All eyes will be on TPC Harding Park Golf Course in San Francisco, California this coming April 29 to May 3 as 64 of the world’s best golfers lock horns at the 2015 Cadillac Match Play, the second 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 $1.57 million.
A new round-robin format will be introduced in this event with all 64 players now grouped into 16 four-man pods. This will eliminate the specter of Bloody Wednesday wherein most of the top draws have been sent packing in the first round in previous years. The 16 group winners will then move on to the traditional knockout rounds over the weekend to determine once and for all who the 2015 champion will be.
Read on below for our in-depth breakdown of the favorites, high-value sleepers and long shots for this prestigious event. If you’re looking for other sports action, though, you can check out our NBA Game 4 previews of Atlanta vs. Brooklyn and Portland vs. Memphis.
[sc:MultiSportArticles ]2015 WGC-Cadillac Match Play Betting Preview
Where: TPC Harding Park, San Francisco
When: April 29 to May 3, 2015
Favorites – Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth
Golf is in good hands. That was the overwhelming sentiment of golf fans around the world after Jordan Spieth’s historical performance at Augusta earlier this month. With Tiger Woods on the decline, American golf was looking for its next big superstar. Right on cue, Spieth delivered the answer, shooting an 18-under-par total at the Masters to tie Woods’ scoring record and become golf’s next big thing.
[sc:Golf240banner ]The win was significant in the sense that it helps set up golf’s next greatest rivalry. Forget about Woods vs. McIlroy. The people would love to see a McIlroy-Spieth showdown on the golf course soon. With the form that they are in right now, we may get to see them clash at the Cadillac Match Play this coming weekend.
They have won the last three majors with McIlroy winning the Open and PGA Championships last year before Spieth’s monumental win at Augusta this month. McIlroy has had two top-10 finishes at the PGA Tour this year, including a fourth-place finish at the Masters where he shot a 12-under-par total of 276. If not for a bad start at Augusta, McIlroy should have been the one wearing the green jacket. He was 15-under for the final 45 holes.
Spieth, on the other hand, is having a spectacular season. Apart from his victory at the Masters, he has also won the Valspar Championship this year. He has already grabbed seven top-10 finishes this year, finishing first or second in four of those events.
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High-Value Sleepers – Jason Day and Dustin Johnson
One guy who definitely loves playing in this kind of format is defending champion Jason Day. The Australian showed tremendous composure in last year’s final, outlasting Victor Dubuisson in 23 holes to win his first ever World Golf Championship. He looks to repeat this year and join Tiger Woods as the only golfers to win the Cadillac Match Play back-to-back times.
Day will fancy his chances of doing just that as he has fared extremely well in this event. He has a superb 14-3 record in this tournament, having reached the semifinals prior to his win last year. He’s been in solid form this year, winning the Farmers Insurance Open last February. That lethal combination of form and experience will be a huge-plus for Day heading into this week.
Another golfer who’s playing well this year is Dustin Johnson. He has been on fire to start the season, finishing in the top 10 in five of his last six events. He emerged victorious at the last WGC event back in March, beating JB Holmes by a shot to win his first PGA Tour title in more than a year.
He will look to make it back-to-back WGC wins when he tees it off at TPC Harding Park this week. He’s a good bet to go deep in this tournament because of his outstanding driving. He leads the PGA Tour in driving distance with a 315.1 yard per drive average. That will come in handy in tackling the 7,115-yard, par-71 course.
Long Shots – Victor Dubuisson and Phil Mickelson
Victor Dubuisson stole the hearts of golf fans everywhere with his inspired play in the Match Play finals last year. Dubuisson refused to budge against Jason Day, pulling off one miraculous shot after another in an enthralling championship match. Unfortunately, the Frenchman ran out of steam, eventually losing on the fifth extra playoff hole.
2015 hasn’t been kind to Dubuisson though, with the French star already missing the cut twice in the PGA Tour. This match play format, however, might be the answer to Dubuisson’s problems. If he can show the same scrambling skills he displayed in last year’s tournament, Dubuisson might once again pull off a surprise this year.
Making a return to this tournament this week is golfing superstar Phil Mickelson. Lefty will be competing in the WGC Match Play for just the second time in the last six years. Mickelson was enticed to play in this year’s event because of the new pool-play format which removes the chance of a quick first-round exit.
Mickelson has had an atrocious record in this event. In 11 previous tries, Mickelson has only advanced to the quarterfinals once, a 2004 loss to Davis Love III. He has made the round of 16 five times and has been dumped out of the opening round twice.
Mickelson is fresh off an inspired performance at the Masters where he finished in a tie for second with a 14-under-par total of 274. It was his best finish thus far this season and that will serve him in good stead ahead of the Match Play event this week.
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