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PGA 2012 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial Preview/Picks & Gambling Lines

PGA Betting – 2012 Colonial Crowne Plaza Invitational Predictions

2012 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial comes our way from Fort Worth Texas this week after yet another thrilling Byron Nelson. Colonial Golf Club hosts the pros for the 66th straight year for what is regarded as many’s favorite stop on TOUR.

2012 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
Location: Fort Worth, Texas, United States
Course: Colonial Country Club
Date: May 24-27, 2012
Total Purse: US $ 6,400,000
Winner’s Share: US $ 1,170,000 (18% of total purse)
Defending Champion: David Toms ($1,116,000)

Hitting fairways will be the key this week – for once distance is not the be all and end all for the entrants. Greens in regulation, smart and creative shot making and as always a good putter will certainly help this week.

Last week I got it wrong! Adam Scott missed the cut – brutal. Heck, my five year old daughter called Dufner last week and I didn’t listen.

Let’s take a look at the field this week and choose who I (and maybe my daughter) thinks will emerge victorious on Sunday.

The Favorites:

Matt Kuchar 12/1

Kuchar was looking like he was going to make it two in a row last week but had a bad weekend. He is certainly HOT after his win at the PLAYERS and his T15 last week but he himself has admitted that exhaustion may be getting the best of him. He’s 5-for-5 in cuts made at Colonial with a solo ninth in 2008 and a T16 last year. He should contend again but I see him fading down the stretch again this week to a strong field.

Zach Johnson 12/1

Has finished second in two of his last three events, the PLAYERS and the RBC – needless to say, he may be due. Johnson has three straight top 10s in this event including a win in 2010 and a fourth in 2011. He’s eighth in driving accuracy and 22nd in Strokes Gained-Putting this year on TOUR – perfect for Colonial.

Rickie Fowler 16/1

Fowler has been incredible of late – three top 10s in his last three starts with a win at Quail Hollow and a co-runner-up at TPC Sawgrass. Fowler has the distance and the accuracy to contend this week – 36th on TOUR in fairways hit, fifth in total driving and 17th in greens hit. He was T16 last year in this event and was T38 the year before and had a stunning 63 on Day 1 of last year’s Crowne Plaza Invitational!

The Contenders:

Jason Dufner 18/1

You just gotta love Dufner and his calm demeanor. He now leads the FedExCup standings and is sixth on TOUR in driving accuracy and 13th in GIR, 5th in ball-striking and 4th in all around – all perfect traits for Colonial. He missed the cut here last year and his best finish is a T59 but are you betting against him?

Hunter Mahan 25/1

He just has to be mentioned based on his terrific ball striking but he has floundered lately with a T53 at Quail Hollow and a missed cut at TPC Sawgrass.

David Toms 28/1

Toms comes into this event in fine shape – a T15 at the Wells Fargo and a T10 at The PLAYERS and is the defending Champion of this event. He has seven top 20 finishes in 14 starts at Colonial as well. He ranks second on TOUR in fairways and 34th in greens and should be good to go this weekend – watch out for Mr. Toms!

Bo Van Pelt 30/1

Van Pelt has eleven consecutive rounds in the 60s running at Colonial and he has made the cut all eight times he’s played here. He already has five top 10s this year including a T7 at the PLAYERS and he did finish 3rd here last year and had a T10 the year before.

Bill Haas 33/1

Has a T13 (2010) and T8 (2011) at this event but really hasn’t shown the FedExCup winning form from last year quite yet.

Jim Furyk 33/1

Furyk has been solid so far this year with his worst finish being a T26 at Quail Hollow. He is third on the PGA TOUR in fairways hit and 64th in greens and ranks 12th in Strokes Gained-Putting. Furyk’s game is well suited for this course making him a contender this week.

Sergio Garcia 35/1

Garcia is coming off a T5 at the Volvo World Match Play Championship last week in Spain and he is a former winner of this event back in 2001. He finished T16 here last year. Garcia is terrific with his accuracy which will help this week – unfortunately his putter hasn’t been cooperating so far this year! He should do well but unless his putter is straightened out a win is unlikely.

The Sleepers:

Kevin Na 50/1

Has five top 10s already this year and if not for a meltdown on Sunday at the PLAYERS he could be in a much better position. He ranks 18th in fairways hit and he was the best putter in the field at the PLAYERS. The question is – did his confidence take a blow with his 76 on Sunday at Sawgrass or will he bounce back?

John Senden 55/1

John Senden could surprise this week – his game is perfect for Colonial. He is first on TOUR in ball-striking, third in GIR and 19th in driving accuracy and he has played fairly well in this event in the past – T8 in ’11, T56 ’10, T18 ’09 [soliloquy id=”82219″]

Kevin Stadler 100/1

He finished T7 here last year and has seven top 25s of 10 cuts made in 12 starts this season. He’s arguably playing better than last year at this time – his putter has cooperated unlike years past!

