2009 Zurich Classic Predictions

Written April 21, 2009 by Jason Lowry

It was Brian Gay’s weekend to remember last week at the Verizon Heritage, as Gay shot a final round of 64 to finish up at 20 under. Gay was so much better than the rest of the field, that the next closest score was 10 under. This week the PGA Tour heads to TPC Louisiana for the 2009 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Gay along with many of the top players in the world will be sitting this one out this weekend, so it could be another lesser named player making his way to the top this weekend. The favorites to win this weekend are Kenny Perry, Steve Stricker, and Nick Watney, but expect someone to come out firing from the bottom and make a run at this one. Here is a look at 3 golfers from all over the field that I think have a shot to win this weekend.

Nick Watney +1500 odds to win at Sportsbook.com: Watney is my personal favorite to win this thing, and he has everything you look for in a guy to win. Watney knows the course and has proven he can win here before, as he won here back in 2007 for his first PGA Tour win. Watney has been excellent to start the 2009 season finishing in the top 25 eight times this year, including a 2nd place finish at the WGC-CA Championship and a 1st place finish at the Buick Invitational. Watney’s great play has landed him 4th in the FedEx Cup Standings, and Watney is currently in the top 15 in scoring average, driving distance, scrambling, and total putting. If you want a solid pick to win this weekend, then get your money on Watney this weekend.

Rory Sabbatini +2500 odds to win at Sportsbook.com: Sabbatini hasn’t had the great showing yet this season, as he has 5 finishes in the top 20, but not one inside the top 5. Sabbatini did finish well last week at the Verizon Heritage, but that was still only good enough for a tie for 8th. Sabbatini will need the driver to be a little more accurate than it has been to start the season, as he ranks just 117th in total driving. Another area that Sabbatini has struggled is getting the ball on the green in regulation, as he is 135th in that category to start this season. What has kept Sabbatini in tournament is his putting, as he comes in 9th in putting average, and I think the putter is what is going to carry him this weekend. I don’t know if he will have what it takes to win this thing, but I look for Sabbatini to finally crack the top 5 this weekend, and if he gets it going on Sunday he could wind up winning.

Bubba Watson +6000 odds to win at Sportsbook.com: Watson is force of the tee, as he once again is leading the tour in driving distance. While that helped Watson get off to a great start with 4 top 25 finishes in his first 5 starts, it has not been good of late. Watson has failed to finish better than 42nd since finishing tied for 17th at the Northern Trust Open back in the middle of February. I look for Watson to snap out of the funk he has been in late, and he has great value to win this weekend. If Watson can just find a way to get the ball on the green for birdie putts, I think he will be right there come the final round on Sunday.

For those of you looking for some PGA Tour betting help, check out our expert golf picks and the latest golf odds from Betfirms.

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