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Banker Steve golf TPC river highlands
The United Sates Open provided golf fans with all they could ask for and more. It is unfortunate the our guys struggled on the weekend, but I think everyone can agree that was still exciting. Jordan Spieth has now won the first two majors of the season, and has everyone talking about the possibility of a 2015 Gland Slam. We now move onto the 2015 Travelers Championship, as the Tour heads to Connecticut this week. TPC River Highlands will be the host venue for the PGA Professionals, and should provide plenty of great golf. Let's look a little closer into this short but extremely entertaining golf course.
THE COURSE
TPC River Highlands is one of the shortest courses the players play on Tour, measuring only 6841 yards. The course plays to a Par 70 but the average scoring was still well under par last year at this championship. The course attempts to utilize smaller fairways and a plethora of bunkers (119) to help defend against the talented golfers that will be attacking it. I will have to side with the golfers taking advantage of the golf course and going extremely low once again this year though.
With rain expected in the forecast before the tournament (Tuesday it will pour), it should make for very soft greens over the first few days. Hopefully the storm on Tuesday does not do too much damage to the course as they are calling for possible hail and tremendously strong winds. Rain is also expected on Friday and Sunday, meaning scoring conditions will be prime all week.
My favourite hole on the golf course is the Par 4 15th Hole. At only 296 yards the hole can be reached by just about everyone in the field. You will see most people go for the green if it is not a windy day (which should be the case as winds are expected to stay calm to moderate throughout the week). Look for scores to range from eagles to double bogeys on this very compelling hole.
THE PLAYERS
A long list of young talent will be congregating, as many of the Tours top players are taking the week off following the US Open. That being said, we have past champions such as Kevin Streelman(2014) Ken Duke (2013) Marc Leishman (2012) Bubba Watson (2010) Stewart Cink (2008) and Hunter Mahan (2007) and JJ Henry (2006), who will be joining the likes of Sregio Garcia, Brandt Snedeker, Patrick Reed, and Zach Johnson in the field.
This week we will be looking for players who enter the event playing well. There will be plenty of young players teeing it up at TPC River Highlands, meaning current form is the number one attribute we will look for. We also want players who have the ability to go very low, as this figures to be a birdie barrage week. Lets get right to the picks now.
STEVE'S 6-Pack System Picks
FRANCESCO MOLINARI 42 TO 1 - We go back with the Italian Molinari this week based on his terrific recent form and his accuracy. We explained to everyone last week that Francesco is the straightest hitter in the world, something that will help out drastically on this short course. Molinari fell off at the US Open after being T5 following round 1 (ends up T27), but he still has three Top 5 finishes in his last five starts. Molinari has yet to win on the PGA Tour (65 events) but seems primed to break out with his first trophy. It would not however be his first trophy worldwide, as he has 3 European Tour wins to his name. This will be Francesco’s first start at this event.
CHRIS STROUD 145 TO 1 - Stroud has enjoyed great success at TPC River Highlands over the past 4 years (2014 - T18, 2013 - 2nd, 2012 - T37, 2011 - T17). The Texas native does not fit our playing well lately category, but his success here has to overshadow that (especially based on the run of players coming out of no where to win recently). Stroud is one of the shorter hitters on Tour but he does manage to keep the ball in the fairway. He also possesses a strong short game (especially out of the bunkers), which will come in handy this week. We really like Chris to have good feelings this week in Connecticut and to vie for his first career PGA Tour win.
MATT JONES 100 TO 1 - Jones placed T3 in his last start (St Jude), and should be in great form this week. The 35 year old from Australia picked up his first career win last year at the Shell Houston Open in dramatic fashion when he chipped in against Matt Kuchar in a playoff. Jones is known as one of the Tours best putters (2nd in Overall Putting Average), and this helps him rank 16th in Birdie Average. Back in 2010 Jones placed T13 here, and he has had some solid rounds here since. He will need to avoid the big number this week, but based on his recent play/love for this course, we like his chances.
