WGC – Cadillac Championship Betting
The Blue Monster at Doral hosts the seventh edition of the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship. Hitting and holding the fairways has proven tough on this track and Greens in Regulation is also a challenge.
2013 Cadillac Championship at Doral Resort and Spa
World Golf Championship
Location: Miami, Florida, United States
Course: Doral Golf Resort and Spa – Blue Monster
Date: Mar 7-10, 2013
Total Purse: US $ 8,500,000
Winner’s Share: US $ 1,400,000 (16% of total purse)
Odds From BOVADA
Defending Champion: Justin Rose ($1,400,000)
But ball-striking is rewarded here and the greens have proven relatively easy in the past.
Long story short – a solid all-around game is crucial here with the advantage going to the quality ball-strikers in the field. The field of 65-70 includes 44 of the top 50 from the Official World Golf Rankings and leaders of the six Tours’ Official Money Lists/Order of Merit.
So, without further adieu, here are a few names to keep your eye on this week in another intriguing Florida stop on the PGA TOUR.
The Favorites:
Tiger Woods 9/1
Has three wins here since 2007 but withdrew last year. But he certainly hasn’t been himself. The Nike brothers – he and Rory are not looking great. Tiger is Tiger but until I see a little game, I am staying away.
Charl Schwartzel 14/1
I picked him last week – he was an OK T9 for his worst finish in his last nine events. He has a great history here – he finished second in 2010 and was T4 here last year. Schwartzel is the most consistent golfer on the planet and may be due for a win on North American soil this week.
Justin Rose 16/1
Is the defending champion in this event and has 14 top 10s worldwide since that win. He was T4 last week in his tune-up for a repeat. He was 1st in GIR, 5th in ball striking, 11th in par 4 performance, 12th in scrambling and 6th in all around last year at the Cadillac and like Schwartzel, may be due for a win.
The Contenders:
Matt Kuchar 20/1
Won the WGC-Accenture Match Play a couple of weeks ago and has been great on this track – finished T3 (2010), solo fifth (2011) and T8 (2012). This year Kuchar has three top 10s in five events played. Kuch is playing very well and has to be considered at very least this week.
Luke Donald 20/1
Has consecutive T6s here the last two years but he only has one stroke-play tournament under his belt so far this year – a T16 at Riviera. He has finished top 20 in his last six starts worldwide with a win and three third place finishes. Donald hasn’t played much but when he’s played he’s been effective.
Hunter Mahan 25/1
Mahan almost repeated at the WGC-Accenture Match Play and has played well in his other starts this year so far and his results have improved every week – 26th, 15th, 16th, 16th, 8th and 2nd respectively in 2013. This will be Mahan’s sixth visit to Doral. He has made all five cuts with his highest finish being 9th in 2011. For some reason Mahan always show up in World Golf Championship tournaments – his accuracy and ball striking ability should continue that trend this week.
Lee Westwood 25/1
Has not fared well here in the past – just one Top 25 in five starts at Doral but he is coming off a T9 at the Honda last week. Everyone is rooting for Westy but he may have to wait to get his first win of the year – history is against him.
Adam Scott 25/1
Scott has finished Top 15 the last two years at this event and will be out to avenge a first round exit at the WGC-Match Play. He has the all around game to contend here and looks like decent value at 25/1.
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Keegan Bradley 25/1
Finished T8 here last year after a final round meltdown and enters this week in good form – off a T4 at the Honda last week. Bradley has yet to break out this year but that will happen sooner than later.
Webb Simpson 28/1
Has quietly put together a decent month – a T6 at the Northern Trust was followed by a quarter-final appearance in the WGC-Matchplay. He finished an unflattering T35 here last year but reeled off two straight 66s during that tournament – impressive. He is a GIR machine right now and his putter is more than adequate too. Watch out for Simpson this week!
Bubba Watson 28/1
Watson had a runner-up finish here last year and is coming off a surprising quarter-finals appearance at the WGC-Matchplay two weeks ago. Truth be told – he should have won last year but gave up a three shot advantage to Justin Rose. Early this season he currently ranks 3rd GIR, 4th par 4 birdie or better, 11th ball striking but he has yet to find his Masters winning form.
Nick Watney 36/1
Won this event in 2011 and was second in 2009 – he loves this track. He hasn’t been terrific this year so far but is coming off a T4 at the Farmers. Watney is too good to be invisible – he has to break out sometime!
Jason Day 40/1
Has three top 10s in four starts already this year and ranks 16th on TOUR in greens hit and fourth in the all-around – good traits for this track. But wins have been hard to come by for Day and I think that trend continues this week.
The Sleepers:
Robert Garrigus 50/1
Strangely this will be Garrigus’s first ever start at Doral but comes in with nine straight Top 25s. He leads the TOUR in the all-around ranking and sits sixth in greens in regulation but with no experience here, he is a tad difficult to trust.
Bill Haas 50/1
Haas has been good this year in stoke play event – a ninth, a sixth and a third already this year – and he’s sitting there at 50/1? He was sixth in this event in 2010 and is perhaps the best value on the board this week.
Peter Hanson 50/1
The Blue Monster sets up like a Major and nobody was as consistent in majors last year as Mr. Hanson. He started the season with a 9th and 22nd on the European Tour before heading to the PGA Tour with results of a Missed Cut, T17th and T13th. He is an absolute GIR machine and has had success here – a T4 last year. Hanson is an intriguing sleeper indeed.
The Pick:
I am going to stick with Charl Schwartzel at 14/1 this week. He didn’t play great last week and he still finished top 10. Back on a track that he has had success at in the past, I like him to get the win this week.
My sleeper is Bill Haas at 50/1. I have to take advantage of the 2011 FedEx Cup champ as such a long shot. He is playing well and has to be confident after a runner-up finish in the WGC Matchplay.
