Tag: Hideki Matsuyama

Masters 2017: Who do the bookies fancy for this year’s green jacket?

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Some familiar names are among the frontrunners to win in Augusta. 

It’s that time of year again. The jaw-dropping scenery of Augusta National will once again be the home of the biggest names in golf, with the 2017 Masters set to begin tomorrow.

Following Danny Willett’s very traditional British champion’s dinner, the players will be practising around the infamous course one last time this evening before the competition begins.

Here are ten players the bookies are favouring to win the opening golf major of 2017.

DUSTIN JOHNSON (11/2)

The world number one is without doubt the favourite going into the tournament. The 32-year old has won his previous three events, the Genesis Open, WGC- Mexico and the WGC-Match Play.

After a sensational 2016, where he won the US Open (the first major win of his career) and helped USA to their first Ryder Cup victory since 2008, the man from South Carolina is hoping to carry on his superb form at a tournament where he has struggled previously. He has only finished in the top 10 twice in the last eight years.

No world number one has won the Masters since Tiger Woods back in 2002.

JORDAN SPIETH (7/1)

Is there any golfer who looks more at home at Augusta than Jordan Spieth? The American won the tournament in 2015, sandwiched between two runner up finishes in 2014 and 2016 respectively. His 2015 success saw him match Wood’s record total of 18-under-par.

The 23-year old has made an indifferent start to the 2017 season. His win at Pebble Beach back on the 9th February was the last time he finished in the top 10 of an event on the PGA Tour. But if there is one place he can turn his form around, it’s the Masters.

RORY MCILROY (8/1)

The Northern Irishman is said to be confident ahead of this year’s tournament. The 27-year old needs just the green jacket in order to complete the Grand Slam. However, Augusta has proved to not be such a happy hunting ground for him.

In 2011, he shot the worst round recorded by the leader of the Masters going into the final round. His round of 80 saw him slip from first to tied 15th.

McIlroy has not really been in any contention to win the tournament since then, but with that objective to win all for majors serving as his motivation, that could change this time around.

JASON DAY (16/1)

The former world number one will play at the tournament following his mother’s cancer diagnosis. In fact, it seems to have made him more determined to win.

The 2015 USPGA champion insists victory this week in Augusta would ‘dwarf the emotion of winning his maiden major’.

Day didn’t play at the WGC-Match Play so that he could be with his mother before she had lung surgery, but the Australian seems ready to battle for the green jacket.

The 29-year old has not got a bad record at the Masters either, finishing in the top 10 three times in the last six years.

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA (18/1) 

The 25-year old has become Japan’s golfing prodigy. The Japanese golfer has four PGA Tour wins to his name and has seemed destined to challenge for a major in the near future.

At Augusta, he finished fifth in 2015 and tied for seventh last year. This has made him a name hot on everyones lips going into the tournament.

But recently his form has not been to the level many expect of him. Since winning the Phoenix Open in February, Matsuyama has not finished any higher than 25th at an event.

RICKIE FOWLER (20/1)

Matsuyama was drawn alongside Fowler for this year’s opening two rounds, and the American is a man hoping to finally break his major duck.

The 28-year old came runner up at both the US Open and The Open during his career to date.

As his game has developed, so has his maturity when approaching each shot, making a far dangerous player when he hits top form. The closest he came to a green jacket was back in 2012, where he came fifth.

JON RAHM (22/1)

Young Spanish golfer Jon Rahm has moved up in odds under the radar. Rahm turned Pro last year and has radically climbed up the rankings.

In a matter of only 10 months, Rahm has climbed up from 539 to world number 12 ahead of the Masters.

The 22-year old has one PGA Tour win to his name, the Farmers Insurance Open in January this year.

JUSTIN ROSE (25/1)

The 2013 US Open and current Olympic champion tied second in this tournament two years ago with a respectable 14-under par.

The Hampshire-based golfer failed to make it into the top 10 of his last three events.

PHIL MICKELSON (25/1)

One of America’s most successful golfers, Phil Mickelson is a name that will always pop in when it comes to major contenders.

The three-time Masters Champion is a veteran when compared to the younger men in the field, but with that trusted left hand of his, anything could happen.

ADAM SCOTT (30/1)

The 36-year old won the green jacket back in 2013, becoming the first Australian to complete the feat.

However, since his victorious year, the one-time major winner has struggled to replicate his 2013 performance at Augusta, and has failed to make the top 10 for the past three years.

OTHER NOTABLE GOLFERS 

Henrik Stenson (Open Champion 2016) 30/1

Bubba Watson (Masters Champion 2012 and 2014) 40/1

Jimmy Walker (2016 USPGA Champion) 80/1

Danny Willett (2016 Masters Champion) 100/1

Scott Gregory (2016 Amateur Champion) 1000/1

*All odds correct via. SkyBet at time of writing.

 

 

Watch out for Justin Thomas in 2017.

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The 23-year old has already won two PGA Tour events this season and looks ready to take centre stage at the majors. 

Justin Thomas is relatively unknown to golf fans in Europe who don’t necessarily follow the PGA Tour.

