8th August 2012
USPGA Championship Betting: Bubba Watson and Jason Dufner value to go one better than they have in last two years
The final major of the year begins on Thursday when the world’s top stars descend on Kiawah Island for the USPGA Championship. This course is best known for the 1991 Ryder Cup when Bernhard Langer missed a short putt to give Europe victory before USA eventually won. Keegan Bradley will be defending the title this week. He won the tournament at the Atlanta Athletic Club and will be hoping to keep the Wanamaker Trophy, a feat he is 40/1 with Bet365 to achieve.
The course at Kiawah Island this week is long. Very long. The South Carolina venue measures 7,676 yards and plays to a par 72. Admittedly there are multiple tees on each hole so the course can be shortened but with the amount of rain in the area both in the lead up to this tournament and forecast during it this course will play very long so length is a massive benefit this week.
Tiger Woods is the tournament favourite this week but there’s no way he’ll get round this course without using the driver so it will be interesting to see how he drives the ball. That has been the weakest part of the game recently and if he doesn’t drive well there’s no way he’ll win. Although distance is key accuracy is also very much important around here.
As with most majors I will look at two men this week. The first man I’m taking has the length factor on his side in Bubba Watson. Watson has already won a major this year when he won the US Masters and went well for long periods in The Open too. That’s good as it showed he can play well on a coastal course like this one is. Watson is the longest of anyone off the tee and with the wide landing areas on the fairways this week the course is almost at his mercy. In 2010 the USPGA was played on a Pete Dye course and Bubba only lost out in a playoff but two years on he can win this.
The second player I’m going for is the ultra consistent Jason Dufner. Dufner featured strongly at the US Open earlier in the year and while he doesn’t have the length off the tee very few are as accurate as he is tee to green. If his putter gets hot then he could well be a factor in the tournament in which he was runner up in last year on a course which was 200 yards shorter than this one but played to a par two shots less. Dufner lost in a playoff last year but I expect him to be there or thereabouts this year.
Back B.Watson to win USPGA Championship (e/w) for a 2/10 stake at 34.00 with Paddy Power (1/4 1-6)
Back J.Dufner to win USPGA Championship (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 26.00 with 29.00 with Skybet (1/4 1-5)
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Author: 'Arry Allsports
