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PGA Golf

2013 PGA Championship Preview/Picks & Gambling Lines

PGA Betting Predictions

The final Major of the year comes our way this week – the 2013 PGA Championship will be contested at Oak Hills in the great state of New York. Oak Hills is no stranger to the world’s best and it is no stranger to drama either!

2013 PGA Championship
Location: Rochester, New York, United States
Course: Oak Hill Country Club
Date: Aug 8-11, 2013
Total Purse: US $ 8,000,000
Winner’s Share: US $ 1,445,000 (18% of total purse)
Odds from Bovada

Defending Champion: Rory McIlroy ($1,445,000)

Narrow fairways and thick challenging rough will greet the PGA Pros on a relatively short 7,163 yard par 70 course. Accuracy is key and strong iron play will be essential here this week. As always, a hot putter will also come in handy.

Let’s take a look at the marquee names to watch and a few of the ones slipping under the radar for this fourth Major of the PGA season.

The Favorites:

Tiger Woods 11/2

Tiger was absolutely dominant last week winning at Firestone by seven strokes and he feels good ahead of this week – and why not? The same old problem looms however – his sketchy play on weekends. He does have a pair of top 6 finishes in Majors this year but on tough, tricky tracks he hasn`t exactly been the terrific Tiger we`d like to see ahead of this weekend. He`s an obvious pick – or is he?

Phil Mickelson 16/1

How about Phil? He is still a tad tough to figure out however! He is eighth in strokes gained-putting on TOUR and inside top 15 in par-3, par-4 and par-5 scoring – he is impossible to overlook. I, like many am waiting for a Phil meltdown and it could come sooner rather than later.

Adam Scott 18/1

Finished T14 last week and certainly has the game to contend this week as well. Tee to green he is one of the best but his putter has a tendency to abandon him at times. He is 14th in total driving on TOUR, 24th in GIR and third in adjusted scoring and is another guy that raises his game on the biggest stages.

The Contenders:

Henrik Stenson 25/1

Has been sensational this year and may be due to break out in an elusive Major this week. He was solo second last week at Firestone and has finished top 3 on his last three starts overall including another second place finish at The Open. He sixth on the PGA TOUR in fairways hit, second in greens in regulation and seventh in adjusted scoring. His accuracy will come in handy this week – hard not to like him on a track that suits him better than the other top contenders.

Justin Rose 25/1

Had a missed cut at The Open Championship and a T17 at Firestone and doesn’t look quite as dominant as I would like at this point of the season. He hasn’t been the same since the US Open and could struggle again this week.

Lee Westwood 25/1

Has gone T8-T15-T3 in the Majors this year but the biggest stages seem to be his kryptonite. He has 12 top 15 finishes in his last 16 starts in Majors and seven top 3s without a win – amazing. He will have a lot of people hoping for a breakthrough this week but for some reason can’t seem to get over the hump.

Brandt Snedeker 30/1

Finished a disappointing T33 at Firestone last week but Oak Hill fits his game perfectly – specifically his off-the-charts short game. He won the Canadian Open two weeks ago and his putter is a true difference maker. He is 10th in strokes gained-putting on TOUR, 21st in scrambling, ninth in adjusted scoring. He will be high on the list of many experts this week – mine as well!

Hunter Mahan 35/1

Probably would have won the Canadian Open two weeks ago if not for his wife selfishly going into labor! If not for the new arrival, he would be my pick – I just am not sure where his head will be this week! He has been in the final group of the last two majors and perhaps may have a little karma working for him.

Keegan Bradley 35/1

Finished second at Firestone last week but was way off the pace! But he led the field at Firestone in total driving and greens in regulation and ranked sixth in strokes gained-putting last week – a perfect formula for success at Oak Hill. He has a win and a T3 in his last two starts in this tournament and should be in the mix this week as well.

Matt Kuchar 35/1

Has made 22 straight cuts and his style fits this track very well. He enters having a win and two seconds in his last six starts overall and has top 15s in two of the three Majors this year. The question mark will be his driving accuracy – something that could limit him this week.

Jason Dufner 40/1

Is finally starting to look like the Dufner of 2012. He finished T4 last week at Firestone and also finished T4 at the US Open. While he is not quite on top of many lists, he is still on the radar.

Jason Day 45/1

Has a pair of top 3s in Majors this year but is coming off a T53 at Firestone. It is hard to overlook the Aussie on the biggest stage but his form scares me ahead of this week.

Zach Johnson 45/1

Has quietly been playing some good golf of late – a playoff loss at the John Deere, a T6 and Muirfield and a T4 last week at Firestone in his last three starts. His game is accuracy (fairways hit and greens in regulation) and that is the key at Oak Hills. Johnson is an intriguing 45/1 for sure!

The Sleepers (50/1 or higher):

Bill Haas 50/1

Enters having finished top 10 in four of his last six starts and has nine top 10s on the season. He played Riviera and Congressional very well this year – similar tracks to Oak Hills and he was T7 last week at Firestone. Haas’ record at the Majors isn’t all that impressive but his current form is.

Jim Furyk 66/1

Has been off the radar of late but re-emerged with a T9 at Firestone last week and a T9 the week before that. His accuracy is his calling card – something he will need this week.

The Pick:

My pick this week is Henrik Stenson at 25/1. He has been terrific of late and is way overdue for a huge win. His ability to keep the ball on the fairway and to hit the greens will be the difference this week.

My sleeper is Bill Haas at 50/1. He has been arguably the most consistent player on TOUR this year and will be looking to parlay that in the last Major of the year.

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By DaveB

Dave B has been a Fantasy Football writer for us for 10 years. A couch potato wannabe, Dave’s insights have been read by 10’s of people for years. He hope’s for world peace + global relaxation. Enjoy and remember only smoke things that are completely natural.