2014 PGA – US OPEN
Where: Pinhurst No.2, North Carolina
When: First tee off – Thursday, 12th June at 8:15pm AEST
The month of June is jam-packed full of the sporting events from the NBA finals to the NHL Stanley Cup and not to mention the 2014 FIFA World Cup starting tomorrow morning. However the second golf major of the year might just be the most interesting event.
The 114th US open will be held in North Carolina at the Pinehurst No.2 golf course. The course has recently been restored and now looks much closer to the original design. The interesting part is the rough, or lack of rough, and the fact they have widened the fairways substantially. So what we have is a US open with wide fairways and no rough, how easy will this be? If that’s your thinking, think again.
Instead of rough, golfers will have to navigate large waste areas full of sand, pine straw, native grasses and god knows what else. So when players miss the large fairways (and they will) recovery shots are going to play an important roll over the weekend.
Pinehurst No.2 is only a par 70 but has been lengthened in the redevelopment to play at 7562 yards. The greens are, as usual, going to be the most important aspect of the tournament.
These greens in particular are known as turtleback greens of upside-down source greens. They were built specifically to repel poor shots, so that, coupled, with the speeds the greens will be running at and you can bet that it will be a nightmare for the players to keep their approach shots on and close to the pins.
A fantastic short game will go a long way this weekend.
US Open Betting Tips
Bubba Watson: It’s hard to look past a player like Bubba in a tournament setup like this. Wide fairways if he has driver under control and loads of creativity if he ends up in the washaway areas.
Odds: $17-1 at Sportingbet
$17-1 at Ladbrokes
$21-1 at Betfair
Jason Day: The Harder the course the better the day seems to play and now he is clearly over his thumb injury. The stock price on Jason Day is about to climb and it’s time to buy.
Odds: $26-1 at Sportingbet
$29-1 at Ladbrokes
$32-1 at Betfair
Hideki Matsuyama: A recent winner at the Memorial Tournament. Matsuyama is another player that enjoys and plays well at tough courses. Par might just be good enough this weekend and a player with his amount of concentration will be essential at Pinehurst No.2.
Odds: $41-1 at Sportingbet
$41-1 at Ladbrokes
$42-1 at Betfair
Angel Cabrera: A big time player at juicy odds. Talent for recovery shots. Knows how to hang in there.
Odds: $141-1 at Sportingbet
$151-1 at Ladbrokes
$210-1 at Betfair
