Amateur results key to finding McGladrey value

Michael Thompson, Billy Horschel and Heath Slocum are the top three betting picks for the McGladrey Classic on the Seaside Course of the Sea Island Golf Club in Georgia.

Thompson is the number one selection at odds of around 40-1 to secure his maiden PGA Tour victory at a venue that not only he knows much better than the majority of opponents but also where he has enjoyed amateur and professional success.

The McGladrey Classic has been contested only twice before so there is limited Sea Island Golf Club data on which to base punting decisions but, fortunately, the Georgia venue has a history of staging collegiate golf championships.

Thompson won the 2008 Southeastern Conference Men`s Golf Championship on the Sea Island Golf Club`s Frederica Course with a 54-hole score of 208 just 12 months after he had placed fourth in the 2007 edition on the Seaside Course.

Last year, Thompson played in the McGladrey Classic for the first time and led the field after 54 holes following rounds of 65, 65 and 67 only for Ben Crane to shoot out the lights on Sunday and render Thompson`s closing 69 good enough for just third position. He was very unfortunate not to win.

Thompson, who tied for second place at this year`s US Open at another venue at which he had excelled during his amateur career, has had a quiet couple of months after missing the cut at the Deutsche Bank Championship. He was joint 13th in the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open two weeks ago and looks capable of a big show at big odds.

So, too, does Horschel, the winner of the 2009 Southeastern Conference Men`s Golf Championship on the Sea Island Golf Club`s Frederica Course. He was the halfway leader of last year`s McGladrey Classic after shooting back-to-back rounds of 64 on the first two days. Unfortunately for Horschel, he blew up on Sunday, firing a five-over-par 75 to slip from a tie for second to a tie for 20th on the deciding day.

Clearly, Horschel enjoys playing at the Sea Island Golf Club and, at odds of around 50-1, he is worth including in one`s McGladrey Classic portfolio. Horschel has made nine cuts in a row, including a third place in the True South Classic three months ago. Horschel is outside this season`s top 125 money winners on the PGA Tour so he needs a good result to improve his prospects of retaining his full card for 2013.

Finally, Heath Slocum is overpriced as well at 50-1. Slocum won the inaugural McGladrey Classic in 2010, shooting very consistent rounds of 66, 66, 66 and 68 for a 14-under-par total, one stroke better than Bill Haas. And Slocum made a good fist of defending the title in 2011, firing rounds of 70, 66, 70 and 66 to finish joint 15th at eight under par.

Few golfers have played the Seaside Course more frequently than Slocum and the four-time PGA Tour winner has played okay without threatening in recent months, making the cut in six of his last seven events and never placing lower than 48th. Slocum could be about to go bang with a capital B.

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16/10/2012     © Frixo 2024