There might be a major championship taking place this week but that doesn’t mean there is no PGA Tour event. The tournament in question is the Barbasol Championship where the lesser lights on the Tour get the chance to shine.
For some of the players in this event this is a golden opportunity to secure their playing rights for next season with a big finish while others will be eyeing up the FedEx Cup points on offer and benefits that come with a good week.
Recent Winners
2016 – Aaron Baddeley
2015 – Scott Piercy
The Course
The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Grand National in Alabama is the venue for the tournament this week as it has been for the previous two stagings. The course is a par 71 which on a long day can stretch to 7,302 yards.
Generally the players who do well around here hit fairways and greens and putt well but having a bit of length off the tee can be a positive as evidenced by the amount of players high up the driving distance who finished in the top 10 here last year.
The Field
We almost don’t need to mention that the field is pretty limited this week. Many of the stars of the game are in England for The Open so we are left with the journeymen and second string of the Tour.
Jim Furyk is the biggest name who is teeing it up this week while recent winner in Germany, Andres Romero, Daniel Summerhays, Chad Campbell and Ben Martin are all regulars on the Tour who tee it up here.
Market Leaders
Jim Furyk leads the betting at 16/1. This is his debut in the tournament as he is usually playing in The Open but he didn’t qualify for that this year. As his best he could lead this lot a merry dance but if he was anywhere near there he would be in England rather than here. In what looks a wide open heat he seems a little short.
Daniel Summerhays has challenged for a couple of events in recent times but his putting under pressure is terrible so I couldn’t consider him at 18/1. His ball striking isn’t in question but you can’t win if you can’t get the ball in the hole.
Chad Campbell and Ben Martin follow them at 25/1. Campbell has been going well of late and could be considered a real danger here but once again his putting concerns put me off. Ben Martin has the tools to go well but it has been a while since we’ve seen him heavily in contention which is a concern.
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Main Bets
I’m going with a couple of main bets this week. The first is the top dog on the Web.com Tour – Chesson Hadley. Hadley has previous PGA Tour experience but having dropped down a level he has rediscovered his form and his confidence. He won on the second level a couple of weeks ago and followed that up with a solid effort last week. Hadley was just outside the top 10 here last year and looks equipped for a much better run this time around.
Robby Shelton made a name for himself as an amateur two years ago he should be ready for an even stronger effort here. He has a win and a second on minor tours in the last couple of months so he is swinging it well and his familiarity with this track should have him primed for a good run.
Outsider
I’m only going for one outsider this week and that is Blayne Barber. He is a local player who knows this course like the back of his hand. Barber is 24th on Tour in proximity to the hole and sits at 12 on strokes gained putting. Those statistics combined with his knowledge of the track should see him able to build on the top 10 he posted here in 2015.
Tips
Back C.Hadley to win Barbasol Championship (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 26.00 with Coral (1/5 1-7)
Back R.Shelton to win Barbasol Championship (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 34.00 with Coral (1/5 1-7)
Back B.Barber to win Barbasol Championship (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 67.00 with Coral (1/5 1-7)
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