Following an intense two weeks of action on the PGA Tour, things are a little quieter this week as we prepare for the Quicken Loans National 2018. This remains a prestigious event, but is one of the newer competitions on the circuit and many of the world’s top golfers are sitting it out.
There are some exceptions and could this be the time that Tiger Woods takes advantage of a weakened field to secure a comeback win? We enjoyed a profitable week ourselves with two of our Top 10 tips landing last week via Bubba Watson and Paul Casey so let’s see if we can find the answers.
The Quicken Loans National outright betting shows a clear favorite this week with Rickie Fowler (+700) several points clear of the chasing golfers. Rickie is the highest ranked player on show over the four days and he has claimed a runners up slot in this event, finishing second behind 2015 champion Troy Merritt.
Fowler also heads the Power Rankings this week and following a third placed finish at the National in 2017, he is the worthy favorite.
Tiger (+1200) is second favourite for the win this week and as such, many punters feel this is his best chance of claiming the comeback victory that he clearly craves. Woods is also a former winner of this event and along with Justin Rose, he is the only man to have lifted the National Trophy more than once.
Those successes were on different courses but as we have seen during 2018, previous wins in a specific tournament can be strong indicators.
Australia’s Marc Leishman is available at the same odds as Tiger in places: He has five Top 10 finishes this year but his form is dipping so we will likely look elsewhere. Francesco Molinari (+2200) makes a rare appearance in the US and the Italian has been strong in Europe recently so should be one to watch.
Elsewhere, on the edge of the chasing pack is our defending champion Kyle Stanley (+2500) who took the 2017 title in a playoff over Charles Howell III. That was Stanley’s second Tour win and he hasn’t looked likely to add to that tally but happy memories can inspire and he will have plenty of backers this week.
From the more distant options, Jimmy Walker (+3000) could be a sound pick this week. Although not back to his consistent best following illness, Walker found good form with six top 25s before that run was ended by the harsh conditions at Shinnecock Hills.
Elsewhere, there are two names from outside of the US who often return low scores on the PGA Tour without always threatening to get over the winning line. Kiradech Aphibarnrat (+3000) and Byeong-Hun An (+3300) are the golfers in question and both have performed well over in Europe.
Other names to mention from the outsider ranks include Gary Woodland, Billy Horschel and Rory Sabbatini. All have shown fleeting form in 2018 and could have the key stats to make a challenge at the Quicken Loans National.
Our Quicken Loans National Preview’s Betting Predictions, Picks & Course Trends Verdict
We are back at the TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm for the second year in succession at a Maryland course that is a short par 70 at just over 7,100 yards. Key stats shown by 2017’s winner Kyle Stanley included Greens in Regulation and Strokes Gained while he was third in terms of fairways hit.
This isn’t the toughest test on Tour but fairways are tight so accuracy from the tee will be crucial over four days while putting form is also vital on tough bentgrass greens.
We have mentioned the two multiple winners – Woods and Rose – and this is largely a tournament where US golfers dominate.
Based on the requirements, this preview will overlook the favourite Rickie Fowler for our main Quicken Loans National prediction. Yes, he has a good record here but form is more important and he is out of touch coming into Thursday. As in previous years, we may well see an outsider deliver at long odds but it has to be worth punting on Woods this week.
His own form has been mixed since the latest comeback but all experts acknowledge that the real Tiger is close to making a return. Having come so close at the Valspar, this is a perfect opportunity for a Tour win in a far weaker field.
So our Qucken Loans National betting pick with the America-friendly betting sites is to bet Tiger Woods for victory and add in some Top 10s for what will hopefully lead to another profitable four days. These are our preview’s betting predictions:
- Tiger Woods to win at best odds of +1225 with 5Dimes. He is +1200 with Bovada and Intertops.
- Kyle Stanley (+200), Jimmy Walker (+200) and Kiradech Aphibarnrat (+275) for Top 10 finishes, all odds are with Bovada.
Matt Harris is a golf and soccer expert for USA Betting. His other area of specialist knowledge is cricket. He is well known in sports journalism and contributes articles to a plethora of big-name websites and media outlets. Titles that he writes or has written for include: Betfair, BetVictor, Unibet & Just Bookies.