posted November 11, 2009 at 15:35 EST in Golf Articles
Children’s Miracle Network Classic Preview
Golf: Children’s Miracle Network Classic Could Be Rickie Fowler’s Time to Shine
Tee-off: 11/12/2009
Rickie Fowler is 20 years old even though he looks like he’s 16. He’s been playing like he’s a 30 year old lately, however, which is one of the reasons he’s a favorite to win his first tournament this weekend.
Fowler will need to finish in the Top 10 this weekend in the Children’s Miracle Network Classic to lock up his Tour card. It would be an amazing achievement for the 20 year old that already has two Top 10 finishes in 2009, but bettors should make no mistake. Fowler is fighting for his Tour card because he has to, not because he wants to.
Does Fowler have potential? Absolutely. Is he a great golfer? Not yet. The Children’s Miracle Network Classic is going to be a stern test for the young Fowler. The tournament takes place on two separate courses, the Palm and the Magnolia. The Palm is the shorter of the two and those successful on the Palm Course may not be successful on the Magnolia Course.
In five tournaments on the PGA Tour this year, Fowler has done surprisingly well. He’s made the cut in three of those tournaments and has actually finished in the Top 10 in the last two events he has played. He finished 7th in the Justin Timberlake Shriner’s Hospitals for Children Open and 2nd in the Frys.com Open.
Fowler has shot 69 or better in his last 8 rounds which is one of the reasons he’s the 5th choice in the BetUS online sportsbook to win the CMNC. Fowler is going off at +2000 in the tournament.
The betting odds might actually be too short for bettors to wager on the 20 year old. Switching courses during one tournament, which is what he will have to do in the CMNC this weekend, won’t be easy for Fowler. If he pulls it off, and actually wins the tournament, then get ready to forget the name Anthony Kim. Fowler will be the new young star on the golfing block.
Johnson and Leonard are the Children’s Miracle Network Classic Favorites
Zach Johnson is a +1200 favorite in the sportsbook to win the CMNC this weekend. The odds are awfully low on a golfer that tied for 62nd place in this tournament in 2008.
Johnson does have a scoring average, 69.88, that only Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk and Steve Stricker have bested. So, Zach is playing well enough to win the Children’s Miracle Network Classic, but the odds are strangely low for a guy who’s proven to be awful on the course.
The second choice in the sportsbook is Justin Leonard who was in the midst of winning the Fry.com Open before blowing it and finishing tied for 13th. Leonard tied for 6th in the CMNC in 2007. He’s got the ability to take control of the tournament early and coast to the victory at +1500 odds.
Out of the two, Leonard appears to be the better wager. He’s going off at better odds, is sharp, and there’s no telling what Johnson is going to do on either the Palm or Magnolia courses.
David Toms and Brian Gay Deserve Consideration
If David Toms, who was all set to tee off in the Viking Classic before the PGA canceled the event, is on his game, then everyone else in the field will be playing for second place.
Toms can be that good as evidenced by his 7 Top 10 finishes this year. He’s also made the cut in 20 of the 26 PGA events he has teed off in. That makes Toms a terrific wager at +2000 in the sportsbook if, and it’s a big if, bettors believe he’s at the top of the game instead of at the bottom.
After all, Toms is coming off of his worst finish since missing the cut in the British Open. Toms finished 62nd in the Justin Timberlake Shriner’s Hospitals for Children Open. He’s going to really have to improve to challenge in the CMNC.
If bettors don’t have faith in Toms this weekend, then perhaps a wager on Brian Gay will satisfy them. Gay is going off at +2500 in the Children’s Miracle Network Classic this weekend.
Gay is a strange golfer. When he’s on, he’s one of the best on the Tour. When he’s off, forget it. The man couldn’t beat a child on a par 3 course in Los Feliz, CA.
Gay actually played fairly well last week in the WGC-HSCBC in China, the tournament that Phil Mickelson won. If he keeps his swing going in the CMNC, then he will probably win it because there are no Phil Mickelson’s, Tiger Woods or Ernie Els in the CMNC this weekend.
