American golf fans will hope Keegan Bradley can provide more fireworks at this week’s Rocket Classic, after his Travelers triumph went a long way towards earning him a spot on his own Ryder Cup team.
Last week’s victory in Connecticut hoisted the USA captain up to ninth on the Ryder Cup qualifying list, as well as a career high seventh on the world rankings.
He is the big draw again this week in Detroit, and after he did us a 35-1 favour last week it is tempting to stick with him.
But winning in front of a raucous New England crowd not far from his home in Vermont will have taken a lot out of Bradley. He is also less than half the odds this time at a general 16-1, so he gets passed over this time.
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Rocket Classic betting tips
Heading the market in a relatively weak field is the only man ranked ahead of Bradley, world No 5 Collin Morikawa. But a best priced 12-1 is another quote that holds little appeal.
I was convinced Morikawa was going to have a year to remember in 2025 after he shot the lowest 72 hole score at the Tour Championship at the back end of 2024, and finished runner-up in Hawaii in his first start of this year..
Another runner-up finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational followed by a top ten at The Players did nothing to dent that confidence. But he has not managed another top ten finish in seven starts since Sawgrass.
No-one hits more greens in regulation on the PGA Tour. But that seems to have become more of a curse than a blessing.
Morikawa seems to get easily frustrated when he fails to take advantage of all the scoring opportunities he creates. Until he stops regarding his putter as his worst enemy, he is one to be avoided at short odds.
Defending champion Cam Davis will bid for a third victory in this event, but he is hopelessly out of form. I prefer the chances of another Davis – Davis Thompson, joint runner-up a year ago before going on to win the John Deere a week later.
Thompson produced his best performance in a while with a top 25 at the Travelers, and clearly saves his best for this time of year. The 40-1 available looks decent each way value.
Harry Hall is a likeable character off the course, and securing a two year exemption on the PGA Tour with his Isco Championship win last year seems to have freed the Englishman up on it.
He played well at the USPGA to finish top twenty in only his second Major, and his share of ninth at the Travelers was his second top ten in his last three starts. This is a lot weaker. so he is another attractive 40-1 shot.
Min Woo Lee also shared second place here last year, and the Aussie is a tempting 45-1 to go one better.
Akshay Bhatia was yet another player in that log jam for second after a three-putt at the last denied him a play-off. In a wide open event, the 50-1 about him, and Chris Gotterup also warrants a closer look.
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Italian Open tips
There is a lot less course form available for the Italian Open – well, none in fact, as it will be played at the picturesque Argentario Golf Club in Tuscany for the first time.
It is expected to provide a tricky test, and strategy will be more important than an ability to bomb it off the tee. The players who lead the way in approach play look like the ones to be on here.
Eugenio Chacarra, Martin Couvra, John Parry, and Brandon Stone all rank in the top six on the DP World Tour in that respect, so they will do as my four against the field.
Couvra is the lowest priced member of that quartet, at a general 28-1, a few points shorter than 33-1 shot Chacarra. Stone and Parry are both on offer at 50-1, and offer good each way potential.
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