Phil Mickelson returned to the world’s
top ten with his comfortable four-stroke victory in last week’s
Waste Management Phoenix Open. “Lefty” set out his stall with a
stunning opening round of 60 and never looked like being caught.
Brandt Snedeker finished runner-up for the second consecutive week
having given vain chase to Tiger Woods at Torrey Pines a week
earlier. He has now risen to number 6 in the official rankings.
Phil Mickelson is 7-1 betting favourite to win
back-to-back AT and T Pebble Beach titles and there will be plenty of takers at that price.
His return to form was delayed by a recent bout of flu but he was
firing on all cylinders last week, coming so close to shooting a 59.
Snedeker is 12-1 to continue his excellent run of form and must also
be respected whilst Hyundai Tournament of Champions winner Dustin
Johnson is as short as 8-1 to claim another title.
Spyglass Hill and Monterey Peninsula
host the opening rounds before the climax at Pebble Beach on Sunday.
If you are looking for slightly better odds than those on offer for
Mickelson, Snedeker and Johnson, there are plenty of other potential
winners in the field. Chief among those could well be Britain’s Lee
Westwood, a highly encouraging fifth last weekend on his seasonal
debut. He makes plenty of appeal at 20-1, the same price as the
in-form Nick Watney.
Watney is a five-time PGA Tour winner
and was tied for fourth in the Farmers Insurance Open before
finishing back in the pack in Phoenix. Watney has made seven
consecutive cuts here and a couple of top ten finishes so it seems
only a matter of time before he gets right into contention. Aaron
Baddeley is a lively outsider at 40-1. He has finished in the top six
on his last two visits to Pebble Beach and, like Watney, put up a
good performance in the Farmers Insurance Open recently.
Kevin Na (80-1) finished fifth here
last year and is right up towards the putting stats this season. He
only has one PGA Tour victory under his belt so far but has the game
to figure prominently this week. Another outsider to consider is Josh
Teater, backed at massive odds earlier in the week but still a
healthy looking 90-1 shot. Hunter Mahan (28-1) showed only glimpses
of what he is capable of last week, as did Webb Simpson (35-1) and it
would be no surprise to see either of them bounce back to form.
Padraig Harrington (25-1) flattered
only to deceive last week, mixing two superb rounds of 64 and 63 with
two 70’s to finish in a tie for ninth place. Nonetheless, he will
have been delighting with his overall game and the three-time Major
Championship winner could be hinting at an imminent return to his
best. His improved form did not go unnoticed and the special market
on top GB and Ireland player makes it a straight head-to-head between
Westwood (evens) and Harrington (13-8). Other markets include Top 10
finish and first round leader.
For Stacks of Golf Betting Odds
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