'm in the 'bottler' camp with regards to him. This event is tricky to solve but, of the debutants, he looks one of the likelier types. Good luck to everyone this week, certainly looking forward to it :ok

[kevshat]

Re: Accenture Matchplay 19-23 Feb Jones bracket preview: 1pt ew S.Stricker to win Jones bracket 12/1 BetVictor (1/3 1-2) You’ll have to go a long way to find too many better putters than Steve Stricker in the game of golf today and while his record doesn’t stand out and hit you around here he has shown glimpses of big runs in the last two years. Last year he lost in the quarter final to Ian Poulter while the year before he lost to the eventual champion Hunter Mahan in the Last 16 having beaten Louis Oosthuizen in the round before. Stricker’s motivation could be questionable this week with his brother needing a liver transplant but he doesn’t play very often now so to keep this in his limited schedule suggests to me he’ll give it a good go and he’s certainly got the credentials to come through a limited, wide open bracket. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/wgc-accenture-matchplay-betting-steve-stricker-can-come-through-the-jones-bracket

[kevshat]

Re: Accenture Matchplay 19-23 Feb Player bracket preview: 1pt ew S.Piercy to win Player bracket 22/1 Skybet (1/3 1-2) Given the relative weakness in terms of big names in form in the top half of this bracket and the fact bookmakers are paying each way meaning you get a payout of some kind just for making the quarter final. One man in the top half who catches my eye at a big price is Scott Piercy. He faces Justin Rose first up but Rose has only just begun his season so could still be a little rusty and then the winner of Els or Gallacher would be his second match followed by one of Donald, Dufner, Stallings or Manassero which could be harder. This course might just suit Piercy too. He demolished Luke Donald 7&6 around here last year before losing to Steve Stricker in the last 16. There’s no Stricker in this section so Piercy could steal this bracket at 22/1. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/wgc-accenture-matchplay-betting-scott-piercy-could-surprise-in-the-player-bracket I've also had small punts each way on Stricker and Piercy to win the tournament at 50/1 and 125/1 respectively.

[kevshat]

Re: Accenture Matchplay 19-23 Feb Wednesday previews: 4pts G.DeLaet to beat P.Reed 4/5 Paddy Power I think Graham DeLaet has the game to do well in this event. He has some matchplay experience and he has all the length you need to tame Dove Mountain. He isn’t the best with the short game but he does putt well go if he can find the number of greens we see him finding on tour then he’ll have every chance in this one. I like his experience over Reed in this match. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/delaet-vs-reed-betting-graham-delaet-can-come-through-the-first-round-in-tucson 5pts J.Furyk to beat C.Kirk 4/5 Betfred Furyk has a surprisingly weak record in this tournament for a player of his quality and someone who has such a good all round game. One reason for that could be his lack of length but that won’t matter as much in this match because he isn’t playing a bomber so this match could well come down to experience. Furyk beats most on that score and having played under some of the biggest pressures in golf I’ll take Jim to win here. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/furyk-vs-kirk-betting-furyk-s-experience-should-see-him-into-the-second-round

[kevshat]

Re: Accenture Matchplay 19-23 Feb More Wednesday previews: 3pts T.Jaidee to beat W.Simpson 7/4 Bet365 Webb Simpson is probably a worthy favourite but there is no way Jaidee should be 7/4 to beat him with his recent record in this format. If Simpson gets a bit loose with the putter than the solid, consistent Thai will be there to take advantage and at 7/4 the veteran looks to be a good value bet to me in this first round tie. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/simpson-vs-jaidee-betting-the-thai-looks-good-value-in-opening-round 5pts H.English to beat L.Westwood 10/11 Ladbrokes Confidence is often a key thing in matchplay as it gives you the belief to hole putts which is essential and Harris English is the only one carrying any of that into this week. Lee Westwood’s game looks to be in poor shape at the minute and his record around here isn’t exactly inspiring for someone who has the talent he possesses. Usually I try to avoid matchplay rookies but English looks one not to be avoided. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/westwood-vs-english-betting-matchplay-debutant-can-upset-westwood-in-opener 3pts K.Aphibarnrat to beat H.Stenson 9/4 Ladbrokes With Stenson’s record around here and the fact his game has just tailed off a little bit in 2014 I think he’s there to be taken on. I quite like Aphibarnrat as a player and his performances in the Royal Trophy convince me that he’s a value bet here. He is a solid player and often in this format of the game that’s all you need to be but as well as being solid he can hole putts and that’s very important. Over 18 holes nobody should be 9/4 against anyone least of all a guy who has lost all four matches on the course so Aphibarnrat is worth a bet here. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/stenson-vs-aphibarnrat-betting-henrik-s-losing-run-at-dove-mountain-can-continue

[Crouch Potato]

Re: Accenture Matchplay 19-23 Feb Matt Kuchar to win Player Bracket @ 6.50 Centrebet Kuchar has a superb record around here, going 15-3 and winning his bracket twice in the last 3 years. I also think his bracket is fairly weak. On the other half you have an underdone Rose, an out of form Donald and some outsiders. Quite a few of them are dangerous players but Kuchar will only need to take care of one of them. In his half of the bracket Speith is the main danger but I'm not convinced of his credentials in this event. He's played very well this year but always seems to have a bad round in his first three and in this event you can't afford that.

