Wyndham Championship - Aug 14-17

[Crouch Potato]

Michael Thompson @ 170 Betfair Feel like he is good value this week in a field without too many of the big names in it. This week is a Par 70 (7130 yards) and for mine Thompson is a Par 70 specialist. His only career win was the Honda Classic (PGA National, Par 70, 7140 yards). His next best career results are:

• 2nd: 2012 US Open (Olympic Club, Par 70, 7170 yards)
• 3rd: 2011 McGladrey Classic (Seaside Course, Par 70, 7005 yards)
• 4th: 2011 Travelers Championship (TPC River Highlands, Par 70, 6841 yards)
• 6th: 2012 Sony Open (Waialae CC, Par 70, 7044 yards)

He has 4 more Top 10's in his career. A couple of 8th placed finishes at the Memorial and WGC Cadillac were both on Par 72's but the other 2 were on Par 70's as well. In terms of his performance this year it hasn't set leaderboards on fire and 4 missed cuts in his past 8 events doesn't make for the best reading. However, in between those missed cuts you'll find a 10th placed finish at the Crowne Plaza which was only 3 shots off the winning score. He actually opened with a 73 that week and only Adam Scott shot lower over the last 3 rounds. You'll also find a T11 at the Wells Fargo amongst his last 8 starts where he ranked 2nd in strokes gained putting. And just 2 starts ago he was T11 at the Greenbrier. He was actually 4th heading into Sunday and played in the 2nd last group, so whilst he finished some way off the pace he was well in contention heading into the final round. When interviewed that weekend he said this about his game:

"I've been playing really well this year. I've made a lot of cuts, giving myself chances to have really good tournaments. Just haven't been able to close it out. To have another opportunity going into Sunday is a great experience. It's something I can build on and carry on into the rest of the year."

via http://www.asapsports.com/show_interview.php?id=100702 He obviously thinks he's playing well and though the results aren't quite there he sits 12th in strokes gained putting for the year which certainly suggests he has the flat stick working. Considering most winners here have ranked in the Top 10 for putting this is another factor in his favour*. Has probably had one bad/not good enough round on a couple of occasions lately that has cost him a genuine chance of winning but IMO he is moving in the right direction and whilst he's certainly no favourite this weekend for mine he offers very nice value. * Not confirmed this stat myself, but one of the betting blogs has said only Reed last year (14th) won the event whilst being ranked outside the Top 10 in putting for the tournament.

[kevshat]

Re: Wyndham Championship - Aug 14-17 Tournament preview: 1pt ew C.Pettersson to win Wyndham Championship 45/1 Bet365 (1/4 1-5) Carl Pettersson is a former winner around here and he’s had a couple of top 10s since then and could be worth following this week. In truth his recent form is nothing to shout about but he had a couple of top 10 finishes in June and having not played in four of the last five weeks he’s had plenty of time to work on his game ahead of a tournament he enjoys on a track that suits him. In a much weaker field than he’s usually involved in the Swede could set himself up for the playoffs in the perfect way this week. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/wyndham-championship-betting-carl-pettersson-can-reclaim-wyndham-title