All eyes will be on the Trump National Golf Course in Doral, Florida this coming March 5-8 as 70 of the world’s best golfers lock horns at the 2015 Cadillac Championship, the first of the World Golf Championships events to be staged this year. A cool $9.25 million is at stake for the world-class field with the winner collecting a mouth-watering $1.572 million.
Read on below for our in-depth breakdown of the favorites, high-value sleepers and long shots for this lucrative event. If you’re on the lookout for other sporting events, though, you can check out our odds update for the upcoming NCAA basketball tournament as March Madness draws ever closer.
[sc:MultiSportArticles ]2015 Cadillac Championship Betting Preview and Prediction
Where: Trump National, Doral
When: March 5-8, 2015
Favorites – Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed
When Rory McIlroy made his much-awaited 2015 PGA Tour debut at the Honda Classic last week, many were expecting the world no. 1 to stamp his class and continue his excellent form. McIlroy shocked the golfing world, though, with his atrocious performance at the PGA National Golf Course, shooting rounds of 73-74 to miss the cut for the first time since the 2014 Irish Open.
[sc:Golf240banner ]With that being said, McIlroy is still hands down the favorite at +450 to win the Cadillac Championship this year. Why not? Prior to the Honda Classic, the Northern Irishman had four victories and four runner-up finishes in his last 12 worldwide starts, including a victory on the European Tour in Dubai earlier this year. Look for the four-time major winner to bounce back in a big way at Doral.
One guy who’s also playing some excellent golf as of late is Patrick Reed. Reed has already grabbed a tournament win this year, claiming the Hyundai Tournament of Champions crown last January. He’s also in contention at the Honda Classic as he is currently tied for third in this event at the time of this writing.
What makes Reed such a threat to win this week is his familiarity and success with the Blue Monster golf course. He is the defending champion in this event, winning it by a single shot last year with a four-under-par total of 284. With the great form that he is in right now, Reed is a good bet to repeat as champion this week.
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High-Value Sleepers – Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson
If there’s one player who’s overdue for a victory here in this event, it’s none other than two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson. The 36-year-old has finished runner-up in two of his last three trips here at Doral.
Watson will fancy his chances of finally grabbing that coveted tournament win this week as he is playing some superb golf heading into the Florida Swing of the PGA Tour. He already has two top-10 finishes this year, including a runner-up performance at the Phoenix Open last month. Watson (+1,200) is one high-value pick you shouldn’t miss this week.
Another high-value sleeper who can make some noise this coming weekend is Dustin Johnson. Yes, he missed the cut in last week’s Honda Classic but Johnson was playing some exceptional golf prior to that. He finished tied for fourth at the Pebble Beach Invitational last month before losing in a heart-breaking three-man playoff to James Hahn at the Northern Trust Open a couple of weeks back.
Johnson has had some success in this tournament before as well, finishing in the top 12 in three of his last six Cadillac starts. Look for Johnson to be in the hunt this coming Sunday.
Long Shots – Charl Schwartzel and Phil Mickelson
Let’s be frank here. Charl Schwartzel’s 2015 season hasn’t gone according to plan thus far. He has struggled mightily in his first two events this year, finishing in a tie for 41st at the Northern Trust Open before missing the cut entirely at the Honda Classic last week with an embarrassing 13-over-par score through the tournament’s first two rounds.
You can never discount Schwartzel, however, from turning his fortunes around at Doral this week. He has a ninth, fourth, and a second-place finish in his six career starts at Doral. Don’t be surprised if Schwartzel (+6,000) jump-starts his PGA Tour season this week.
Another player who has struggled with his golf game to start the season as well is Phil Mickelson. The five-time major champion’s play was all over the place as he missed cuts in both the Phoenix Open and the Farmers Insurance Open. Alarm bells started to ring concerning Mickelson’s swing but he has somewhat silenced his critics with a solid performance at the Honda Classic where he is currently tied for fourth in the final round of the rain-delayed PGA Tour event.
Mickelson’s recent success at the Cadillac gives him the belief that he can once again contend this coming weekend. He already won this tournament back in 2009 and with his game slowly rounding into form, it won’t be a complete surprise if Mickelson snaps his losing skid here.
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