Golf Betting Tips: Hoffman fancied to make lightning fast start once again

AWAY from the outright market, a couple of bets stand out.

CHARLEY HOFFMAN might not be one of the most well-known players in the eyes of the golfing public, but he’s fast achieving such status in the eyes of Masters’ first-round-leader punters.

Since 2015, Hoffman is a combined 16-under-par through his opening rounds at Augusta, a record that can only be bettered by three-time Major winner Jordan Spieth.

His first-round scores in 2015, 2017 and 2018 read 67, 65 and 69 and for whatever reason, he seems to go off with all guns blazing come Thursday.

The San Diego native also looks to have drawn the correct tee-time for an early charge with recent evidence suggesting a middling tee-time (Hoffman goes out at 3.42pm local time) is the prime time to give things a run.

He had failed to make the cut in six of the eight PGA Tour events he’d played since November 2018.

However, a share of 18th at the Valspar, followed by a solo second last week at the Texas Open, showed he might just be coming into form at the right time.

Some firms are offering eight places on this market and with those terms, the 33/1 looks too hard to ignore.

The other bet that took my eye was MATT KUCHAR in the top-10 market at 4/1.

The 40-year-old has been the model of consistency recently, including two PGA Tour victories in the last five months, while he hasn’t missed the cut at Augusta since 2009.

He has four top-eight finishes in the last seven runnings of the year’s first Major, so looks a very solid betting proposition to extend that run this time around.

POINTERS

First-round leader: Charley Hoffman e/w 33/1

Top-10 finish: Matt Kuchar 4/1