PGA Betting – Bridgestone Invitational Preview

If you follow golf betting or just enjoy hitting the links, you’re probably looking ahead to next week’s PGA Championship. Not so fast. This week’s Bridgestone Invitational is a World Golf Championship event and features a truckload of elite competitors. Can Tiger hold off the powerhouse field for a second straight win? Let’s look at some of the top candidates to make a splash.

 Tiger Woods (+150 odds to win)

BOOM: I shouldn’t have to tell you why you should bet on Tiger, but I’ll do it anyway. He’s won the Bridgestone six times in the last 10 years and he’s fresh off a win last week. Need I go on?

BUST: The host course, Firestone Country Club, doesn’t really punish poor driving accuracy. It favors long hitters. So Tiger’s “weakness” shouldn’t even come into play this week.

Phil Mickelson (+1600 odds to win)

BOOM: Phil is a long hitter, aggressive enough to score well at Firestone, and he’s cracked the top 10 in half his starts this season.

BUST: He’ll be rusty after taking several weeks off to be with his ailing wife and mother. Also, he hasn’t made the top 10 at Firestone since 2003. There are better picks out there this week.

Anthony Kim (+3300 odds to win)

BOOM: There’s plenty to like about Kim this week. His game is where it needs to be, as he’s made the top 20 in four of his last five starts. He has the distance needed to succeed at Firestone and some of his other ranks – second in birdie average, first in putts per GIR – bode well for his chances of posting low numbers.

BUST: I wouldn’t call Kim a choker per se, but he has struggled on Sundays all year. If he gets to the final pairing with Tiger again – and I think he will – will he wilt once more?

Vijay Singh (+4000 odds to win)

BOOM: He’s the defending champion, so you have to consider his Bridgestone Invitational odds. Thanks to his long drives, he can always compete at Firestone.

BUST: 2009 just isn’t Vijay’s year. He has no top-five finishes and, considering he also had knee surgery a few months ago, you have to wonder if his best days are behind him.

Lucas Glover (+6600 odds to win)

BOOM: It’s always fun to include one deep sports prediction sleeper, and Glover may fit the bill this week. He proved he can hang at tough courses when he won the U.S. Open in June and he’s long off the tee like everyone else on this list.

BUST: Though he stayed hot for a few weeks after his U.S. Open title, Glover has stumbled recently, missing the cut in his last two starts.

Pick: Tiger Woods. This isn’t the week to overthink your pick. He has phenomenal history at this tournament and he’s fresh off a win. It’s smart betting management to play it safe this week.

**********

BetOnline’s contributions to Midwest Sports Fans are sponsored by BigTimeGameBoards.com, the company that helps you tailgate like a champion with our high quality cornhole boards, sets and accessories. And if you don’t know what cornhole is, you aren’t a Midwesterner.