CAMERON SMITH 100 TO 1 - Smith made a splash last week at the US Open by finishing T4 (actually qualifies him not only for Special Temporary membership on the PGA Tour but also for the 2016 Masters tournament). Smith is an up and coming star from Australia, and someone you will be hearing plenty about not only this year but well into the future. In his last 7 starts world wide he has 4 finishes inside the Top 15, and 3 of those are actually Top 4’s. Smith has all the tools to go extremely low this week, and you know he will be excited after a great week at the US Open.
BUBBA WATSON 14 TO 1 - Not going to get too in-depth with this one. Bubba loves this course and has enjoyed tons of success here (4 Top 6 finishes in his last 7 starts here). Watson won here in 2010 and will once again be in the thick of everything on Sunday.
HUDSON SWAFFORD 125 TO 1 - Swafford has immense talent and it is just a matter of time before he breaks through on the PGA Tour. The Georgia grad is coming off a T29 at the St Jude Classic and should be confident based on his only previous start at this tournament (T24). Last year Hudson hit over 70% of his fairways and Greens in Regulation at this event. He ranks 7th on Tour in Total Driving and this leads Swafford to plenty of birdies (16th on Tour in Birdie Average). I was also very pleased and impressed that the youngster ranks 30th in Total Putting, something that should help him go low this week.
HEAD TO HEAD
3 units - Hudson Swafford (-120) OVER Jason Kokrak
Let’s jump back into the winners circle this week in Connecticut!
Steve -
MLB
Reds @ Pirates
DeSclafani is 3-1, 3.52 in his last five starts; four of his last six went under.
Burnett is 6-2, 2.79 in his last nine starts; his last three stayed under.
Reds won eight of last ten games with Pittsburgh; they've won five of last seven games overall- seven of their last ten stayed under. Pirates lost four of last five games; eight of their last 12 games stayed under.
Braves @ Nationals
Wisler allowed one run in eight IP (88 PT) in his first MLB start.
Fister is 0-2, 9.64 in his last three starts; five of his last six went over.
Braves lost last seven games with Washington; six of last eight series games went over total. Atlanta won four of last seven games overall (under 5-1-1). Nationals won their last five games.
Cardinals @ Marlins
Lyons is 2-0, 5.87 in his five starts; three of last four stayed under the total.
Haren is 0-2, 3.26 in his last three starts, all of which stayed under.
Cardinals are 9-3 in last 12 games overall, with three of last five going over the total. St Louis won its last three games with Miami. Marlins lost six of last seven games, with ten of last 12 staying under total- they're 9-4 in their last thirteen home games.
Dodgers @ Cubs
Frias is 0-3, 6.00 in his last four starts; under is 3-1-1 in his last five.
Lester has a 1.32 RA in his last two starts, but is 0-3, 4.55 in his last five, with four of the five staying under total.
Dodgers lost seven of last ten games; under is 7-3-1 in their last 11- they lost three of last five against the Cubs. Over is 6-3-1 in last ten series games. Cubs are 7-4 in last eleven games (under 8-2-1).
Mets @ Brewers
deGrom is 4-1, 1.60 in his last seven starts; four of his last five went over.
Jungmann is 2-1, 3.50 in hi first three MLB starts (under 2-1).
Mets lost their last seven games and 18 of last 21 road games (under 8-1 in last nine), but split their last six games against the Brewers- under is 6-1-1 in last eight. Milwaukee lost eight of last 11 games but won last two; five of its last nine games went over.
Diamondbacks @ Rockies
RDe La Rosa is 2-0, 1.20 in his last two starts; six of his last nine went over.
JDe La Rosa is 3-1, 4.32 in his last four starts, three of which stayed under.
Arizona won five of its last six games with Colorado; ten of last 12 series games went over total. D'backs won eight of last 12 games, seven of which stayed under. Rockies won three of last four games after losing seven of previous eight- eight of their last nine games went over.
