Steve Palmer's Barracuda Championship betting preview, lowdown and free tips

Starts 3pm Thursday

Former greats such as Martin Kaymer join rising stars such as Collin Morikawa in the usual Barracuda Championship mix – a field of players who have not done enough to qualify for the WGC event alongside which it always runs.

Kaymer at 20-1 is second in the betting behind 12-1 favourite Morikawa, but neither makes much appeal. The German will probably not putt well enough to deliver the super-low scoring required this week, while the Californian starlet is making his debut at a quirky track at altitude where clubbing is notoriously difficult, even for seasoned veterans.

Palmer's top tip
Brendan Steele 40-1

Five previous visits to Montreux Country Club for this event mean Brendan Steele is able to hit the ground running and the 36-year-old Californian can employ that course knowledge to become the latest Barracuda champion.

Steele has never finished worse than 25^th in the annual Reno gathering, which was the Reno-Tahoe Open before it morphed into the Barracuda. He finished eighth on his debut in 2012, then fourth the following year, his best finish of that season.

Steele had results of 25-7-5 in his next three visits, before he started qualifying for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and no longer needed the Barracuda gig.

The three-time US Tour champion returns this week during a difficult campaign, but US Tour form figures of 41-21-55-53 are decent when compared to most of this field and this powerful, attacking player looks a solid bet from surprisingly deep in the betting. He won the Texas Open in strong winds and will not fear the forecast breeze.

Next best
Denny McCarthy 35-1

The best putter on the US Tour should be able to do plenty of damage in a low-scoring event where destructive swings do not annihilate scorecards in the same fashion. Denny McCarthy does not have the tightest long-game on the circuit and struggles to keep a clean card, but his magic-wand flat-stick means he is tenth on the US Tour for total birdies.

Three top-25 finishes in his last four events, including 11^th spot in the Barbasol Championship last time out, are encouraging. He missed the cut on the mark in the John Deere, where he was contending until a triple-bogey at his 14^th hole of round two, but still made 11 birdies.

The Barracuda format suits and he can improve sharply on last year's 36^th place on debut.

Other selection
Harris English 70-1

A 30^th birthday this week has provided the perfect moment of reflection for Harris English, who won his maiden US Tour title just over six years ago in the St Jude Classic at TPC Southwind, where the WGC is being staged.

English claimed a second Tour victory five months later and looked to have the world at his feet, but no further silverware has arrived and he has slipped outside the top 300 of the rankings. A loose long-game has been the main issue and Montreux, with generous fairways, large greens, and a Stableford format, could be just the tonic for this strong putter to make merry.

Results of 53-50 from two previous Reno visits are not bad when you consider how out of form he was when he arrived – seven consecutive missed cuts before last year's edition – and the last four months have provided some encouragement.

Others to note
Daniel Berger
The dual St Jude Classic champion will be fuming that he failed to access the WGC at Southwind. He is in solid form, but making his Montreux debut.

Russell Henley
The putting wizard showed a return to form with a final-round 61 for second place in the John Deere Classic. Another dangerous Barracuda debutant.

Sepp Straka
The Austrian slugger is enjoying an impressive rookie campaign, with third place in the Barbasol his latest fine effort. Another in-form Montreux virgin.

Justin Suh
The US Tour newcomer has been kept in the shade by peers Morikawa and Matt Wolff, but he is a former world number one amateur who should shine soon enough.

Staking plan
B Steele
2pts each-way 40-1 Betway
Back this tip with bet365
D McCarthy
2pts each-way 35-1 Betfred
Back this tip with bet365
H English
1pt each-way 70-1 Ladbrokes, Sky Bet
Back this tip with Ladbrokes

The lowdown

Course Montreux Golf and Country Club, Reno, Nevada

Prize money $3.5m ($612,000 to the winner)

Length 7,472 yards

Par 72

Format The Modified Stableford scoring system was introduced for the first time in 2012, allocating points based on the number of shots taken at each hole. Albatross = eight points; eagle = five; birdie = two; par = zero; bogey = minus one; double-bogey or worse = minus three

Field 132

Course records (strokeplay) – 72 holes 267 Vaughn Taylor (2005) 18 holes 61 Scott Piercy (2011)
Course records (Stableford) – 72 holes 49 Geoff Ogilvy (2014) 18 holes 22 Kyle Reifers (2015), Chad Campbell (2018)

Course winners taking part Vaughn Taylor (twice), Parker McLachlin, John Rollins, JJ Henry (twice), Chris Stroud

When to bet By 3pm Thursday

Time difference Nevada is eight hours behind the UK and Ireland

Course overview This Jack Nicklaus design opened in 1997 and hosted every Reno-Tahoe Open from 1999 before the tournament got new sponsors and became the Barracuda Championship in 2014. The track is at altitude and the ball flies around ten per cent further than normal. The scenic layout winds through towering pine trees, creeks, seven lakes and four waterfalls through a forest, with lots of elevation changes. In 2002, three new holes were built, replacing the previous tenth, 11th and 12th. The stretch of holes from 15 to 17 are known as the Bear Trap. The 220-yard par-three 16th and the 464-yard par-four 17th are often the most difficult holes. The par-three seventh is another tricky customer, while the long par-four eighth is a demanding drive with a tee elevated 138ft. The fairways are generous, greens are Bentgrass, bigger than average and undulating

Story of last year Andrew Putnam threatened to break the 72-hole Stableford scoring record, falling two points shy, but 47 was enough for a four-point success over Chad Campbell

Weather forecast Hot, sunny and breezy for all four days

Type of player suited to challenge The extra distance that the ball travels in Reno cuts this course down to size. All lengths of hitter can thrive. The Stableford format encourages aggressive play, with rewards for eagles and birdies greater than the penalties for bogeys and doubles

Key attribute Accuracy

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