Golf Picks: Byron Nelson Championship and BMW PGA Championship
by Frank Doyle of Sports Interaction - 5/26/2011
For the second week in a row, there are tournaments of equal prestige and importance on either side of the Atlantic Ocean. The USPGA stays in the Lone Star State for the Byron Nelson Championship at TPC Las Colinas, while some of the best players in the world are making their way to Wentworth in the south of England for the BMW PGA Championship.
The field at Wentworth features seven of the top ten golfers in the world, a very high number for a tournament other than a major. There is also the subtext of the three-way battle for the World Number One spot between Lee Westwood, Luke Donald and Martin Kaymer being played out among the rolling hills of Surrey.
Donald is the +700 favorite, followed by Westwood at +900 and Kaymer at +1400. Kaymer is the best value of the three, and his second place finish in Spain last week might be a pointer that he has got over the dip in form that saw him blow up at the Masters.
Further down the field there’s value in Justin Rose and Paul Casey at +3000, while each way bettors might like to think about Ernie Els at +5000 or Darren Clarke at +8000.
Back in Texas, Nick Watney, Jason Day and Dustin Johnson are joint favorites for the Byron Nelson Championship at +1600. Day is a previous winner and Dustin Johnson will win a major one day. Watney won the WGC Cadillac Championship earlier this year, so these are all quality golfers.
The interesting thing about the TPC Las Colinas is the wind. To win the Byron Nelson you have to master the wind, and players who can scramble and make greens in regulation are the guys who can do that. Brian Gay leads the PGA in scrambling – he’s a good bet at +2800.
Sergio Garcia can be a hard man to have faith in because of issues in his putter and his head, but he finished well at Sawgrass and he’s won the Byron Nelson before. He’s +2800 as well.
Finally, for each way bettors, Ricky Barnes is worth a look at +9000. He can play the wind and he was fourth at the Heritage and the Honda Classic. Not a bad bet at the price.
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