The Greenbrier Classic betting tips and preview
Information
Venue: The Old White TPC, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
Date: July 5-8, 2018
Course stats: Par 70; 7,286yards
Purse: $7.3m (£5.5m)
Defending champion: Xander Schauffele (-14)
TV times
Thursday: Sky Sports Golf, from 8.30pm
Friday: Sky Sports Golf, from 8.30pm
Saturday: Sky Sports Golf, from 6.00pm
Sunday: Sky Sports Golf, from 6.00pm
The Greenbrier Classic preview
Xander Schauffele returns to the site of his first PGA Tour win as he goes in search of a successful title defense at The Old White TPC in West Virginia.
As far as PGA Tour standards go, this is one of the weakest fields of the season where Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson headline the field, while Tony Finau is made the pre-tournament favourite by the bookies.
Will we see an established player win? Or will another rookie like Schauffele breakthrough for the first time on the PGA Tour?
The Greenbrier Classic betting tips
Of the market leaders, I could make a strong case for Joaquin Niemann to get his first win on the PGA Tour after seamlessly making the transition to the professional ranks, but at a slightly bigger price, I prefer the claims of Jimmy Walker (33/1, 8 places).
The former PGA Championship winner has had a tough time over the past year, but he seems to be nearing full fitness now after his well-documented battle with Lyme Disease.
The American hasn’t missed a cut since February, and in that stretch since then, he’s managed to finish runner-up at the Players Championship, fourth at the Valero Texas Open and sixth at the Byron Nelson.
His last two starts at the Quicken Loans National and US Open have been solid enough, and it certainly seems that a win is around the corner.
Perhaps it’ll come here at a significantly weaker field than usual on the PGA Tour, and on a golf course that Walker tends to relish.
In six starts at The Old White, Walker holds a record of 18-MC-2-MC-4-4. Clearly this is a golf course he likes and his price seems much too big for a player of his quality.
As a par-70, par-4 scoring average will be the most important statistic here. Walker has the second best par-4 scoring average in this field over the past three months.
That’s Keel’s top tip for glory this week, but where can some serious profit be made? His outside tips are on the next page…
Tom Irwin
Tom is a lifetime golfer, now over 30 years playing the game. 2023 marks 10 years in golf publishing and he is still holding down a + handicap at Alwoodley in Leeds. He has played over 600 golf courses, and has been a member of at least four including his first love Louth, in Lincolnshire. Tom likes unbranded clothing, natural fibres, and pencil bags. Seacroft in Lincolnshire is where it starts and ends.
