Steve Palmer's Senior Players Championship predictions, best bets, free tips

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the Senior Players Championship at Firestone Country Club.

When to bet

From 2pm Thursday

Best bets

Ernie Els
1.5pts each-way 20-1 bet365

Darren Clarke
0.5pt each-way 66-1 Ladbrokes

Preview

The fourth of the five senior Majors takes place at Firestone Country Club, Akron, Ohio, this week with US Open champion Padraig Harrington missing from the Senior Players Championship field.

Harrington, who finished fifth in the JP McManus Pro-Am on Tuesday, is teeing up in the Scottish Open, leaving defending champion Steve Stricker and relentless formhorse Steven Alker dominating the Players Championship market.

A better value option, though, may be Ernie Els, who could be set to claim a first senior Major title. The legendary South African, a former world number one with four Major victories under his belt, has played in eight senior Majors and never finished worse than 17th.

The 2022 campaign of Els has been equally steady, with nothing worse than 30th in 11 starts, and the 52-year-old seems ready for a big performance at Firestone. He has finished fifth in his two previous starts in this event at a course where his effortless power counts for so much.

Another long driver well equipped to handle Firestone is Darren Clarke, who won the 2003 WGC-NEC Invitational by four shots at this course. The former Open champion, who posted four top-20s in a row on the roundbellies circuit before missing the cut in the US Open last time out, seems worth chancing at juicy odds at such a happy hunting ground.

Not got a bet365 account? Bet £10 & get £50 in free bets

Open account offer. Minimum deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as bet credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Minimum odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude bet credits stake. Time limits/T&Cs apply. 18+ begambleaware.org

CLAIM OFFER HERE

MORE FREE BETS

Sign up to emails from Racing Post Sport and get all the latest news and tips

Today's top sports betting stories

Follow us on Twitter @racingpostsport