It’s a busy week for golf with three events across the PGA & DP World Tours so I’m going to concentrate on the WGC Dell Technologies Matchplay but also provide tips for the Corales Puntacana Championship and the Jonnson Workwear Open.
The WGC Dell Technologies Matchplay is the main attraction this week with a Wednesday start and will take place at the Austin Country Club, Austin, Texas.
The top-ranked 64 players in the world will play in the only Matchplay format on the PGA Tour but if rumours are correct it could be the last we see of this event. They will all be competing for a share of the $20M prize purse with the winner collecting the WGC Technologies Matchplay title and a winner’s cheque for $3.6M.
Scottie Scheffler returns to defend the crown that took him to new heights last year as he became the World No. 1 after winning this event. He returns to Texas still as the best-ranked player on the planet having regained his throne by winning The Players Championship just a couple of weeks back.
I’ll quickly explain the format for this event, Sixteen groups consisting of four players will start in a Champions League-style group stage. They will play each other in the group in a round-robin from Wednesday to Friday then the winners of each group will progress to the last sixteen and onto the weekend. Two rounds will be played on Saturday, the last sixteen and quarter-finals with the qualifiers battling it out in the semi-final and final which will be played on Sunday.
Austin Country Club will be playing 7,108 yards long this week, it’s a par 71 parkland layout. I wouldn’t say any advantage can be had this week as this is a knockout event so it’s all about holding your nerve, having bottle and being consistent from start to finish.
The weather is forecast to be not so good from Wednesday to Friday for the group stages with cloudy, breezy conditions and showers. The weekend should bring better weather with the sun breaking through and remaining much calmer. Breezes will peak at around 17-18mph.
This event will be screened on Sky Sports Golf with live coverage starting at 2.15 pm on Wednesday afternoon.
So let’s crack on with all the tips for this week's golf starting with the WGC Dell Technologies Matchplay.
Collin Morikawa 28/1 EW 1-4 places Betfred
For my first and main selection in Texas, I’m going to single out Collin Morikawa 28/1 EW 1-4 places Betfred. The 26-year-old from Los Angeles, California ticks all the boxes for me this week and when bringing his A game, he’s as consistent as they come and can grind down anyone in this knockout format. Already this year Morikawa has finished runner-up at the Sentry Tournament of Champions,3rd Farmers Insurance and T6th at the Genesis Invitational.
Last time out he was in the Top 20 yet again with a 13th-place finish at The Players Championship where he’d be the first to admit his putting let him down.
On the stats front the two-time major champion has a whole host of Top 10 figures on the PGA Tour .6th Greens in Regulation Percentage at 71.35%, 5th Par 5 scoring Average at 4.44, 4th SG Tee to Green, 3rd SG Approach to Green and 3rd Driving Accuracy. Collin Morikawa is a wizard with his irons when producing and I’m backing him to produce the goods this week in Austin, Texas.
His Ryder Cup record is sublime having not been beaten winning two foursomes and a fourball whilst drawing his only singles match, at the Walker Cup it’s even better with four out of four wins. He did win the group stage last year and with some valuable knowledge gained, he can go all the way this year as he adds the WGC Dell Technologies Matchplay to his collection amongst the world's golfing elite.
Tyrrell Hatton 25/1 EW 1-4 places Unibet
For my next best selection, it’s all about doing your homework here, I’m going to advise a player from the other side of the draw who can’t collide with Morikawa until the later stages, Tyrrell Hatton 25/1 EW 1-4 places Unibet.
The 31-year-old Englishman from High Wycombe will have to negotiate his way past Rory McIlroy if both come out of the group stages but with Rory going through some club changes as rumoured, it may not be the event to start some tinkering for the Irishman and Hatton can take full advantage, If they both qualify that is. Hatton has been in fine fettle recently and was runner-up last time out at The Players Championship.
At his previous event, he was 4th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. All in all this year alone, Hatton has four Top 10 finishes with the other two being 7th at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship over in the DP World Tour and T6th at the Phoenix Open. He certainly arrives in Texas with plenty of form in the bag and this consistency along with the will to win makes Tyrrell Hatton a formidable opponent and one who most will want to avoid.
He has already tasted success across the big pond when winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational in 2020 and that can be backed up with another half dozen titles on the DP World Tour. I’m counting on Tyrell Hatton to get his way out of the group stage comfortably and then start knocking them out for six as he conquers America once again on his way to becoming the WGC Technologies Champion, he could go down in history as the last one to ever do that if this event is not continued.
Partick Cantlay 20/1 EW 1-4 places BetVictor
For my final outright selection, I’m going to recommend Partick Cantlay 20/1 EW 1-4 places BetVictor.
The 31-year-old from Long Beach, California is another who will enjoy this format. At the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits Cantlay won three of his matches and tied the other so it’s fair to say he clearly enjoys this kind of event and without being disrespectful, he shouldn’t have any problems getting out his group against Brian Harman, KH Lee and Nick Taylor. If he can safely negotiate his way over that first hurdle then the others will be looking out for Cantlay with interest.
The 2021 FedEx Champ and current World ranked No4 has only played six events this year but has finished inside the Top 20 at four of them with two of them being inside the Top 5. 4th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and 3rd at the Genesis Invitational. Last time out at The Players Championship he was T19th and with The Masters fast approaching, Cantlay will be eyeing up his first major victory and a W here would only enhance any chances.
With six PGA titles already safely in the bag, it could be a magnificent seven this weekend in Texas for Patrick Cantlay as he grinds down the field and comes up trumps. He could be the ace in the pack at the Austin County Club this week as he marches to victory knocking out everyone in his path as he claims another crown on Sunday evening.
WGC Dell Technologies Matchplay Betting Tips
- Collin Morikawa 28/1 EW 1-4 places Betfred
- Tyrrell Hatton 25/1 EW 1-4 places Unibet
- Partick Cantlay 20/1 EW 1-4 places BetVictor
Corales Puntacana Championship Tips
So all that’s left now is to cover the other two events happening this week. I’ll start off with my selections for the Corales Puntacana Championship at Punta Cana which obviously has a much weaker field with all the big guns in Texas.
- Thomas Detry 20/1 EW 1-8 places William Hill
- Ben Martin 28/1 EW 1-8 places William Hill
- Emilliano Grillo 30/1 EW 1-8 places Quinnbett
And now for the DP World Tour event which again as far as I believe has no TV coverage which isn’t good I’m afraid.
Jonnson Workwear Open betting tips
For my three Jonnson Workwear Open betting tips in Steyn City South Africa, I’m going to include;
- Thristen Lawrence 33/1 EW 1-6 places Unibet
- Wilco Nienaber 30/1 EW 1-7 places Coral
- Zander Lombard 40/1 EW 1-7 places Paddy Power
In December 2020 we sadly 
