The European Tour will head to Atzenbrugg, Austria and the Diamond Country Club for its latest innovation in the 2018 Shot Clock Masters this week. Following the Perth Super Six and the Belgian Knockout tournaments, the European Tour will unveil this new tournament format with the intention of attracting more attention. Each of the entrants in this tournament will be subject to the rule of the clock when given a maximum time frame in which to play. Any golfer that fails to play a stroke within the allotted period will get a penalty. Does it sound like a fun concept? Here is a look at the best bets for the 2018 Shot Clock Masters this week. Odds are courtesy of BetDSI Sportsbook.
Event Details
Event: 2018 Shot Clock Masters
Category: European
Date: June 7th-10th
Location: Diamond Country Club, Atzenbrugg, Austria
The 2018 Shot Clock Masters will truly be a first – as in the first tournament in professional golf to use a shot clock on every shot. Each player in the field will have 50 seconds for the first play in the group and then 40 seconds for each subsequent player. The one thing we know for sure is that the format tweaks should make for an interesting week in Austria.
What To Know About The Course
While the format has changed, we still have plenty of information to help us make our selections this week based on recent tournaments at the Diamond Country Club. Driving Accuracy already figured to be an important statistic at this course even before the idea of the shot clock. Will it matter even more now? And how will the accuracy numbers of the top contenders be affected by having to speed up their games? The shot clock should also play a role on the greens where golfers will need to speed up their approaches to putting. Driving Accuracy, Scrambling and Putting numbers will all factor in to the equation. Those stats should also be taken with a grain of salt with the introduction of a new format.
The Field
The biggest downside to this week’s event isn’t the new format but the fact that the field isn’t as strong as it could have been if it wasn’t scheduled one week ahead of the U.S. Open in New York. Fewer than 10 of the world’s top-180 will tee up this week in Austria. Miguel Angel Jimenez is likely the most familiar name. It is no surprise that he is also listed among the sports betting favorites to win outright this week. Lee Slattery, Lorenzo Gagli and Matthias Schwab round out the list of favorites.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Laurie Canter over Miguel Angel Jimenez
The fact that Jimenez is a familiar name in a relatively weak field this week should help us to exploit him with a golfer that we think should produce a better result. Canter has recorded six finishes in the top-38 or better over his last seven starts. On top of that, he has played the Diamond Course twice before, so he has experience at this venue. A confident Canter should continue to roll this week where we are banking on him to finish ahead of Jimenez in the head-to-head sports betting matchup.
Top-Five Pick: Mikko Korhonen
Korhonnen is a decent value bet to contend for the outright win at +2000 odds but we are taking him to finish in the top-five. The World No. 200 was a runner-up at this course last year and owns four top-25 finishes at this venue. Is another one in the cards this week? There is no doubt that Korhonen has the skill set to contend for the win this week. He is likely the best bet on the board if you are looking to bet on someone to finish in the top-five in the inaugural edition of the 2018 Shot Clock Masters.