Padres @ Giants
Shields is 0-1, 4.92 in his last three starts; seven of his last ten went over.
Heston is 2-1, 2.75 in his last three starts; seven of his last nine went over.
San Diego won five of last eight games against the Giants; six of last eight series games played here stayed under total. Padres are 3-6 since changing managers; five of those nine games went over. Giants are 5-3 in last eight games, but lost nine of their last 11 at home. Under is 8-3-1 in their last 12 games overall.
American League
White Sox @ Tigers
Rodon is 2-1, 4.15 in his last four starts, three of which stayed under.
Simon is 2-2, 6.14 in his last four starts; his last three went over.
Detroit won three of last four games, scoring 29 runs-- they won three of last four games with Chicago- over is 5-3 in last eight series games. White Sox lost three of last four games, scoring ten runs; under is 7-1-2 in their last ten.
Orioles @ Red Sox
Gonzalez comes off DL (groin) to start here; he is 0-1, 1.89 in his last three starts; his last four starts all stayed under.
Rodriguez is 3-1, 3.13 in his five starts; three of his last four went over- nine of 11 runs he allowed came in same game.
Baltimore won eight of last 11 games with Boston; five of last eight in series went over. Orioles won six of last nine games; five of their last eight went over. Red Sox are 5-3 in last eight games (over 5-2-1).
A's @ Rangers
Gray is 4-1, 2.43 in his last six starts (over 4-1-1).
Lewis is 3-0, 2.79 in his last four starts; eight of his last ten went over.
Oakland is 8-4 in its last 12 games with Texas; over is 7-2-1 in last ten. A's are 8-2 in their last ten games overall. Rangers lost five of last six games, scoring 14 runs; seven of their last ten games stayed under.
Bronx @ Astros
Warren is 2-0, 3.26 in his last three starts; five of his last seven went under.
Keuchel is 1-2, 4.21 in his last four starts; five of his last seven stayed under.
Astros lost four of last six games; over is 10-3-1 in their last 14. Houston won four of last six games with Bronx Bombers- eight of last nine series tilts went under the total. Bronx lost three of last four games- their last seven games all went over the total.
Win-loss records this year for team with this starting pitcher:
NY-Mil-- deGrom 8-6; Jungmann 2-1
LA-Chi-- Frias 4-6; Lester 8-6
Az-Col-- RDe la Rosa 9-5; JDe la Rosa 5-5
SD-SF-- Shields 9-6; Heston 9-5
Atl-Wsh-- Wisler 1-0; Fister 3-5
Cin-Pitt-- DeSclafani 7-7; Burnett 8-6
StL-Mia-- Lyons 3-2; Haren 8-6
Chi-Det-- Rodon 5-3; Simon 8-5
Balt-Bos-- Gonzalez 7-5; Rodriguez 3-2
A's-Tex-- Gray 8-7; Lewis 7-7
NY-Hst-- Warren 9-4; Keuchel 10-5
Times this starting pitcher allowed a run in first inning:
NY-Mil-- deGrom 5-14; Jungmann 0-3
LA-Chi-- Frias 4-10; Lester 5-14
Az-Col-- RDe la Rosa 4-10; JDe la Rosa 4-10
SD-SF-- Shields 3-15; Heston 1-14
Atl-Wsh-- Wisler 0-1; Fister 3-8
Cin-Pitt-- DeSclafani 2-14; Burnett 2-14
StL-Mia-- Lyons 2-5; Haren 1-14
Chi-Det-- Rodon 2-8; Simon 2-13
Balt-Bos-- Gonzalez 3-12; Rodriguez 0-5
A's-Tex-- Gray 1-15; Lewis 2-14
NY-Hst-- Warren 4-13; Keuchel 3-15
Umpires
NY-Mil-- Last three Carapazza games went over total.
