Our golf expert brings you his preview and predictions for this week's PGA tour event, the Fortinet Championship.
Fortinet Championship - Winner
Silverado in California is the venue once again for the former Safeway Open where Jon Rahm heads the field being the only Ryder Cup star to take part. Eyebrows have been raised at this but one reason may be the involvement the agency that represents Rahm has in the event. Did he agree to it a long time ago? Who knows, but who is to say this preparation might not be better than heading to Whistling Straits early doors. Either way the 4/1 on offer doesn't tempt me enough. One of the reasons behind that is the course is quite simple and provides many chances for birdies. Plenty will shoot good scores here and one stall from the 4/1 jolly could give him a lot to do. With one eye on next week surely he is best left alone from a betting perspective. What it does provide is inflated prices for the rest if you can manage to ignore Rahm.
Nick Taylor at 100/1 (8 Places)
Nick Taylor ranks 20th in the field in SG on tracks under 7200 yards and I must say I am surprised to see triple figure quotes about the Canadian this week. He was lying 2nd here last time heading into the final round before faltering to 10th which added to his 9th place finish here back in 2017. This bodes well for someone who makes his scores on the shorter tracks as is evident by his win at Pebble. He played extremely well last time out at the Wyndham finishing 10th, another short track which suits his game. This is right up his street and the Rahm factor equates to him being very backable.
1.5pts each-way N.Taylor 100/1 (1/5 8)
Charley Hoffman at 50/1 (8 Places)
Charley Hoffman has a poor record around here with two missed cuts and a 56th placed spot but he is playing some of the best golf of his career and shouldn't be underestimated in this field. The Hoff pushed Spieth close in Texas finishing 2nd earlier in the year and 3rd at the Charles Schwab marked a nearly year. A handful of other top 10s in 2021 is a sign of just how well he is playing but he hasn't quite been rewarded with a win. He ranks 4th in the field in SG on Par 5s over the last 50 rounds and last season marked his best putting performance in his career. He deserved slightly more for his efforts last season and I suspect he will get rewarded with a win sooner or later. In a field relatively weak apart from Rahm this represents a fair chance.
1pt each-way C.Hoffman 50/1 (1/5 8)
Vincent Whaley at 150/1 (8 Places)
Vincent Whaley totalled 14 under here last year on route to a top 25 finish and I think slightly overpriced to go well again given he is clearly playing better golf than he did at the end of 2020. Eleven top 30 finishes on his first full season on tour last year was more than respectable and he can be expected to contend an event with a field such as this. 44% of the scoring on this track is made on the par 5s and Whaley ranks 2nd in the field in SG Par 5s during the last 50 rounds. 150/1 at 8 places is a generous price for the lad who played well here last year and has fairly improved since.
0.75pt each-way V.Whaley 150/1 (1/5 8)
Maverick McNealy at 66/1 (6 Places)
Maverick McNealy is another who plays the par 5s extremely well and one who can capitalise on the weaker field here. The Californian is used to these greens and has posted a handful of solid finishes on this coast. The reliable flat stick let him down last time out at the BMW but previous to that he posted 7 top 30 finishes in a row which was the best run of form he has put together. He was second last season to Nick Taylor at Pebble and in similar mould can play well here given his par 5 ability. The putter is a huge weapon and should it return to anywhere near its best then he has to be a lively contender. I had hoped of a slightly bigger price but the layers were lively to his chances this week.
1pt each-way M.McNealy 66/1 (1/5 6)
Chad Ramey at 80/1 (8 Places)
Finally I'll chance Chad Ramey coming off the Korn Ferry Tour. He finished the season 3rd in the rankings on that tour manging a win in Maine and numerous other great efforts. He finished top of the par 5 scoring stats for last season despite not being one of the longest and finished 3rd in GIR percentage across the year. These lads coming off this tour know how to win and plenty do it season upon season. This looks to be a fair chance for Ramey with a weaker field. I had hoped for some silly prices at the start of the week and it looked promising when 200/1 was one of the first quoted. That went quickly however but the 80-100/1 out there looks very fair.
1pt each-way C.Ramey 80/1 (1/5 8)
