PGA Betting – HP Byron Nelson Preview & Pick
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The Byron Nelson Championship may not have as star-studded a field as we’ve gotten used to over the last month on the PGA Tour, but it’s an important event.
Date: Thursday May 20 – May 23
Event: HP Byron Nelson Championship
Course: TPC Four Seasons Resort, Irving, Texas
Purse: $6,500,000
Defending Champ: Rory Sabbatini
FedEX Cup Points Up For Grabs: 500
The top 10 in 2010 earnings will qualify for the U.S. Open after this week, so a strong showing will do wonders for fringe guys.
Speaking of fringe, you better be well inside it to win at the Byron Nelson. It’s a tournament that rewards shot makers who hit lots of greens in regulation.
Let’s review the best options.
THE ELITE
None this week.
THE CONTENDERS
Hunter Mahan
Byron Nelson Championship odds: +1850
Mahan’s best finish at the Byron Nelson is 42nd but I think that number will improve significantly this week. Mahan leads the Tour in ball striking this season and is sixth in greens hit.
He’s dialled in, with three straight top-20 finishes. The time is right for him to win.
Ben Crane
Byron Nelson Championship odds: +2550
Like Mahan, he hasn’t impressed much in this tournament recently but, like Mahan, the peripherals really favor Ben Crane this week. He cracks the Tour’s top 10 in birdies or better on par-4s, fairways hit and greens in regulation.
His fourth-place finish at the Players turned heads as well.
Heath Slocum
Byron Nelson Championship odds: +2550
Slocum and Crane are essentially a coin flip. Just like Crane, Slocum’s accuracy numbers are way up, but with one crucial difference; Slocum also leads the Tour in driving accuracy. That probably gives him the tiebreaker over Crane.
SOLID PICKS
Charley Hoffman
Byron Nelson Championship odds: +3050
I have a hunch about this guy. Hoffman has flirted with major success of late, posting two straight top-25s and a 13th-place finish at the Valero Texas Open last week.
He ranked first in birdies and fifth in putting last week. Unlike some of the other contenders, Hoffman also has three top-25s in his last four starts at the Byron Nelson. 
Bo Van Pelt
Byron Nelson Championship odds: +3050
Our pick to win last week fell short, finishing 28th, but maybe we were just off by a week. He’s still second on Tour in ball striking and had three straight top-five finishes before the Valero Texas Open.
THE SLEEPERS
Rickie Fowler
Byron Nelson Championship odds: +3850
Could it be the rookie’s time? He’s 10th on Tour in ball striking and has four top-10s in his first 13 starts. Two of those finishes came in his last three outings. We can never discount jitters if he’s in the hunt on Sunday but the kid sure looks good so far.
Carl Pettersson
Byron Nelson Championship odds: +5250
Pettersson finished fourth at the Byron Nelson two years ago and has the right makeup for sustained success here. He’s fifth on Tour in birdies or better on par-4s and he’s been very consistent, making seven straight cuts.
THE PICK
Hunter Mahan looks good but this is a strange week in that very few contenders seem to have a good track record at this tournament.
That’s why I like Charley Hoffman, who is practically the only guy with repeated success at the Byron Nelson. He’s also playing well right now and really attacking the pin, so he’s my play this week.
Pick: Charley Hoffman +3050
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