PGA Picks - Verizon Heritage Match-ups

Tee-off:  4/16/2009

The Verizon Heritage is the PGA Tour Event this week.  Although the Masters just finished this past Sunday, golfers have already forgotten about it and have turned their attention to this weekends tournament.

BetUS Golf betting fans should do the same as the Verizon Heritage promises to be a very competitive wagering event.

Let’s analyze the best golf betting propositions for individual match-ups in the Verizon Heritage

Golf:  Verizon Heritage Match-ups

1. Paul Casey -125 vs. Rory McIlroy -105 - - Casey one of the choices to win the Verizon Heritage group betting props ( Link to PGA Verizon Heritage - 72 Hole Group Betting) but that doesn’t mean that he’s the better bet in a straight-up match-up wager versus Rory McIlroy.  Both of these guys have a legitimate shot to win the Verizon with Casey having won the Shell Houston Open two weeks ago and McIlroy having made 5 cuts in 5 tournaments.  Both guys played well during the Masters.  What’s the difference?  Casey has made the cut in 4 out of 4 tournaments with 2 top ten finishes.  McIlroy has made the top ten once out of 5 tournaments.  So, the edge goes to Casey.  But is it a big enough edge?  I don’t think so.  When that happens, gamblers can do only one thing, bet the golfer going off at better odds.
   
   Pick:  Rory McIlroy at -105
   
   

2. Paul Casey -140 vs. Tim Clark +110 - - Clark won the 3-par pre-Masters tournament last weekend while Casey, as I wrote above, won the Shell Houston Open two weeks ago.  Although Clark golfed very well in the first two rounds of the Masters, he ended up finishing at -6, 6 strokes off of Angel Cabrera.  Casey ended up finishing -2.  That means that Clark is the bet at good odds, right?  Not really.  Casey has been ultra-consistent this year while Clark had a terrific Masters but before that hadn’t done all that much.
   
   Pick:  Paul Casey at -140
   
   

3. Jim Furyk -130 vs. Camilo Villegas Ev - - Some bettors will want to put money on Villegas because when he’s on, he’s about as good as any golfer on the links.  Okay, maybe not that good, but he could definitely beat Furyk in this match-up.  Then again, Furyk has been awfully close to winning a tournament this season. With no Tiger, Phil, Sergio or Padraig this week, he might have his best shot to take home a trophy.  Furyk has 3 top tens out of 6 cuts made and he finished -7 in the Masters.  Villegas can be truly awful at times.  Furyk gets the nod.
   
   Pick:  Jim Furyk at -130
   
   

4. DJ Trahan +110 vs. Lucas Glover -140 - - Glover is a big favorite in this match-up because he has one top ten so far this season and he has made the cut in 6 out of the 8 tournaments he’s played in.  Trahan has made the cut in 9 out of 10 tournaments with 2 top ten finishes.  Oh, wait.  It looks like these two guys are evenly matched.  Going back to the Casey vs. McIlroy match-up, if two golfers are evenly matched, wager on the golfer getting the best odds.
   
   Pick:  DJ Trahan at +110
   
   

5. Boo Weekley -105 vs. Kevin Na -135 - - Weekley won the Verizon Heritage last year but he floundered in the Masters.  Na decided to skip the Masters to concentrate on the Verizon Heritage this week.  Out of 9 tournaments, Na has made the cut 7 times and out of those 7 tournaments he has finished in the top ten in four of them.  He’s the bet in this match-up.
   
   Pick:  Kevin Na at -135
   
   

6. Justin Leonard -145 vs. Rory Sabbatini +115 - - Leonard has 3 top ten finishes out of 9 tournaments.  In those 9 tournaments he made the cut in 6 of them.  Sabbatini has made the cut in 7 out of 8 tournaments but has only 1 top ten finish.  In the Masters Sabbatini did finish tied for 20th.  So, he does have a shot in this match-up.  I’ll go ahead and say he beats Leonard at nice odds.
   
   Pick:  Rory Sabbatini at +115