MY pick from last week Rafa Cabrera-Bello came close but a bogey on the 72nd hole robbed him of the chance of a play-off against Australian Wade Ormsby.
This is the second time in three or four weeks this has happened to my selections and hopefully this won’t happen at the Australian PGA Championship at RACV Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast. However, in the last six years there have been four play-offs so expect a tight finish.
The Championship course has fairways that can be quite tight with undulating greens. The course is made up of two sets of nine from the Green and Gold courses with water on quite a few holes and bunkers coming into play on a lot of them.
A lot of the field played in the Australian Open last week and also Hong Kong Open winner Ormsby, Sergio Garcia, Jason Day and Adam Scott are all taking part.
My first thought for this week was world No.13 Marc Leishman but when I checked his price it just seemed too short for my liking. In fact with the top four all 10s or under I’ll be giving them a miss.
Australian Matt Jones hasn’t had a great start to the 2018 PGA Tour season with two missed cuts and two top-50 finishes. He hasn’t played much in his native country since turning pro and joining the PGA Tour but has won one of Australia’s three Majors.
In 2015 he won the Emirates Australian Open, beating the likes of Jordan Spieth and Scott. At the same event last week he finished one shot behind winner Cameron Davis and looks like he has got his game back.
I’ve been impressed by New Zealander Ryan Fox the times I have seen him and he has had quite a good first season on the European Tour. He finished off the season in grand style at the Dubai World Tour Championship with a final round 69 and a 28th place.
I first saw him in the 2015 Open Championship at St Andrews where a third-round 76 was his only blemish. He is the longest hitter on the European Tour although not the most accurate but is a good putter which could be important. He finished ninth here last year and I fancy his chances.
Recommended Bets
- 1.5pts ew Matt Jones (22-1, Betfred)
- 1.5pts ew Ryan Fox (28-1, bet365)
