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WGC Accenture World Match Play Betting

Phil Mickelson

Wednesday sees the start of the WGC Accenture Match Play in Arizona, the first event of the 2008 World Golf Championships. It’s an unusual format for the players, but defending champion Henrik Stenson summed it up succinctly recently, observing that, “You’ve got your opponent and you either do better or worse.”

Whenever anyone talks about golf betting, Tiger Woods is always the favourite. This competition is no exception, and rightly so - he’s won 8 out of the last 9 tournaments he’s played.

However, Tiger’s record in match play isn’t as good as his strokeplay and isn’t really worth backing. He hasn’t won the Accenture event since 2004, and his Ryder Cup record isn’t too strong either. His first round match is against rookie JB Holmes, one of the biggest hitters on the tour, and there’s an outside chance that Woods will fall at the first hurdle - a lay bet with Betfair might be a good option.

Phil Mickelson may be a better bet for the title - his Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup record is excellent, and he has found some good form of late on the tour. He also looks to have a more straightforward run to the third round, unlike Woods who is likely to face Mike Weir in Round 2. Mickelson is available at 14/1 with Boylesports and totesport.

Trevor Immelman is one of the dark horses (at 80-1 with Betfred), having enjoyed success both in this format and on this course. He’s in the same section of the draw as Ernie Els, who nearly didn’t enter because he never wins - Immelman could make sure Els’ misfortune continues, and might be worth a small each way bet.

Matchplay specialist Angel Cabrera has also been tipped at 66/1 - he faces Anders Hansen in the first round. If you back him on Betfair at these odds, they’ll shorten dramatically when he reaches the second round. You can then lay the bet at much shorter odds, close out your original position and walk away with a tidy profit.

Have a look at Extrabet for good odds on this event - they will also let you sell the bet back to them at a given price as the tournament progresses, which is similar to laying the bet at Betfair.

Good luck!

1 comment

  1. robert posted on February 20, 2008:

    adam scott may be worth a n ew bet

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