World Matchplay

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8-4; +5.88pts 

Round 1 plays (2pts):

Jordan Spieth to beat Pablo Larrazabal -210 @ Pinnacle [available generally]  WON 2-up

Hunter Mahan to beat Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano -188 @ BetVictor [available generally]  WON 3&2

Jason Day to beat Thorbjorn Olesen -174 @ Pinnacle [available generally]  WON 2-up

Round 2 plays (2pts):

Jason Day to beat Billy Horschel -144 @ Pinnacle [available generally]  WON 1-up
Having wins by large margins will be of benefit by the end of the week as fatigue becomes a factor, but it is notable that they are difficult to follow up (as are very low scoring rounds). Since 2010, players who had won their last match by the 13th hole are just 7-16 in the next round. With Day's record in this event - 3rd last year - and his form yesterday - he didn't have a single bogey - he would have been too strong for Horschel even without this factor.

Henrik Stenson to beat Louis Oosthuizen -139 @ Pinnacle [available generally]  LOST 4&3
Backing the #1 seed in this matchup. He is a former winner of this event and has an impressive overall matchplay record despite some recent 1st round losses in this event. This is the fifth time that Oosthuizen has played in this event and yesterday was only the third match that he has won a game. In the Presidents Cup, he has only won one match, so matchplay may not be his best format. Having missed the cut by five shots last week, he may not be in the best form either, so I'll oppose him at this price.

Round 3 plays (2pts):

Jordan Spieth to beat Matt Kuchar -110 available generally  WON 2&1
With finishes of 3rd, 5th and 1st in the last three years, Kuchar has a very impressive record in this event and on this course, but the young phenom is hard to ignore. He had little difficulty in beating Thomas Bjorn yesterday whereas Kuchar's game was rather ragged on the front nine. That is reflective of both their recent form and I'll side with Spieth as he matures into this new form of game.

Sergio Garcia to beat Rickie Fowler -130 @ The Greek [available generally]  LOST 1-down
Garcia is another master of this format, particularly in the Ryder Cup whereas Fowler had previously won only two matches in his three previous attempts. But, as with the Spieth play, form should also count for something this week and there is quite a difference between these two: Garcia has finished 2nd, 1st, 19th and 1st in his last four starts; Fowler has missed his last three cuts.

Webb Simpson to beat Louis Oosthuizen -127 @ The Greek [available generally]  LOST 5&4
Opposing Oosthuizen again after he beat an out-of-sorts Stenson to record only his fourth win in five appearances in this event. Simpson has looked very impressive so far this week and should advance to the next round.

Quarter-Final plays (2pts):

Jason Day to beat Louis Oosthuizen -130 @ The Greek [available generally]  WON 2&1
Day had a straightforward in yesterday, leading for 16 of the 17 holes and has now extended his record in this event to 11-3. Oosthuizen also had a straighforward match, but largely because Simpson was so poor, being 3-over-par after he had taken the lead on the 5th hole. I'll continue to oppose Oosthuizen with such proven matchplayers.

Jim Furyk to beat Rickie Fowler -110 @ Coral [available generally]  LOST 1-down
Opposing Fowler again. The headlines have revolved around Garcia conceding his 17-foot putt on the 7th hole, but he was already two down and Garcia had two putts on the 14th hole to be 2-up with four to play, but three-putted. So, what should have bee a comfortable win for the Spaniard turned on this momentum change and Fowler win it on the last hole. Furyk has proved himself a gritty opponent so far this week, trailing in all three matches so far but still prevailing. He won't let control of his match slip so easily.

Semi-Final play (2pts):

Jason Day to beat Rickie Fowler -139 @ Pinnacle [available generally]  WON 3&2
I got it wrong on Furyk when I said that he wouldn't let control of his match slip as easily as Garcia ... 1-up with two to play, he failed to hit either the fairway or the green in regulation on the 17th and 18th to record bogeys and hard victory to Fowler. However, I'll still oppose him and particularly with a player that I've sided with all week. Day is now the clear favourite for this event and understandably so, he has improved each day this week and should, at the third time of asking, be the player that won't let Fowler back in the match once he has control of it it over the closing holes.

Final play (2pts):

Jason Day to beat Victor Dubuisson -150 @  Stan James [available generally]  WON 1-up
Odds of 4/7 are just too short for my liking, but Stan James are a standout in this market and probably won't last long. I've backed Day all week and can see no reason to stop now. He finished on the 16th and is better rested than Dubuisson, plus his play has been getting better all week. Experience should prevail in this matchup.