Dan Roebuck’s The Barclays preview: Furyk to bounce back
Published:The Playoffs on the PGA Tour kick off this week, with The Barclays at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City the first of four tournaments in which the field gets ever smaller to determine the 2013 FedEx Cup winner.
The last time the New Jersey layout staged this event – back in 2009 – it came in for plenty of stick from the players, with sloping greens and penal rough causing problems for all. Scrambling was difficult and while officials have suggested the course will play easier this week, the ability to get up and down regularly could be key.
That’s something Tiger Woods has struggled with this year – he ranks 110th in scrambling from the rough – and, as his standing in driving accuracy in the USPGA Championship last time out was a rather lowly 70th, this week’s 5/1 favourite is overlooked.
Jim Furyk’s play from tee to green is in much better nick, and with three top 10s coming into this week, including second at Oak Hill a fortnight ago, he looks the best bet in a top-class field at 50/1. There is perhaps still a question about his bottle, but at the odds he looks a brilliant each-way investment.
Henrik Stenson just can’t stop making the frame at the moment. His current form figures read 3-2-2-3, with two of those place efforts coming in majors. The Swede again left some putts on the course in Rochester in the USPGA, but he is long overdue a going day on the greens, so keep him in your staking plan at 20/1.
Lastly, Matt Jones’ last-day 62 at the Wyndham Championship propelled him into punters consciousness for this week. His short game is better now that he has adjusted to a new putter following the theft of his old one, and this accurate iron player smacks of value at his current price of 125/1.
My three off the tee – Furyk, Stenson and Jones.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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