AT+T National Tips: Five each-way bets for the Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Joe is following last week's win with a play on Aaron Baddeley Joe is following last week's win with a play on Aaron Baddeley
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The BB golf team hit big profits last time out with Joe Dyer finding 40/1 winner Stephen Gallacher at the Dubai Desert Classic, and Paul Krishnamurty landing a 66/1 place thanks to Romain Wattel. Can we follow up with more winners?
Here are the guys' selections for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am...
Joe Dyer:
Back Aaron Baddeley @ 81.0
Backing a man with proven course form landed me a 40-1 winner last week and I see no reason to desert the tactic this time round, especially not when selection Aaron Baddeley shows such a strong love for this week's event. In three years at the AT&T since missing the cut in 2010, Baddeley has not finished worse than 12th (2013), with a best placing of fourth the year before, having finished sixth in 2011. The Australian, who has three wins on the PGA Tour, has never shown much love for last week's Waste Management Phoenix Open so 48th in Arizona is not a concern. In fact, it's how he likes to prepare for one of his favourite events with a highest finish of 37th before those good runs in the AT&T. At 80-1 I think Baddeley is a very fair price and a decent each-way bet.
Dan Geraghty:
Back Jimmy Walker @ 26.0
With two wins to his name already this season and three top 10s in his last three AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro AM starts, I'm willing to forgive Jimmy Walker a surprising missed cut last time out (his first of the season) at Torrey Pines. Walker has been in the form of his life, and if his game remains as consistent as it did last season, the big-hitting American has a great opportunity to make his first Ryder Cup team. Now that he's tasted PGA Tour victory, there's every reason to suggest he can go on and win more.
Paul Krishnamurty:
Back Dustin Johnson @ 13.0
In some respects, Dustin Johnson is the ideal player for betting purposes. In various regular events, where his prodigious power off the tee offers no meaningful advantage, he is easy to oppose with confidence and very rarely even contends. Yet in others that do favour his power game, Dustin is one of the most reliable contenders around. Eight PGA Tour victories before the age of 30, most recently in the elite WGC-HSBC Champions Trophy on his final 2013 start, is a record that almost anybody would envy and his very best golf has come at Pebble Beach. I'm expecting a bold bid towards a third win in this event and find it hard to imagine him being far away.
Mike Norman:
Back Jason Day @ 13.0
I feel I really need to put forward a strong case for backing a 12/1 shot in such a large field so the first point to note is that this week's renewal of the AT&T hardly sets the pulse racing; I'm pretty confident that it will be contested by in-form, or proven course form players come Sunday night. Day definitely falls into both categories having won the individual part of the World Cup of Golf at the end of 2013, finishing second at Torrey Pines last time out, and recording two top-six finishes in this event in his last four attempts. In fact the Australian should be brimming with confidence after failing to finish outside of the top 15 in his last seven worldwide starts. Expect the cream to rise as the tournament progresses, and expect Day to be the crème de la crème.
Steve Rawlings:
Back Patrick Reed @ 36.0
With two wins in his last ten starts, Patrick Reed is going places fast but should we be at all surprised? In 2012, he qualified for a PGA Tour event a remarkable six times via the ultra-competitive Monday qualification system and he's earned his card the hard way. He gained his first win at the Wyndham Championship in August with his wife Justine on the bag. Now expecting their first child, Justine is taking a break from caddying and her brother, Kessier Karain, has picked up the role. The transition has been seamless and three weeks ago, Reed won for the second time at the Humana Challenge. I've been a huge fan for ages and I still think there's more to come. He was 7th on debut 12 months ago and he could easily improve on that this time around.
2014 will be the Year of the newcomer and the Year for the Aussies as im expecting them ( top 6 Aussies ) to win a few this year between them.
