Consistent Snedeker has tools to go close at Muirfield
Published:All eyes are certain to be on Tiger Woods at Muirfield, for the opening round at least, as the Florida man continues to search for an elusive 15th major.
And while Woods, who is 8/1, has the game to win at this level again, it is worth considering his compatriot Brandt Snedeker at a juicy price of 40/1 who also possesses the necessary tools to go close in Scotland.
There is no better indication of that then his performance at Royal Lytham in last year’s edition.
Snedeker finished the tournament in fifth place despite leading for the first two rounds. In fact, scores of 66 and 64 equalled Nick Faldo’s 130 in 1992 for the lowest ever score over 36 holes at the Open.
A 73 and 74 in the final two rounds meant he fell out of contention but Snedeker certainly has the grit to win tournaments, as he’s displayed already on the PGA Tour this year when winning the Waste Management Phoenix Open in March.That victory was one of nine top ten finishes in 2013 for the consistent Tennessee man.
The stats also suggest that Snedeker possesses the all-round game to perform well.
As ever, driving accuracy and putting will be key to success and Snedeker’s ranking of 27th and 16th respectively in these departments on the PGA Tour puts him in good shape.
However, it is an exceptionally difficult course. With testing pin positions and several bunkers, sand saves and scrambling will be key to keeping scores low, both of which are very strong areas of the American’s game.
Looking at each of the holes, it also becomes apparent that several key approach shots will be required from around 75-100 yards. It bodes well then that Snedeker hits the green over 85 per cent of the time from this distance.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
