The Northern Trust betting tips and preview
At the prices, there isn’t much I fancy at the top of the market, but you can’t get away from the fact that classy players tend to win these playoff events.
So with that in mind, Hideki Matsuyama (40/1, 8 places) is fancied at what looks to be a false price.
The Japanese star has struggled with injury over the past year but he appears to be returning to form at just the right time.
After missing the cut in both the Scottish Open and The Open, Matsuyama has made the weekend in each of the last three events and closing rounds of 64 and 65 at Wyndham last time out suggests that he’s really starting to put the pieces together.
Indeed, he surged up the leaderboard at Sedgefield after only just making the cut and that was in large part down to excellent tee-to-green performance.
Matsuyama ranked 4th in approach and 15th off the tee last week on his way to a tie for 11th – and that was while losing more than two strokes to the field with the putter alone.
It’s well known that the putter is his biggest weakness, but that is negated on golf courses that don’t require low scoring.
With the three previous winning scores here at Ridgewood set at -14, -12 and -8, scoring will be a lot more difficult than last week and that will favour the 26-year-old.
Instead, the emphasis will be placed on finding the fairways and hitting as many greens as possible, which will be right in Matsuyama’s wheelhouse.
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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.
