Former Sky Sports Golf editor Dave Tindall is a regular contributor to and various other publications. Read his outright preview for Betfair by .
It could pay to aim even higher with Scottish southpaw ROBERT MACINTYRE, but the 9/2 for him finishing in the top 20 offers good reward. Pete Dye's Kiawah Island proved an extremely happy hunting ground for the British players when it last hosted in 2012, with seven making the top 10. There were also a pair of Swedes in there.
MacIntyre has already taken to the majors like a duck to water following T6 at the 2019 Open Championship and T12 on his Masters debut last month. He also threw in a bit of Dye form when winning his group in the WGC-Match Play at Austin CC and warmed up for this with T8 at the British Masters, doing most things well.
As the old adage goes, if David Lynn can finish runner-up at Kiawah, MacIntyre can certainly crack the top 20.
Martin Mathews writes a regular PGA Tour tipping column on his , provides in-play event previews for Sporting Life, and is a regular Paddy Power contributor.
Putting CHARLEY HOFFMAN forward in a major for anything other than first-round leader at Augusta might at first glance look like a case of 'a fool and their money', however since finishing seventh at Pebble Beach back in February the 44-year-old has been on quite a tear. Six top-40 finishes in his last six starts, including two top-10s, tells us all we need to know and a repeat performance here will land us the cash.
Always a strong ball-striker, Hoffman loves a challenge in the wind, producing some of his best stuff over the years in breezy Texas conditions. Add this to the fact that he is a former champion at Mayakoba, which features this week's paspalum greens, and there are plenty of reasons to think he can keep his heater going and perform strongly again.
Matt Cooper is a long-time Sporting Life contributor who previews the women's majors for the website and provides tips for multiple tours for and others.
I’m pretty sure that every single time I click on the Top Lefty market I daydream about the prospect of Tony Benn fighting out favouritism with Michael Foot. Alas, it’s cack-handed golfers every time. Oh well.
The European Tour duo have a really good opportunity to down the trio of Americans this week. Why so? Well, away from Augusta, Phil Mickelson has made just one top 40 (T24th) in a major since 2016; Bubba Watson, with the exception of 2010, has a very poor championship record; and, for all his fine form, Brian Harman might struggle with the length of the course.
Robert MacIntyre is a fine prospect, but I’ll take the big-hitting, audacity, and form of GARRICK HIGGO.
Jason Daniels is a pundit on golf podcast who previews European Tour events for Sporting Life.
For almost a week I had another bet lined up, but then saw the 5/2 about SERGIO GARCIA being top Spaniard and it all changed.
Key stats this week look to be distance off the tee, tee-to-green and greens-in-regulation, and by my reckoning the Spaniards are two of not many that have prominent positions in all.
What differentiates them is their finishes at what should be influential courses.
Sergio laps Jon Rahm for efforts at Quail Hollow, while much of the 2012 leaderboard contained Honda Classic form, at which the older man has a host of top finishes. Shove in a top-10 the only time he has played the Dom Pedro in Portugal (see Rory and David Lynn for evidence), a PLAYERS Championship win at Pete Dye's Sawgrass and, of course, top three efforts at The Open and at this event, and this is closer than the market would have you believe.
The price is surely based on current form, Sergio having missed his last three cuts after a good spell. However, opening rounds of 65 and 68 in his last two are nothing to worry about and the man with the green jacket can land this match bet.
Steve Rawlings is a golf betting trader who writes pre-tournament previews and in-running blogs for .
TYRRELL HATTON is a quite brilliant links exponent (won back-to-back Dunhill Links Championships), he won the Abu Dhabi Championship in January, he has form on paspalum (Saudi International) and he finished third at the RBC Heritage last year at the Pete Dye designed Harbour Town.
and .
Ben Coley is Sporting Life's deputy editor and long-serving golf columnist and tipster.
Backing PHIL MICKELSON with confidence in any market isn't really possible any more, but there's definite value in taking him to be the top former winner.
McIlroy and Justin Thomas quite rightly dominate the market, but then we've Collin Morikawa, who faces the huge task of defending his title. He's risen to most challenges so far but suffered a post-PGA lull last year and a similarly low-key performance here wouldn't surprise me.
With Brooks Koepka plainly not fit, Keegan Bradley into what appears to be a very skinny price and Jason Day playing poorly, we get to 28/1 shot Mickelson as one of the handful of realistic options to upstage those above him in the betting.
Posted at 1530 BST on 18/05/21
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