2014 The Barclays Betting Preview Tips And Power Rankings

2014 The Barclays Betting Preview And Tips.
Purse: $8,000,000 • Winning Share: $1,440,000 • FedExCup Points: 2,500
Ridgewood CC • Paramus, New Jersey

Favourites

With Rory McIlroy now at “Tiger-like” odds of 4/1 for the tournament, I’m looking down the order of favourites and see that Justin Rose is listed at 18/1.  Granted, Justin’s best finishes at The Barclays came at Liberty National (T2 in 2013) and Plainfield (T6 in 2011) but I thought he had the best putting week in the field in 2010 when Ridgewood last staged even though he finished T15.  On a run of five consecutive top-25’s with those Quicken Loans and Aberdeen wins and a T4 at Firestone, I think Rose is the REAL value bet of the favourites.


Doc’s Top 5 To Watch


Sergio Garcia 20/1

Sergio is in the form of his life with three seconds in his last five starts (T2 Travelers, T2 Open C’ship, 2 WGC Bridgestone) and being that this is not a Major he could just go right ahead and win this week!  Joking aside, Sergio has Ridgewood form dating back to 2008 when he lost out in a playoff to Vijay Singh and also came close at the 2012 Bethpage staging with a T3.  Reinvented as the strokes gained putting king in 2014, everything is pointing to a great week for the Spaniard.


Matt Kuchar 33/1

With Tom Watson commenting that his players “are dropping like flies” I think Matt Kuchar will be on a mission to prove his recent injury is behind him this week.  Kuch is the defending Ridgewood champion from back in 2010 and almost won again at Plainfield the following year.  Since winning The Heritage in April he has only missed one cut (at Colonial) and recovered from a poor enough Open to score a T4 in Canada and an impressive T12 at Firestone with a Sunday 65. I fully expect Matt to be in the mix.


Brandt Snedeker 33/1

Sneds has been going quietly under the radar with seven top-30 finishes from eight starts since the US Open.  Just outside the top 10 at Valhalla and Firestone, Sneds scored a T5 last time out at The
Wyndham.  On the Barclays podium with a T3 at Plainfield in 2011 and solo second at Bethpage the following year.  Excellent each way possibilities.


Kevin Streelman 80/1

Kevin misses lots of cuts and even the most accomplished statistician would struggle to form a formline for him, but luckily I’m above all that “logic” and reckon I make a decent case for the man.  Yes he missed the cut at Valhalla, but then again he missed four cuts before winning the Travelers, and missed the weekend before winning at Innisbrook in 2013.  What draws me is that Streelman is a horse for this course.  In Ridgewood’s last two stagings of the Barclays he was T3 in 2010 and T4 in 2008 with a T7 and T2 putting clip respectively.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you!


Ryan Palmer 100/1

Ryan played great at The Wyndham with a T5 and he’s the kind of guy who, once he finds form, can keep it going over a few weeks as he showed at Sony and Humana at the start of the season.  Has course form too with a T5 in 2010.  Overpriced at odds of 100/1.


Long Odds Glory Shot 


Paul Casey 100/1

My “Paul Casey just needs one good putting week” philosophy may be wearing a bit thin but I still think the man has a big tournament in him this year.  Four rounds in the 60’s last week at The Wyndham was very encouraging and with a T7 in 2008 and T12 in 2010 at Ridgewood, I think this could be another good week for the Englishman.  Imagine the headache a Casey win would give Paul McGinley!



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