Riviera king Haas 40-1 to follow up in Match Play
SUNDAY'S Northern Trust Open play-off hero Bill Haas is 40-1 to follow up his Riviera success with victory in the first WGC-event of the season, the Accenture Match Play at Dove Mountain in Arizona, this week.
Haas, who won in California courtesy of a 40-ft birdies at the second extra-hole and rose to prominence in September when executing a recovery shot from within a Tour Championship play-off hole water hazard on the way to claiming the Fed Ex Cup spoils, is in the Sam Snead bracket of the tournament for the top 64 or equivalent in the world rankings that includes 14-1 second-favourite Tiger Woods, Nick Watney, Open king Darren Clarke and world No. 3 Lee Westwood among the 16.
Rory McIlroy is the 12-1 favourite for victory at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club and housed in the Gary Player bracket with the likes of multiple 2011 Majors runner-up Jason Day, Masters champ Charl Schwartzel, USPGA king Keegan Bradley, two-time Match Play victor Geoff Ogilvy, 2010 winner Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia.
The Player-winner meets the Snead-winner in the semi-final.
World No. 1 Luke Donald, the current holder, is 18-1 third-favourite but finished with a 78 at Riviera on Sunday and opens up against Ernie Els in the Bobby Jones bracket with Adam Scott, Dustin Johnson, KJ Choi and Retief Goosen among the other big names.
Martin Kaymer, a 3 and 2 runner-up to Donald and 25-1 to go one better, is the top seed in the Ben Hogan bracket where third-placed Matt Kuchar and fourth-placed Bubba Watson are among the opposition including 2001-winner Steve Stricker, 2005-champ David Toms and Graeme McDowell.
Boylesports will refund all losing singles bets placed on any player who gets beaten in extra holes of their match throughout the tournament
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