Sky Bet odds compiler John Rhodes looks ahead to The Players Championship.
Improved each-way terms for tough-to-call Sawgrass showdown
Skysports.com: Hi John. It's the so-called fifth major this week - the Players Championship at Sawgrass. How do you bet?
John Rhodes: Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods head the betting at 14-1, with in-form Luke Donald next best at 15-1. With no world number one Lee Westwood or world number six Rory McIlroy, and some of the other Europeans likes McDowell, Kaymer, Poulter, Casey and Rose out of form, it could be a good time for the Americans to notch a win in a big event.
SS: I have to say it looks a hard tournament to call with very few course specialists out there. Any help for punters with each-way terms or anything?
JR: Definitely! Well it's as wide open a "fifth" major as we've had for years. We are betting each-way ¼ 6 places this week, and also offering 6 places on the 1st round leader market! As my punting knows, there is nothing worse than your outright selection coming 6th after 72 holes, so the 6 places with Sky bet is a big bonus this week.
SS: Any theories on why even the top players find it hard to build up a bank of top class course form?
JR: It's a strange one Dave isn't it? Woods has only one win and only one other top 5 finish at Sawgrass. Mickelson alike has one win and one top 5 in his last 14 attempts here too. Conversely you have Ben Crane with form figures of 6-5-4 in the last three years, so it's not as if a player can't rack up a host of great finishes. My only theory is the difficulty of the closing stretch (16-18), where it is easy to drop a few shots when out of contention and this may have an impact on players' finishing positions.
SS: Lee Westwood isn't playing due to the Tour restricting his number of appearances as a non-member and hence denying him the chance for a warm-up in Quail Hollow last week. Rory McIlroy is absent too. Out of interest how would you have priced them up?
JR: An interesting question Dave! I would have been around 16-1 Westwood and 33-1 McIlroy. Westwood should really have put this away last year, but his inability to win big events reared its ugly head, when perennial non-winner Tim Clark came bolting through the field in the final 36 holes.
SS: What other special markets have you got in place at Sawgrass?
JR: The usual array of markets Dave, we have a number of 17th Hole specials, will Woods go in the water, will he make a 2 etc., the usual head-to-head betting, and a whole host of top nationality markets are available. We have a couple of cash back concessions on singles in the Top Euro and Top USA markets, where if Manassero or Watson win these markets respectively, then all bets will be returned as free bets to the punter.
SS: In Europe it's the Iberdrola Open at Pula GC. How do your price that up?
JR: It's a bit like a trotting race being on the same card as the Derby Dave!! A really poor field with last week's impressive winner Thomas Aiken the 10-1 favourite. Course winner Gregory Bourdy is next best at 14-1.
SS: Looking back to last week, was Lucas Glover another skinner for you? Or did anyone back him?
JR: No, another skinner for us Dave. The results in the last three months have been nothing short of unbelievable for us, we are having a record year so far, but as we all know in this game that can easily change. Glover was an 80-1 poke, and the bearded wonder didn't disappoint in beating Jonathan Byrd in a playoff. The Clemson Tiger grad was a popular winner amongst the home fraternity.
SS: In Europe, Thomas Aiken took his first title. Was he backed in Spain?
JR: A very quiet affair really, poor turnover, and a general lack of interest, whilst the bigger event, the Wells Fargo, took place in America. Pablo Larrazabal was by far our worst loser, as he was playing on his home course. He put up a solid effort to come third, so I wouldn't be surprised to see the flamboyant Spaniard lift his second European tour title in the not so distant future. It seems so long ago that he dived (or was pushed!) into the water around the 18th at Le Golf National!
SS: Finally, John. Who is your best bet of the week?
JR: A very tough week to put your punting boots on, but I quite like Adam Scott at 33-1. He's a course winner and starting to come into some solid form, most notably his second at the Masters. I would oppose Bubba Watson in his respective markets, as he says he is exhausted in his "tweets" and has three MCs on the course. Try picking "steady-eddies" into your staking plan this week.