LA-Chi-- Five of last seven Fletcher games stayed under.
Az-Col-- Five of last six Guccione games went over.
SD-SF-- Underdogs are 6-5 in last eleven Gonzalez games.
Atl-Wsh-- Six of last eight Estabrook games went over.
Cin-Pitt-- Four of last six Conroy games stayed under.
StL-Mia-- Under is 5-2-2 in last nine Carlson games.
Balt-Bos-- Underdogs won eight of last ten TWelke games.
A's-Tex-- Five of last seven Morales games stayed under.Comment
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StatFox Super Situations
WNBA | PHOENIX at SAN ANTONIO
Play Under - Road teams where the total is greater than or equal to 140 off a road win against a division rival, well rested team - playing 5 or less games in 14 days
70-33 since 1997. ( 68.0% | 33.7 units )
2-0 this year. ( 100.0% | 2.0 units )
WNBA | PHOENIX at SAN ANTONIO
Play Against - Home teams vs. the money line (SAN ANTONIO) after allowing 80 points or more against opponent after scoring 70 points or more in 2 straight games
106-74 over the last 5 seasons. ( 58.9% | 0.0 units )
1-0 this year. ( 100.0% | 0.0 units )
WNBA | PHOENIX at SAN ANTONIO
Play Under - Home teams where the first half total is between 65.5 and 70.5 points after allowing 75 points or more against opponent after scoring 75 points or more
169-98 since 1997. ( 63.3% | 61.2 units )
1-1 this year. ( 50.0% | -0.1 units )Comment
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StatFox Super Situations
MLB | NY YANKEES at HOUSTON
Play On - All favorites with a money line of -125 to -175 (HOUSTON) with a team on base percentage .310 or worse on the season (AL), with a slugging percentage of .480 or better over their last 10 games
84-33 since 1997. ( 71.8% | 39.1 units )
0-1 this year. ( 0.0% | -1.4 units )
StatFox Situational Power Trends
MLB | ST LOUIS at MIAMI
ST LOUIS is 15-3 (+12.3 Units) against the money line vs. an NL starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.250 or better this season.
The average score was: ST LOUIS (4.7) , OPPONENT (2.4)Comment
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Hondo
Hondo banks on Bombers
Hondo whiffed Wednesday night with the Pirates, who were hosed by Leake and the Reds to increase the NRN (nasty red number) to 1,380 pepitones.
Thursday: Mr. Aitch will take a shot with Adam this eve — 10 units on Warren and the Yankees to squeeze out a victory against the ‘Stros at Minute Maid Park.Comment
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EARN-PICKS
Soccer Pick
Finland Veikkausliiga
Mariehamn vs SJK
both teams to score
1.91Comment
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STRONG PICKS
VIP Pick
Finland Veikkausliiga
VPS – HIFK
Over 2.25
2.02Comment
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SOCCER VIP PICKS
Super Vip Pick
China Super League
Shanghai Shenxin – Hangzhou Greentown
Over 2
1.74Comment
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Baseball Crusher
Play of the Day
Chicago Cubs -126 over LA Dodgers
Rest of the Plays
Oakland Athletics -135 over Texas Rangers
Boston Red Sox + Baltimore Orioles OVER 8.5
Houston Astros + New York Yankees OVER 7Comment
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Basketball Crusher
Play of the Day
Minnesota Lynx -9.5 over Seattle Storm
Rest of the Plays
Phoenix Mercury + San Antonio Silver Stars UNDER 147Comment
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Soccer Crusher
KuPS + Lahti UNDER 2.5
This match is happening in FinlandComment
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Vegas Nightmare
Detroit
Cubs
MetsComment
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PAUL LEINER
100* Over 7 – Astros/Yankees
100* Mets -135Comment
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RIVER CITY SHARPS – MLB
Baltimore Orioles (+115)
Colorado Rockies (-120)
San Diego Padres (+110)Comment
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