Quail Hollow betting preview

By Dave Tindall Last updated: 27th April 2010

The names at the top of this week's Quail Hollow Championship betting - Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood - have all been absent since contesting the Masters.

And while that will give them some added freshness, their lack of a recent run is a slight concern. Woods has only played four rounds all year, Westwood is best with golf under his belt and Mickelson, you sense, is trying to peak for the majors so might not be at his very best.

Camilo Villegas has seen action since Augusta though and made the most of hist post-Masters trip to Hilton Head by finishing fifth in the Verizon Heritage.

That was only his seventh start of the year, so he has a nice balance of freshness and being tournament sharp, and in those events he's now posted a win, a third, a fifth, an eighth, a 16th, a 38th and a single missed cut.

It's no surprise then to find him fourth in Scoring Average and also fourth on the US Money List.

What is a surprise, a welcome one, is that he's rated a 40/1 shot this week when his overall play merits a shorter price.

The Colombian - prone to talk a little in muddled cliches - said at Augusta: "The best club has been the attitude." And although his tied 38th wasn't what he was looking for, his ability to pick himself up and make the top five the following week suggests his words have substance.

His 40/1 is probably based on the fact that his course form at Quail Hollow isn't that great - MC-43-55-22. However, on the plus side he's well used to the course now and has been in the top seven at halfway in each of the last two years.

"It's a great test. I love it," he said after last year's second round 67 so really it's just a question of him keeping it going on the weekend, something he's done well this year.

With young guns Sean O'Hair and Anthony Kim the last two winners here, Villegas certainly has the right profile and he's a worthy headline pick.

My colleague Harry The Hat is still cursing the fact he tipped up Jason Bohn a week too early. But it could just be the case that last week's Zurich Classic winner could add to the agony if we abandon him here.

Bohn led this event by two shots after the second round in 2008 and eventually finished third.

In interview he alluded to loving the course and also having family and friends in the area and as well as that third place he was also second (lost in a play-off at the Wyndham Championship) on his last start in North Carolina.

Back-to-back wins might be out of Bohn's league but a top five isn't. He's as short as 10/1 for a place but Boylesports offer 18/1 and that looks tasty.

And given the way he flew out of the blocks last week and also at this venue in 2009 it might be worth playing him on the first round leader market too. He's 66/1 to stay hot and finish day one out in front.

Back to the outright betting and I do like the look of Stewart Cink at 75/1.

The Open champ hasn't done much since winning the claret jug but he's been putting in plenty of hard work and results could be just around the corner.

Cink is too good a player to remain amongst the also-rans and perhaps he turned a corner at Hilton Head on his last start when tied 14th (a double bogey at the last cost him a top 10).

The six-time US Tour winner was tied third for greens in regulation there so his iron game is hotting up and that's a key skill this week.

Like most of the players, he's a big fan of how this tournament is put on - he says the crowds on the practice days give it the feel of a major - and a check through the record books shows some fine finishes at Quail Hollow.

Two years ago Cink finished tied eighth after a 65 had put him fourth with a round to go while in 2008 he finished tied fifth after shooting all four rounds under par.

Cink is 75/1 and that will certainly do.

Given that this event has the feel of a major - the unofficial "sixth major" after the Players? - it's no surprise that major champions David Toms (2003), Vijay Singh (2005), Jim Furyk (2006) and Tiger Woods (2007) are all recent winners here while those touted as future ones, Anthony Kim and Sean O'Hair, took the last two titles.

Hunter Mahan definitely falls into that latter category and his last 12 major starts have produced eight top 20s, three of the last five being top 10s.

He missed his first three cuts at Quail Hollow but in the same way he's vastly improved his results in majors, so he has here.

Two years ago he broke par on all four days to finish tied 12th while last year he shot a pair of bookend 68s only to be undone by his middle two rounds.

Mahan arrives in Charlotte on the back of a best ever finish at Augusta (tied eighth) while he's still riding the confidence from his excellent win in Phoenix back in February.

A superb ball-striker, Mahan looks a great fit for this course and although his putting stats this year are poor it's worth noting that he finished tied 11th in total putts here 12 months ago so the greens don't hold any fears for him.

A big-time player, Mahan will relish the company he's in this week and the 40/1 is fair given that he's gone off at shorter prices in majors.

Tips:

2pts e.w. Camilo Villegas at 40/1 (General 1/4 1,2,3,4,5). In great form this year, T5 last time out and has threatened big result on this course.

2pts Jason Bohn to finish top five at 18/1 (Boylesports). Last week's winner was third here two years ago and also runner-up on last start in NC.

0.5pts e.w. Jason Bohn to be first round leader at 66/1 (bet365, Boylesports, Sky Bet 1/4 1,2,3,4,5). Led all the way last week and started fast here in 2008. Can stay hot.

1pt e.w. Stewart Cink at 75/1 (bet365 1/4 1,2,3,4,5). Open champ has been 5th and 8th here in last three years and hinting at return to best.

1pt e.w. Hunter Mahan at 40/1 (General 1/4 1,2,3,4,5). This tournament has a major feel and Mahan thrives in such circumstances.