2016 Valero Texas Open
Where: San Antonio, Texas
When: Thursday 21st, April (first tee 10:00pm)
Purse: $6,200,000
For those of you that followed our RBC Heritage tips last week we picked up a tidy profit of + 9.0 units with Russell Knox finishing 2nd at $13-1 (top 5). This week the 2016 PGA Tour moves to the Lone Star State and we will look for some more value with our Valero Texas Open betting tips.
The Texas Open is one of the oldest tournaments on the PGA tour. It was designed by our very own “great white shark” with the help of Sergio Garcia. As you are probably already aware it is notoriously windy here. Aussie’s Steven Bowditch and Adam Scott have both won this event in the past. Last year Texan native Jimmy Walker took out the title in horrific conditions. Only a handful of players finished under par last year and in fact at 74.52 it was the highest scoring average of every non major.
Kevin Na found this out the hard way in 2011.
The course will play much easier this year. The wind will still be a factor, but nothing compared to 2015. In previous years this tournament has been a tough one to dissect, however, these are the key stats I am looking at: Strokes gained putting, one putt percentage, Par 5 scoring and also form from similar tournaments such as the Puerto Rico Open.
Jimmy Walker
I rarely bet on the tournament favourite unless there is good reason. The defending champ is not only a local fella who knows how to play the winds he ticks all the boxes I’m looking for in the Stats department. Jimmy ranks 4th in Par 5 scoring averaging 4.49. His one putt percentage is 41.96 % (25th) and strokes gained putting is up there at .448 ranked 31st. He has three top 10’s already and I think he can defend his title this week.
Tip: Jimmy Walker to win outright - $17 at CrownBet
+ Walker to finish Top 5 - $4 at CrownBet
Aaron Baddeley
One of my favourite players. The Aussie will handle the track and the conditions. He had a good showing at Puerto Rico with a T8 and finished 9th last week at the RBC Heritage. He is ranked 9th in strokes gained putting (.755) and 2nd in one putt percentage at 46.09%.
Tip: Aaron Baddeley to win outright - $81 at CrownBet
+ Baddeley to finish Top 20 - $5 at CrownBet
Luke List
This guy hits the ball a mile, ranked 11th driving distance (305.7 yards). He has two Top 10’s and finished T15 with four rounds under par at the Puerto Rico Open. His Par 5 scoring average is not to bad either at 4.58 ranked (31st)
Tip: Luke List to win outright - $126 at CrownBet
+ List to finish Top 20 - $7 at CrownBet
Derek Fathauer
Is from Florida so he will handle the wind. His strokes gained putting and one putt percentage are both ranked 13th. He is also tied for 11th in Par 5 scoring (4.63). He finished T21 at Puerto Rico and could be value this weekend. Although I don’t believe his game is at the same level as Jimmy Walker he is value for Top 20.
Tip: Derek Fathauer to finish Top 20 - $8 at CrownBet
Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
