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Odds to win the 2017 Australian PGA Championship appear below.
Marc Leishman was coming in as the 6/1 favorite heading into this week's tournament, Sergio Garcia was at 7/1 odds as was Cameron Smith at 7/1 odds. Adam Scott had odds of 8/1.
Lieberman, the World No.13, told Golf Australia he credited his driving as the main improvement in his game this year and suggested it would once again be a crucial component to his game this week.
“I think driving the ball's extremely important around here because the greens are pretty penalizing and I think it's important to be hitting to the greens off the fairways,” he said. “If you're getting yourself onto the right level of the green, they're pretty flat and you can make birdies.
“That was a massive step for me this year, to drive the ball well, and I did drive the ball really well. So that's a big one. If you're driving the ball well, then you're giving yourself more opportunities to fire at flags and hopefully in turn more opportunities to make – or give yourself makeable putts. At the end of the day you've still got to make the putts, but I feel like the driver was the start of that.”
Garcia, with the second shortest odds of winning this week's tournament along with Cameron Smith at 7/1, hopes to cap off a fruitful year.
The 37-year-old recently won in Dubai and later at his own foundation hosted Andalucia Valderrama Masters.
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“I think 2017 and 2008 are definitely the best years I’ve had in my career,” Garcia said ahead of tomorrow’s first round at RACV Royal Pines Resort, where he will partner Adam Scott and Wade Ormsby.
“This one, it’s a little bit more special because I won three times in Europe, which I’ve never done in my career, as well as winning the Masters, getting married, expecting a little baby girl...
“I am excited about Christmas and some downtime, but at the same time I’m really excited about this week because I haven’t played in Australia for a long time.
“I’ve heard the greens are where the course really defends itself. It’s going to be a week where iron play is going to be key to be accurate and try to leave yourself in the best spots on the greens, and when you miss a green here, chipping and putting is going to be important.”
- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