[Aidymac]

Re: Accenture Matchplay 19-23 Feb Ooooo this is exciting stuff! Best of luck with your bets folks. This is a very long course so it should suit the longer hitters and that is why Dustin Johnson is a very interesting contender for me. He won the World Golf Championships back in November and has finished runner up the last two weeks in a row in the Northern Trust & Pebble Beach. He was also T6 in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions just before that so it is a matter of time before he wins again, he is in terrific form. His length will put his opponents under a lot of pressure and although Peter Hanson is a quality player there is no doubt Dustin is playing much the better golf. The winner of that game goes on to play Dubuisson or Streelman so the draw looks kind. He could then meet Bubba, Ilonen, Bradley or Blixt and I would fancy Dustin to beat them all in matchplay. The other player of interest to me is Graham De Laet who is a much improved golfer of late and has had a terrific season to date without winning. He was T7 in the CIMB Classic, T6 in the World Golf Championships, T2 in the Farmers Insurance and T2 in the Phoenix Open. I am not 100% sure how he will cope with this format but he is certainly a big enough price to back for a player in such fine form. Looking at the draw he should have enough ability to beat Patrick Reed in my opinion and then he would play either Stricker or Coetzee.. Stricker would be an extremely tough match for him and that is certainly a tough one but you don't win this tournament without beating some top golfers. He would also potentially meet Jason Day in the quarter final, so it won't be easy, but I assure you nobody wants to play De Laet either. Dustin Johnson each-way @ 20/1 Stan James Graham De Laet each-way @ 55/1 Stan James

[Bamford]

Re: Accenture Matchplay 19-23 Feb I'm with Couch Potato on this one as I'm thinking people are overlooking the defending champion on the basis of a solitary missed cut last week at Riviera. Before then 8 consecutive Top 10 finishes worldwide, speaks volumes for Kuchar's consistency and that's a key attribute for any World Matchplay Champion. Yes, the Player bracket includes Rose, Spieth, Dufner, Donald, Molinari and desert specialist Piercy, but Kuchar should overcome Moore in the 2nd Round, taking him through to a last 16 match with Spieth or the experienced Molinari. 6/1 bracket winner looks solid as does 28/1 overall.

[kevshat]

Re: Accenture Matchplay 19-23 Feb Not a great start to the week. Hoping for better on Thursday. Thursday previews: 5pts W.Simpson to beat B.Snedeker 3/4 Unibet Simpson played a nice round of golf against Jaidee in the first round and a repeat of that should be enough to win this match. Snedeker just looks to be lacking in a bit of confidence or belief at the minute and he was lucky that Lynn made a horlicks of a couple of holes coming home else he would have been out. Simpson showed good resolve when he was under pressure early on against Jaidee and that should stand him in good stead here. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/simpson-vs-snedeker-betting-webb-simpson-can-see-off-his-american-rival 3pts B.Horschel to beat J.Day 8/5 Boylesports Jason Day is a good competitor but not many golfers would have beaten Billy Horschel around here on Wednesday and if the American can repeat that form these he has a chance here. Day can be guilty of missing a couple of short putts under pressure and he looked more than a touch rusty against Olesen but got a bit lucky at the end. Horschel should have the pressure on him throughout and the American can take this one. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/day-vs-horschel-betting-birdie-machine-horschel-can-pick-up-major-scalp

[Aidymac]

Re: Accenture Matchplay 19-23 Feb Garcia should be shot for his antics! He was 3UP, Fowler had 25 feet for birdie, Sergio around 4 feet.. And Sergio tells Fowler he can have a half just because he felt guilty that he was a bit slow on the previous hole. He went on to lose on 18.

[kevshat]

Re: Accenture Matchplay 19-23 Feb That's what happens when you've got a reputation to repair :lol. Saturday previews: 4pts J.Furyk to beat R.Fowler 9/10 Boylesports I like Furyk’s all round game here. There will be some holes where Fowler is inspired but there will be a lot of holes where he’s in the rough and desert and you can’t play this course from there. Furyk rarely misses a fairway or a green but when he does miss a green his short game is good enough to get up and down. He’s been firing irons at the flags all week and if that continues here he’ll hole enough to see off Rickie in this one. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/furyk-vs-fowler-betting-jim-furyk-can-see-off-another-american-in-the-desert 4pts L.Oosthuizen to beat J.Day 13/10 Betfred I like Louis Oosthuizen here. He’s creaming the ball off the tee and holing out very nicely and he’s had the advantage of playing 10 fewer holes this week than Day. That’s more than half a round and that could be telling. Day hasn’t looked at his best this week for whatever reason whereas Oosthuizen has looked in fine form and as long as Louis’ back doesn’t give him grief after a lengthy week I’d expect the South African to progress again here. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/oosthuizen-vs-day-betting-louis-oosthuizen-can-see-off-another-big-name-on-saturday

[kevshat]

Re: Accenture Matchplay 19-23 Feb Sunday preview: 4pts J.Day to beat R.Fowler 8/11 Stan James I find it hard to see beyond Jason Day in this match. He’s been the distance in this tournament 12 months ago and it is clear matchplay brings the best out of him. While everyone else in the field are getting weary and making mistakes he looks to be getting stronger and better and if that is the case on Sunday he should have too much for a Fowler who has rode his luck in the last couple of matches. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/day-vs-fowler-betting-jason-day-can-be-too-strong-for-rickie-fowler