Golf Odds to win: Jaidee Tries for Third Malaysian Open
The best Thai golfer in the world, Thongchai Jaidee, will try for his 3rd straight Malaysian Open title this week. Jaidee won the Malaysian Open in 2004 and 2005. He knows the tournament well, even though the course is different this year, and should pose a serious threat to win the tournament again this week because he’s been doing nothing wrong lately.
This is a golf tournament, though, and every sports gambler in the universe understands how difficult it is to handicap a golf tournament. The odds in the golf sportsbook usually make it worth betting on more than one golfer.
Which golfers make the most sense in which to wager in the sportsbook to win the Malaysian Open? Let’s take a look!
Golf betting trends: Malaysian Open
Where: Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
When: 1st Round March 3rd 2010
Best Bet: Thongchai Jaidee +800
Jaidee is currently ranked 44th in the world. Based on his recent form, he should probably be ranked higher than that. Jaidee finished third but only stroke off of Miguel Angel Jimenez and Lee Westwood in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic two tournaments ago. That terrific finish came on the heels of a 13th place finish in the Abu Dhabi Golf Championships and a 32nd place finish in the Commercialbank Qatar Masters. Yes, 32nd isn’t great, but it’s not horrible either and Jaidee did follow up his 3rd place finish in the DDC with a terrific 5th place finish in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Tournament in the United States two weeks ago.
Jaidee lost in the quarterfinals to eventual WGC-Accenture winner Ian Poulter. Jaidee lost by only a single hole to Poulter. That means that Jaidee should be ready to roll this week and take home the Malaysian Open trophy. Yes, he’s the chalk and I hate betting the chalk in a golf tournament, but the man is playing way better than any of his competition, he’s won this tournament twice and finished 2nd in it the last time it was held at the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club. Thongchai Jaidee is just too hard to bet against this week.
Best +4500 or Below Wager: Shingo Katayama +4000
Katayama doesn’t play very often but when he does he can be downright terrific. He can also be quite awful like when he shot a 12 over in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in 2009, but that was more an anomaly then an actual representation of Katayama’s skills.
Katayama finished tied for 33rd in the WGC-HSBC Championship in his last when shooting a 3 under. Phil Mickelson won that tournament and Tiger Woods was in the field. So, it’s not like Katayama was playing against a bunch of has-beens in the WGC-HSBC. A better tournament in which to gauge Katayama’s skills would be the 2009 Masters where he finished 4th after shooting a 10 under. If that Katayama shows up, then forget it. He could easily take home the Malaysian Open trophy at big odds.
Best +5000 or Higher Bet: Arjun Atwal +6000
Atwal won the Malaysian Open in 2008. Although that Malaysian Open wasn’t being held at the Kuala Lumpur Golf Course, Atwal’s success in the tournament should not be taken for granted. It should definitely not be taken for granted because the odds on Atwal, 60 to 1, are awesome.
The Indian born Atwal didn’t play on the European Tour in 2009. In the Dubai Desert Classic, the first tournament in which he started in 2010, Atwal finished in 122nd place and 10 over. A week later, in the Avantha Masters, Atwal finished in 38th place and 3 under. Atwal could take another step forward in a tournament he’s had success in before. If he does, then he has an outside shot, at those crazy odds, to win it.
Best Long Shot: Chinnarat Phadungsil +9000
The last time this tournament was held at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, Chinnarat Phadungsil shot a 14 under to finish tied for 6th.
Phadungsil, a Thai like Jaidee, had a horrible 2009. He hasn’t started out 2010 much better with only a 52nd place finish in the Avantha Masters on his record. But a return to a tournament and golf course that he’s familiar with, the layout of the Kuala Lumpur hasn’t changed since 2006 even though they have put in new grass recently, might wake Padungsil up.
If it does, then those 90 to 1 odds could cause some sports gamblers to salivate during the final round.