The Pick:

Zach Johnson 12/1 was my pick a couple of weeks ago and he is my pick again this week. After two-second place finishes in his last three starts, something has to give. His game is perfectly suited for this track and he certainly deserves to be hoisting a trophy.

My sleeper is Kevin Na at 50/1. I am confident that his troubles at the PLAYERS were a good learning experience rather than a detriment. At 50/1 he’s worth a shot!

2012 The Players Championship Betting Lines & Future Odds

CLICK TO BET

 

Matt Kuchar 16/1  
Zach Johnson 14/1  
Rickie Fowler 16/1  
Jason Dufner 18/1  
Hunter Mahan 25/1  
Bo Van Pelt 28/1  
David Toms 28/1  
Jim Furyk 33/1  
Louis Oosthuizen 33/1  
Nick Watney 33/1  
Bill Haas 33/1  
Sergio Garcia 33/1  
Geoff Ogilvy 40/1  
Carl Pettersson 40/1  
Ben Crane 40/1  
Kevin Na 40/1  
John Senden 50/1  
Pat Perez 50/1  
Jeff Overton 50/1  
Brian Davis 50/1  
Ryan Palmer 50/1  
Sean O’Hair 66/1  
John Rollins 66/1  
Jonathan Byrd 66/1  
Ryan Moore 66/1  
Charlie Wi 66/1  
Bud Cauley 66/1  
Jonas Blixt 66/1  
Marc Leishman 66/1  
Bryce Molder 66/1  
Spencer Levin 66/1  
Brian Gay 66/1  
Cameron Tringale 80/1  
John Huh 80/1  
Vijay Singh 80/1  
Kyle Stanley 80/1  
Johnson Wagner 80/1  
Greg Chalmers 80/1  
Gary Woodland 80/1  
Henrik Stenson 80/1  
Kevin Streelman 100/1  
Blake Adams 100/1  
Ken Duke 100/1  
Kevin Stadler 100/1  
J.J. Henry 100/1  
Aaron Baddeley 80/1  
Seung-yul Noh 100/1  
Charley Hoffman 100/1  
George Mcneill 100/1  
Chad Campbell 100/1  
Sang-Moon Bae 80/1  
Mark Wilson 125/1  
Harrison Frazar 100/1  
Chris Stroud 100/1  
Y-E Yang 100/1  
Brendon De Jonge 100/1  
Matt Every 100/1  
James Driscoll 125/1  
Kris Blanks 125/1  
Rod Pampling 125/1  
Stewart Cink 100/1  
Boo Weekley 125/1  
Tim Clark 100/1  
Dicky Pride 100/1  
Robert Allenby 125/1  
Ricky Barnes 125/1  
Rory Sabbatini 125/1  
Bob Estes 125/1  
Jason Bohn 125/1  
John Mallinger 125/1  
Brian Harman 150/1  
Graham Delaet 150/1  
Brandt Jobe 150/1  
Lucas Glover 125/1  
David Hearn 150/1  
Greg Owen 125/1  
Chez Reavie 150/1  
Michael Thompson 150/1  
Ryo Ishikawa 150/1  
Trevor Immelman 175/1  
David Mathis 150/1  
Davis Love III 200/1  
Jerry Kelly 175/1  
Andres Romero 175/1  
Hunter Haas 175/1  
Billy Mayfair 175/1  
Heath Slocum 175/1  
Justin Leonard 175/1  
Vaughn Taylor 200/1  
Corey Pavin 175/1  
Keith Clearwater 500/1  
Colt Knost 200/1  
Scott Verplank 200/1  
Tim Herron 175/1  
Roberto Castro 200/1  
Jeff Maggert 200/1  
Josh Teater 200/1  
William Mcgirt 250/1  
D.J. Trahan 200/1  
Chris Kirk 200/1  
Tommy Gainey 250/1  
Tom Gillis 200/1  
J.J Killeen 250/1  
Mark Anderson 250/1  
Miguel Angel Carballo 250/1  
Chris Dimarco 250/1  
Erik Compton 250/1  
Will Claxton 250/1  
Daniel Summerhays 250/1  
Bobby Gates 250/1  
John Daly 250/1  
Steve Flesch 300/1  
Martin Flores 300/1  
Scott Stallings 300/1  
Michael Bradley 300/1  
Peter Uihlein 400/1  
Brendon Todd 400/1  
Billy Hurley 500/1  
Edward Loar 500/1  
Kelly Kraft 500/1  
Fulton Allem 500/1  
Harris English 66/1  

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