There is a range of top level sport taking place this week, with the headlines likely to be made at Whistling Straits. It is there, in Wisconsin, that the winner of the fourth golf Major of the year will be crowned, and all eyes are on world number one Rory McIlroy and new kid on the block Jordan Spieth as they go head-to-head in what could be the making of one of sport’s great rivalries. A rivalry already embedded into sporting folklore rumbles on in Auckland this weekend, as New Zealand look to respond quickly to the shock defeat doled out by Australia in a titanic Tasman tussle as the rugby World Cup preparation continues.
There is plenty going on closer to home as well, as the Super League continues with a mouth-watering tie between the top two. Leeds Rhinos lead the way in the Super 8s, but they face a Wigan Warriors side that could draw level with a win on Friday night. Meanwhile, the T20 Blast resumes with the quarter finals, and after Lancashire Lightning’s campaign was saved by rain they will be looking to get back on track and seal a second Finals Day place in four years against a Kent Spitfires side that has not taken part in the showpiece event since 2009. There is plenty going on, and that means there are plenty of good betting opportunities out there. Read on for some top tips for this week’s action.
- USPGA Championship – Bubba Watson Top 5 (4/1 at Totesport)
- Leeds Rhinos vs Wigan Warriors – Leeds Rhinos to win, winning margin 11-15 (6/1 at Coral)
- New Zealand vs Australia – New Zealand to win, winning margin 1-5 (5/1 at Ladbrokes)
- Kent vs Lancashire – Lancashire to win (11/10 at Bet365)
USPGA Championship – 13th-16th August
The 97th USPGA Championship and the fourth Major in the golfing calendar takes place at Whistling Straits this week, and while the world’s best players are congregating in Wisconsin to battle for the title, the eyes of the world are locked firmly on two men. Jordan Spieth has shot into the game’s elite, winning the Masters and the US Open before falling just short in the British Open. Had Spieth won at St Andrew’s, he would have leapfrogged Rory McIlroy into first place in the world rankings, but the Northern Irishman has shaken off the ankle problem that kept him out of the Open and the recent WGC event and will defend his USPGA crown. McIlroy and Spieth tee off together alongside Open champion Zach Johnson and the world’s gaze will be locked on what should be a titanic tussle.
However, that does not provide much cheer for any punter as the odds on all three are as short as they’ll get. That means backing a top five finish for one of the chasing pack is as good a move as ever, because as the odds on McIlroy and Spieth shorten, the rest have moved out slightly. The Whistling Straits course favours the player who has a 350+ yard drive in his locker, and there are few players out there with a bigger swing than Bubba Watson. Having finished second in his last two tournaments, the Bridgestone Invitational and the RBC Canadian Open, Watson is in good form and a solid 4/1 bet with Totesport to make the top five. But be warned; the blemish on Watson’s formbook is missed cuts in both the US Open and the British Open. The 2012 Masters champion will need to discover some Major form away from Augusta if he is to deliver but his game really suits this course.
- Bubba Watson, top 5 (4/1 at Totesport)
Leeds Rhinos vs Wigan Warriors – 14th August
It would take a brave person to bet against the Leeds Rhinos at the moment. Leeds, who topped the Super League in the regular season, began their Super 8s campaign in style with a 49-10 thrashing of Warrington Wolves. The Rhinos lead the way in tries and goals scored, and have made more metres than any other side, as they look for their first Super League title since 2012. Brian McDermott’s side led the league on 35 points, and take on nearest challengers Wigan Warriors on Thursday.
The Warriors are two points behind Leeds in the Super 8s table, but do hold an impressive record against their Yorkshire rivals. Wigan have won the last two meetings between the sides, 26-24 and 27-12, and have no problem scoring points themselves. However, the Warriors were unconvincing in their 30-22 victory over Huddersfield Giants, trailing 10-6 at half time, and are not as good away from the DW Stadium. Leeds will have their tails up and with extending their lead at the top of the Super 8s group firmly in their sights they will be very hard to stop. Coral are offering 6/1 on Leeds winning by a margin of 11-15 points, and it’s a tempting price.
- Leeds Rhinos to win, winning margin 11-15 (6/1 at Coral)
New Zealand vs Australia – 15th August
New Zealand and Australia meet for the second time in the space of a week as they battle for Bledisloe Cup honours at Eden Park this weekend. The odds are firmly stacked against the Wallabies; without a Bledisloe Cup win in 13 years, Michael Cheika and his charges are looking to beat the All Blacks at Eden Park for the first time since 1986. However, Australia come into this World Cup warm-up on the back of a momentous 27-19 victory over New Zealand in Sydney on Saturday, which landed them both their first ever Rugby Championship title and their first win over the world champions in four years.
New Zealand’s Ma’a Nonu claimed that New Zealand were “out-passioned” by their Oceanic rivals in the Rugby Championship clash, and there is no chance the All Blacks will surrender a lead as they did on Saturday. It will be a tight clash, with plenty of points coming from the boots of Dan Carter and Matt Giteau, and it may be the more disciplined side that edges this tie. Both have tries in them, especially the prolific Adam Ashley-Cooper for Australia, but New Zealand will not be denied this time. The 5/1 offered by Ladbrokes on New Zealand sneaking a victory by 1-5 points is well worth taking.
- New Zealand, winning margin 1-5 (5/1 at Ladbrokes)
Kent vs Lancashire – August 15th
The T20 Blast continues this weekend, with eight quarter finalists battling to make it to Finals Day at Edgbaston. On Saturday, South Group winners Kent Spitfires take on the Lancashire Lightning, who finished fourth in the North Group. The two sides met as recently as Saturday, with Liam Livingstone smashing 91 as Lancashire won by 51 runs in the Royal London One-Day Cup. Kent were perhaps surprise winners of the South Group after finishing well off the pace in 2014, but spurred on by the runs of Sam Northeast the Spitfires held off the challenge of Middlesex and Essex to secure a quarter final berth and a tie against Lancashire. The Lightning cantered to North Group success last year, and lost agonisingly in the final, so it came as somewhat of a shock that it took a raft of abandonments on the final day of group stage action to see them into the knockout stage.
Lancashire look set to win Division 2 of the County Championship, yet have lacked any sort of consistency in the limited over form of the game. However a run of four-day games means Ashwell Prince comes into this quarter final in a rich vein of form, and his runs will be vital to the cause. Lancashire’s bowling attack have all proved very capable, with five bowlers taking over 10 wickets in the North Group, and it does seem like things will click into place for the side that has lost four quarter finals, three semi finals and two finals in the last 12 years. The Lightning are only priced at 11/10 with Bet365, but there are few long odds on offer at this stage in the T20 Blast and a bet on Lancashire looks as enticing as any.
- Lancashire Lightning to win (11/10 at Bet365)