The second WGC tournament of 2016 gets underway on Wednesday when 64 of the best players in the world collide in Texas in the purest format of the game – 18 hole match play at the WGC Dell Match Play.
The first three days of this tournament see 32 matches out on the golf course but before we get to the matches on the opening day all 16 groups have been priced up and it would be wrong of us not to seek out the value in them.
The draw for the groups saw a player ranked 1-16 in the world joined by one between 17-32, another from the 33-48 range and finally a player ranked 49-64 all put together. All four players meet each other once with the group winner progressing to the next stage.
There are three groups I like the look of from a betting point of view. The first one comes in Group 14 where Zach Johnson is the main seed. I’ve nothing at all against Johnson. I backed him last week and he served me well running into a place late on but he hasn’t always convinced with his irons since he switched club manufacturers.
He is in a group with Shane Lowry, Martin Kaymer and Marcus Fraser and it is the Irishman I quite like to come out of that. We’ve seen Lowry cause problems to some really big names in this tournament in the past and the way he strikes his irons and with the gun short game he has I’m expecting him to go well this week. It could come down to Lowry’s match with Zach and Lowry wouldn’t be 13/5 to win that so he looks good value here.
Group 15 looks quite an even one on paper but the way Charl Schwartzel is putting I think he could be the one to come through. He faces Brandt Snedeker, Charley Hoffman and Danny Lee all of whom are good ball strikers so this could well come down to putting.
That would give Snedeker a chance but I’ve sensed he has just come off the top of his form in recent times. Schwartzel has the confidence of a win in South Africa to his name recently and generally comes good at this time of year. At 2/1 he’s value in this group.
The last group that interests me from a betting point of view is Group 7 where Justin Rose has to be taken on. His putter has offered nothing for a while and I don’t think he has been as assured with the long game this season either. Rose is one who peaks for the major events and although this is a big tournament it doesn’t have that major history.
Rose goes up against Matt Kuchar, Anirban Lahiri and Fabian Gomez in his group. I’m a big Lahiri fan but I can’t be taking him after his last match play outing which saw him collapse to Chris Kirk in the Presidents Cup. Fabian Gomez could be hit or miss so it is Kuchar I like.
Kuchar has the right personality for match play golf. Nothing phases him but there is a steely determination and the man on man combat brings out his better golf. He is so good tee to green and if the putter works he should go very well. He can come through this group at the very least.
Moving onto the matches for the opening day and there is no doubting the pick of them. That is the battle of the former champion Jason Day against the Ryder Cup star Graeme McDowell. That match doesn’t interest me from a betting point of view but there are a few that do.
I’ve taken Charl Schwartzel to win his group and I’m going to back him to beat Danny Lee too. We saw in the Presidents Cup how one of these enjoys the format of match play and the other was a bit subdued and that should equate to a Schwartzel win here. Confidence can be a big thing and he is the one who has it. I think he can get an opening win in this one.
Patrick Reed has landed himself in an interesting looking group. All eyes will be on his match with Phil Mickelson later in the week but Reed needs to take care of business before then starting with his match against Daniel Berger on Wednesday.
Berger will have played a bit of match play as an amateur but Reed had a good record prior to the pro ranks and we saw in the Ryder Cup a couple of years ago that he has maintained that liking for this format since he has been in the paid echelons of the game.
That is no surprise because he has a fantastic short game, is a very good putter and he generally hits his irons pretty well. I think he’ll be too good for Berger in this tournament opener.
I’m also going to take on Dustin Johnson with an adequate iron player and putter in Robert Streb. We’ve seen all too often how Johnson’s short game lets him down at the major points and in match play that is only further going to be the case.
Streb is accurate from tee to green and he has a pretty solid putting stroke. He is one of those low ranked guys who could spoil a couple of parties this week and he can start by knocking off the main seed in his group.
Back S.Lowry to win Group 14 for a 2/10 stake at 3.60 with Ladbrokes
Back him here:
Back C.Schwartzel to win Group 15 for a 2/10 stake at 3.00 with Betfred
Back him here:
WON – Back M.Kuchar to win Group 7 for a 2/10 stake at 3.50 with Titanbet
Back him here:
WON – Back C.Schwartzel to beat D.Lee for a 4/10 stake at 1.80 with Betfair
Back him here:
WON – Back P.Reed to beat D.Berger for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with Skybet
Back him here:
WON – Back R.Streb to beat D.Johnson for a 3/10 stake at 3.80 with Unibet
Back him here:
