The WGC Cadillac Matchplay has a new format this year in an attempt to re-invigorate the tournament. It also has a new venue with Dove Mountain in Arizona replaced by the TPC Harding Park in San Francisco.
Instead of the straight knockout format, this year will see the world’s top players competing in 16 round-robin groups of four with the winners then playing sudden-death in 72 holes over the weekend.
The new make-up of the tournament should favour the best players as they can possibly afford one bad round and still progress. It also means that spectators will see more of the big names for longer. There is no Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson in San Francisco but Rory McIlroy, runner-up at Dove Mountain in 2012, and Jordan Spieth (both 11/1 with Betfred) are seeded one and two and could give us a taster of battles to come if they both reach the final. Defending champion Jason Day (18/1 with Betfred) is also among several arriving in decent form.
England has provided two of the last five winners and there was an all-England final in 2010 when Ian Poulter beat Paul Casey, who was also the beaten finalist in 2009. Casey is 40/1 this year with Betfred, Paddy Power, Coral and bwin while Poulter is available at 35/1 with Paddy Power, Stan James, 888sport and Unibet. Lee Westwood is 66/1 with Stan James but if there is going to be an English winner in 2015 then Justin Rose is probably the best hope.
Rose won for the seventh time on the US PGA Tour in last week’s Zurich Classic in New Orleans and looks value, at 11/8 with Betfred, to come out on top in Group 6 in San Francisco against Ryan Palmer, Marc Leishman and Anirban Lahiri. He is 11/2 with Betfred to reach the semi-finals and a general 20/1 to win the WGC Cadillac Matchplay. Rose is 13/8 to fare best of the English contingent with betway.
Last year’s runner-up Victor Dubuisson could be interesting at 77/1 with betdaq. The Frenchman is an accomplished matchplay exponent and, though playing on a different course this year, won’t be overawed. He might also have a decent draw – against Dustin Johnson, Charl Schwartzel and Matt Jones – and is overpriced at 7/2 to win Group 8 with Coral.
In-form Russell Henley is my third choice in the group betting, being 10/3 with Ladbrokes to win Group 12. He’s 90/1 with Coral, Skybet and betdaq to win the event but Hunter Mahan, finalist in two of the last three years, has drawn the short straw in the group stages. Mahan is a general 50/1 to repeat his 2012 victory but will have to get past Matt Kuchar (33/1 with Betfred) first as well as Scotland‘s Stephen Gallacher and Ben Martin.
