It is fair to say that the attention of the golfing world is on the town of Carnoustie in Scotland but for those on the PGA Tour who have not made it into The Open they have the chance to earn a decent pay day and benefits that come with it by teeing it up in the Barbasol Championship.
It is a week for the lesser lights of the Tour to shine which is exactly what Grayson Murray did last year when he won the tournament. Injury denies him the chance to defend the title so someone else will be lifting it in Kentucky this week.
Recent Winners
2017 – Grayson Murray
2016 – Aaron Baddeley
2015 – Scott Piercy
The Course
Keene Trace Golf Club in Kentucky is the new venue for this tournament. It is a par 72 which measures 7,328 yards and is likely to be set up for low scoring. The rough isn’t particularly dense but even if it was these greens are huge.
The challenge is said to come from the undulations on the large greens so we are looking for good putters this week and players who make a lot of birdies in what is anticipated to be a low week of scoring despite the lack of star names on show.
The Field
As I’ve highlighted already, the field is not the strongest this week. In fact the profile of it is probably raised by the fact that LPGA star Brittany Lincicome has accepted a sponsors invite to play making her the first female in a PGA Tour event since Michelle Wie in 2008.
As for the men Billy Horschel and Chris Kirk look the standout attractions in the field while Wesley Bryan, Whee Kim and Danny Lee also catch the eye among those teeing it up this week. This is very much a week for the lesser lights to shine.
Market Leaders
Billy Horschel is the 12/1 favourite this week and if this was a course that the Tour regularly visits I might well have weighed in on him myself but I’m not sure I can part with my hard earned on such a price even allowing for the fact that he is one of the two standout players in the field. There are too many unknowns for comfort at the price.
The same applies to Chris Kirk at 14/1. His price is nearer something that is more acceptable but it still doesn’t get my juices flowing if I’m honest even allowing for him probably being the best putter in the field. Joel Dahmen has been in decent form recently but even that doesn’t really convince me to get stuck in at 20/1.
Brian Gay is 28/1 and is the fourth favourite in the field this week. He was much more to my liking and if I was confident he could get it done if he gets into contention I would be happy to be on but there is nothing worse than watching someone struggle on Sunday with your hard earned invested so I’ll head deeper into the market for my bets.
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Main Bets
I’ve been backing Wesley Bryan in much strong events than this in recent weeks so I’m obliged to go in again. I’d kick myself if he waltzes up in this weaker field when I’ve not got my cash on. He actually looks to have a leading chance if he can keep the ball in play off the tee. He’s a decent enough putter and really strong with the shorter irons. That is a good combination so he’s one of my main bets.
The other one comes in the form of Johnson Wagner. Most of the PGA Tour events are probably beyond him at this stage of his career but he is second in the field in strokes gained putting and I suspect that is going to mean something here. This doesn’t seem like the biggest test from tee to green so Wagner should create a lot of scoring opportunities. Recent history suggests he should take more than his fair share too.
Outsiders
I’ve backed Hunter Mahan a couple of times this season as I’m convinced he is showing some signs of life again and this feels like an obvious week to get back on his train. We know he remains one of the best putters in the field so if he can get the ball onto the dancefloor in the right number there is no reason why he can’t go deep this week. He had a decent week at the John Deere last week and may not need much of an upgrade to contend here.
Michael Thompson is another who has shown good 18 holes from time to time this season but hasn’t put all four rounds together yet. He is very high up the strokes gained putting statistic this season so he should be gaining ground on these large greens. If he can get a few irons dialled in then he could go much better than his price suggests that he will.
Tips
Back W.Bryan to win Barbasol Championship (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 34.00 with 888sport (1/4 1-5)
Back him here:
Back J.Wagner to win Barbasol Championship (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 34.00 with Unibet (1/4 1-5)
Back him here:
PLACED – Back H.Mahan to win Barbasol Championship (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 67.00 with Coral (1/5 1-7)
Back him here:
Back M.Thompson to win Barbasol Championship (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 126.00 with Boylesports (1/5 1-6)
Back him here:
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