Dan Roebuck’s PGA Tour preview – Pick Fowler over Woods and co

The PGA Tour stays in California this week where Tiger Woods tees it up for the first time in the States this season in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.

This was a tournament Woods used to dominate, winning six times, but he has played in just one of the last four renewals, finishing 44th in 2011. He has hardly had the best preparation eitherm when missing he cut in Abu Dhabi last week.

Woods is the single-figure odds favourite at 6-1, but there is better value elsewhere.

Second best in the betting at 12/1 and defending champion, Brandt Snedeker, will have his supporters, but he was gifted the win 12 months ago after Kyle Stanley triple bogeyed the 72nd hole, and I can’t put him up at current odds.

Likewise 2011 winner Dustin Johnson at 16/1, who won’t get away with the wayward drives that went unpunished in his Kapalua success three weeks ago.

Remember, two courses are used this week, with the North Course much more playable, coming in at nearly three shots easier than the South Course, which the golfers will play exclusively over the weekend.

Rickie Fowler gets the headline selection at 33/1. As a local lad, he’ll have plenty of support from the galleries and with three consecutive top-20 finishes in this tournament.

Meanwhile, he was sixth on his seasonal debut in the Tournament of Champions in which he ranked second in the putts per greens in regulation stats. Fowler will be in confident mood.

Charles Howell (20/1) has started the season in terrific form with third in the Sony Open and a play-off defeat at PGA West on Sunday, while he has twice been runner-up at Torrey Pines.

Lastly, Marc Leishman’s solid start to 2013 could reward each-way backers at 50/1 in an event he found only Johnson too good at two years ago.

My three to follow – Fowler, Howell and Leishman.

All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date