Players Championship Tips: Four 2-ball bets for Moving Day

Bo Van Pelt is a confident pick for his 2-ball

As we gear up for a typically exciting Sawgrass weekend, Paul Krishnamurty runs through his recommended head-to-head bets for 'Moving Day'...

Starts 14.40 
Back Bo Van Pelt to beat John Senden 5u @ 1.9520/21

Though he rarely wins, Bo Van Pelt is precisely the type of player worth following over the weekend in two-ball betting. When others are losing interest or their patience, BVP will keep plodding on to achieve the best possible finish. In two of the last three Sawgrass renewals he's done precisely that, shooting ten under over the weekend to finish fourth and seventh.

That compares extremely favourably with Senden, who dropped away badly last time at Quail Hollow and shot 75/74 over the weekend at the Masters. The fact Senden has only ever made one top-50 in ten Sawgrass attempts hardly suggests he'll be one of today's movers either.

Starts 14.50
Back Kyle Stanley to beat Bubba Watson 4u @ 2.56/4

Bubba is another player who has yet to show any indication whatsoever of enjoying the Sawgrass experience, failing to make a top-30 here in five appearances, and must therefore rate a dodgy favourite here. Both Watson and Kyle Stanley start 'Moving Day' ten shots off the pace so have no realistic hopes of even contending, but the latter will take encouragement from the past fortnight. 

Following a barren spell, this highly rated player finished third at the New Orleans Classic and then sixth at Quail Hollow, both as a consequence of excellent weekend performances. Stanley also topped yesterday's greens in regulation stats so is clearly in form.
 
Starts 18.20
Back Martin Laird to beat Rory McIlroy 3u @ 3.02/1

Prior to Thursday's 66, Rory McIlroy had only managed a best score of par in six rounds at Sawgrass and the fact he failed to beat par again yesterday means the jury must remain out regarding his suitability to this narrow track. Moreover, unlike Tiger Woods in his pomp, Rory is not somebody to rely upon when out of contention.

Those doubts must point towards a bet on the man who got the better of Rory in the recent Texas Open. Martin Laird was second here last year and, while lacking consistency, often thrives in the big US events. Laird is close enough to challenge again and, at the very least, rates a value outsider to win a two-ball that might not be as daunting as it first appears.

Starts 19.20
Back Henrik Stenson to beat Ryan Palmer @ 1.910/11

It is not that easy to differentiate between the leading groups at halfway, with several obvious pre-tournament candidates in the mix. The one name that stands out as a surprise is Palmer, who had previously made only one out of seven cuts here and finished a dismal 75th on that occasion. In complete contrast, Stenson is a course specialist, a former winner with five top-25s to his name here. 

Even if we were prepared to discount their respective recent form, those numbers would have to warrant a bet on Stenson, who will be a popular winner at betting.betfair. Henrik was one of my back-to-lay recommendations while Mike Norman has backed the Swede each-way. Beating this high-class leaderboard will be tough, but I remain confident he'll hang around in contention.