PGA Tour Betting
May 19th Golf news ... PGA Tour Betting at pgatour-betting.com
Lee Westwood a Favorite at this Year’s U.S. Open
2021-06-18
Looking for two players to place atop the list of favorites for next week’s U.S Open? Look no further than the top two finishers at the season’s first major, The Masters. Although Phil Mickelson prevailed in that event and must be considered the overall favorite, don’t be surprised to see Lee Westwood holding the trophy come Sunday, and Golf betting is watching.
Amidst all the attention given to golf’s two preeminent superstars, Mickelson and Tiger Woods, the truth is that Westwood has been the most consistent player in the world of late, especially in the big events. He has been knocking on the door in majors for years now, finishing in the top three in four of the last eight majors contested, twice finishing one shot out of a playoff—at the 2008 U.S. Open and 2009 British Open. The U.S. Open performance was especially sensational given that he was playing in the final group with Tiger Woods and had to contend with the external frenzy that accompanied his improbable victory on one healthy leg. He also played in the final group with Mickelson at this year’s Masters and had a respectable final round amidst all the pro-Mickelson sentiments. Westwood’s ability to focus on his own game and stay in contention on Sunday shows that he will not be moved by the pressure inherent of the U.S. Open, often described as the most mentally taxing of the four majors. Given the difficulty of the course setups, mistakes are bound to happen. Westwood’s steely resolve allows him to mentally recover from mistakes and not compound them, which as all keen people in golf betting know is his weakness.
Westwood is also a proven winner, having won 31 times around the world, including 20 on the esteemed European Tour, which should silence any concerns about his ability to close a tournament. He has shown the ability to sustain this consistency throughout the course of an entire season, winning the vaunted European Tour Order of Merit in both 2000 and 2009. He is habitually in contention and the fact that he hasn’t broken through yet in a major is nothing more than a testament to how difficult they are to win. As stated before, his overall consistency lends credence to the belief that one of the big ones will eventually go his way. After all, it’s not uncommon for it to take longer than expected for a player to break through. It’s easy to forget that for a long time, there were similar fears about Mickelson. His numerous close-calls had many in the media wondering if his day would ever come. Not only has he broken through, he now has four majors to his credit. Thus, Westwood’s previous habit of coming up just short shouldn’t be a negative in handicapping his chances at the U.S. Open. As we have seen, if a player continually puts himself in a position to win, it should be expected that the day will come when everything goes right and they break through.
The aforementioned consistency possessed by Westwood doesn’t merely apply to majors of the past but also to his play thus far this year and current form. A pillar of consistency, he already has seven top-10 finishes in tournaments this year. His last tournament on American soil, The Players Championship, proved that he was not suffering from any Masters hangover. He led the so-called “fifth major” through 54 holes and wound up with a tie for fourth place. He is playing in this week’s PGA Tour event in Memphis so don’t expect any rust come next week.
Westwood can also draw positive memories from the 2000 U.S. Open, the last time it was held at Pebble Beach. Although he didn’t win, he tied for fifth, his highest finish to that point. His game is a very good fit for Pebble Beach, where a premium is placed on ballstriking, one of Westwood’s strengths. His combination of distance and accuracy promises to serve him well.
It can be argued that Westwood is the safest pick. Whereas some of the other elite players can be erratic, the world’s third-ranked player is the picture of consistency. Players often say before majors that their only goal is to have a chance going into the final round. Westwood’s track record has shown that he will very likely have a chance going into Sunday at Pebble. The only question is whether or not he will win.
Are you ready for some Golf betting action? Head over to www.here now and place your US open bet today!
|