Followers of the major golf tours cast their eyes to Spain this week for the renewal of the Andalucia Masters. An ambitious fixture on the European Tour, it serves as a qualifier for this year’s The Open Championship and that has resulted in a stronger than usual field as some of the game’s top players aim to book their slot at The Open. Here are our top Andalucia Masters betting tips.
Played at the Valderrama Golf Club in Spain, the crowds will descend on Sonogrande this weekend top cheer on their favourites. Armchair fans can also keep pace with the action thanks to the live TV coverage offered by Sky Sports which gets underway on Thursday and takes us through to Sunday’s conclusion when a champion will be crowned.
Support your Favourites
As well as an enjoyable few days of golf where some important players aim to polish their skills on the build up to an important few weeks, we can also bet on the outcome thanks to the work done by bookmakers. Have your say on the winner of the Andalucia Masters and get your cash down. You can bet to win or take advantage of the safety net that comes from placing an each-way punt.
There are also several specials markets, aimed at catching the attention of punters who are reluctant to stick their neck on the line and call an outright winner. Get your money down on a player to finish in the top five, top 10, one to make the cut, first round leader, a top American, European or British player or even the two-ball and three-ball options available. The last couple are best used as part of an accumulator and give backers an interest over the course of the day.
You can bet early before the first tee or bide your time and wait to see how the competition is shaping up thanks to in-play betting. Keep your powder dry until you get a feel for the mood your player is in after a couple of holes. Major bookmakers such as Bet365 offer in-play betting on a number of markets throughout the competition, with prices and markets updated to match the flow of play. Keep a close eye on the leaders and pounce on any value that appears before the traders react. There’s profit to be made betting in-play, but only if you’re quick enough.
Garcia has Dominated
This competition has a bit of a sketchy past. It was first run in 2010 when Britain’s Graeme McDowell entered the history books as the first ever champion, recording a winning score of three under par. That left him two strokes ahead of a bunch finish which consisted of Soren Kjeldsen, Gareth Maybin and Damien McGrane. A year later we saw Spaniard Sergio Garcia begin his love affair with the competition when winning by a single stroke from runner up, and fellow countryman, Miguel Angel Jimenez. A thrilling year.
There was then no play until 2017 and it looked for long periods of time like the Andalucia Masters would never see the light of day again. Thankfully, it did and a change in the organisation meant we were back in business. Garcia won in 20017 with a score of 12 under par and in 2018 thanks to the same return. Last year he held off the attentions of Shane Lowry by four strokes, those who had their money down able to count their winnings well before the finish line. Will we see more of the same this year with Sergio Garcia continuing to dominate the play, much to the delight of supporters in attendance? Bookmakers certainly think so.
The current outright betting for this weekend’s play has Garcia pinned to the top of the market and he’s a 13/2 shot with Bet365. That price may be a little lower than you’d expect to find a favourite in a decent golf competition, but the stats mean traders couldn’t really offer anything more in fear of being hurt by the value hunters. 13/2 is not too bad when comparing it to the 11/2 being offered by the same player with a number of firms. That’s sure to be popular with punters.
Keep Your Options Open
There are other ways to bet on Sergio Garcia this weekend, if you don’t want to risk playing the outright market. He’s 14/1 with Bet365 to be first round leader and if you fancy him to explode out of the traps, that’s a bet worth looking at. It will also give you a quick interest for the course of Thursday, if you’re looking to test your luck. Fancy one for your weekend accumulators? Why not back Garcia for a top five finish? The price is short, but the form means it should be as close to a good bet as your likely to find this weekend.
You can, of course, allow your eye to drift further down the pecking order in an attempt to find a plucky outsider who is good enough to go close to causing an upset. Even if they don’t win, you are looking for a man who will go close and be in contention heading into the final round on Sunday. From there you will have a choice to make, take your chances and let the bet ride or cash out for a profit and collect the money early. It then won’t matter who wins or where your selection finishes as your bet will be over and the cash in your account. With modern gambling there’s more ways to beat the bookies.
This looks like the Sergio Garcia show but there are other players in the running, of course. Second favourite is Jon Rahm at 7/1 with Ladbrokes, Matthew Fitzpatrick 10/1 (Ladbrokes), Joost Luiten 20/1 (Bet365), Mike Lorenzo Vera 25/1 (William Hill) and Julian Suri who can be followed at 30/1 with Bet365. Each-way players get 1/4 the odds 1-2-3-4-5 with most firms.