But it won’t be too long until the 23-year old from Kentucky becomes the subject of every conversation.

It’s only be a matter of time before the American will be competing for major championships. When you watch him, a younger Jordan Spieth will instantly pop into your mind. The one who rose through the rankings at a ferocious pace a few years back before winning the Masters and US Open in 2015.

Thomas has the whole package in terms of a modern-day golfer. He can whack the ball off the tee for more than 300 yards- which is a must these days if you want to win one of these events- and an impressive short game which coincides perfectly with his driving ability.

The young prodigy is also very sensible when selecting his shots. Along with his caddie, the 23-year old always thinks about the environment around him. He thinks about the wind speed, surrounding rough, water hazards, bunkers and how the ball will react on the green.

He also takes into consideration his physiological state. His adrenaline to succeed plays a key factor on the young man’s decision making. This is what makes him so good, and it is why he is winning tournaments.

His win on Sunday at the SBS Tournament of Champions in Kapalua comes after he retained the CIMB Classic in Malaysia last October.

Thomas’s win last weekend also moved him up to 12th in the world rankings.

The impressive start to the season sees him second in the early Fedex Cup standings, just 36 points behind Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama.

Thomas was unlucky to miss out at last year’s Ryder Cup, but the young prodigy will certainly be one of the first players on Team USA for this year’s Presidents Cup, which takes place at the Liberty National in New Jersey in late September.

Some have called for him to be paired with long-term friend Spieth in that competition, should both be fit and selected. That friendship could be tested though in the four majors which precede the Presidents Cup.

Spieth’s two major titles in 2015 have spurned Thomas on even more recently to improve his game, resulting in three PGA Tour titles within the last 15 months.

Although its been a short career thus far, the 23-year old looks more than ready to win his maiden major.

The Masters is the first to arrive in April, and the Tournament of Champions winner will no doubt be suited to the famous Augusta golf course with its slick fairways and greens.

His consistency levels over the four-day events are phenomenal. If he is playing well in the opening round, he will more than likely play well all weekend.

One things for certain, the PGA Tour is a gruelling 10 month slog in which keeping your performance above average is becoming increasingly difficult. At some point, Thomas will find himself struggling to make cuts consistently.

That will be a true sign of whether or not he is major championship worthy. Can he climb out of a hole should one appear beneath him. We have seen past champions sail into the distance after winning one. Just look at Charl Schwartzel, Webb Simpson and Graeme McDowell.

But Thomas is still a baby compared to other players in the field. He has a lot still to learn before he reaches his peak. There is no doubt in my mind that this man will go on to win multiple major championships.

The 23-year old is back in action this weekend alongside Matsuyama, Spieth and Olympic champion Justin Rose at the Sony Open in Honolulu, Hawaii.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2017 SBS Tournament of Champions: First Round.

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US PGA champion Jimmy Walker leads after a bogey-free first round, with Jason Day and Jordan Speith making slow starts in Hawaii. 

THE LEADERBOARD

1 WALKER -8

T2 MOORE, HERMAN, THOMAS -6

T5 DUFNER, BERGER -5

THE LEADER

In what were ideal conditions, except for the occasional light rain shower, Jimmy Walker hit two birdies on the par-five 15th and par-five 18th for a two shot lead in the opening PGA Tour event of 2017.

Walker – who lost in a playoff with Patrick Reed in Kapalua two years ago – hit one eagle, six birdies and 11 pars at the Plantation course this time around to shoot 65.

In the off-season, Walker shortened his driver to try and improve his game off the tee. But with a driving accuracy of just 73.3%, it was his shots with the irons, wedges and putter that were the stars of the show.

His opening round ended with a GIR score of 94.4%, the joint highest in the round alongside Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama.

With his impressive record in PGA Events taking place in Hawaii, little would look past Walker to avenge that 2015 defeat to Reed this weekend.

OTHER NOTABLE PERFORMANCES

Justin Thomas: The 23-year old and world number 22 followed up his CIMB Classic victory with a six-under-par 67. His four birdies in five holes during the middle of his round eased the pressure off the young American, who made a slow yet steady start with seven consecutive pars.

Rod Pampling: One of the most experience men competing in the Tournament of Champions this year is Australia’s Pampling. The 47-year-old hasn’t competed in this competition for a decade, but you wouldn’t of thought it as he hit a four-under-par 69. He is tied seventh alongside world number six Matsuyama and US Open champion Dustin Johnson.

SPIETH AND DAY STRUGGLE TO GET GOING

It wasn’t the start to 2017 neither the world number one or the current defending champion would’ve wanted.

Spieth won this event last year with a score of -30. He will need to hit two majestic rounds if he is to get anywhere near that score again. Two bogeys on the back nine looked to deflate the former Masters and US Open champ, but his birdie on the 18th crucially see the 23-year old get into gear.

Day managed to end the day on three-under-par, but the Aussie did hit a bogey on the second hole to get off to a sluggish start. Birdies on both the 13th, 14th and 15th seemed to have rescued the round, only for the number one to hit a bogey six on the final hole.