Betting preview: Brandt Snedeker backed to impress at The Barclays

By Ben Coley

Tuesday 25 August 2015 16:44, UK

After another strong week of each-way winners, Ben Coley casts his eye over the field for this week's Barclays and expects Brandt Snedeker to perform well.

The FedEx Cup Playoffs begin this week with The Barclays, which returns to Plainfield Country Club for the first time since 2011.

Back then, Hurricane Irene's interference meant a Saturday lunchtime finish with Dustin Johnson winning the 54-hole sprint by a couple of shots from Matt Kuchar.

Johnson's power became more of an asset on a rain-soaked course but this classical par 70, extended only slightly in the intervening years, should prove more of a strategic test this time around.

Indeed Webb Simpson said last week that it would play quite similar to Sedgefield Country Club, where Davis Love rolled back the years to beat Jason Gore in one of the most remarkable stories in a remarkable season. Both Sedgefield and Plainfield are designed by Donald Ross, known for his intricate green complexes which Love navigated best of all.

With that in mind, Brandt Snedeker looks to have a good chance at around the 45/1 mark.

Snedeker will have been disappointed to plummet down the leaderboard on Sunday having entered the final round with a real chance to win, but for much of the tournament he continued in the form which had seen him finish 12th in the PGA Championship.

Snedeker has good form at Ross designs, placing twice at Sedgefield and winning at East Lake, where the FedEx Cup concludes in a month. Snedeker of course is a former winner of the $10m bonus and will know that the first and last events of the four which make up the Playoffs represent his best chance for glory.

Another who usually excels around the greens is Jonas Blixt and he's a good each-way bet at a three-figure price.

I tipped the Swede last week at 125/1 and he played well enough to feature in the final group on Sunday, playing alongside eventual runner-up Gore.

Blixt was still right in contention until an unfortunate bounce saw him make bogey instead of the standard birdie on the easy par-five 15th, but 10th place was enough to earn him a spot inside the top 125 and with that playing rights for next season.

The 31-year-old said on Sunday night that a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders and given that he's never been in better shape from tee-to-green, he looks worth chancing to make a few more putts on a course which should suit.

Blixt has some Ross form in the book courtesy of a top-five finish in the 2013 PGA Championship at Oak Hill, where he featured alongside compatriot Henrik Stenson.

Stenson has had a largely frustrating season, persistently on the fringes of contention without really looking like winning, but we know that he tends to improve as the year goes on and there's still plenty of time for fireworks.

Stenson didn't play here in 2011 but his Ross form elsewhere is excellent, with strong efforts at East Lake, Pinehurst and Oakland Hills, so on the back of a solid run at Firestone and Whistling Straits he too makes the shortlist.

Rickie Fowler is a big price for one who has two victories in his last 10 starts and should relish this classical test, while the other outsider to back is Camilo Villegas who was sixth here four years ago and has two FedEx Cup Playoff wins to his name.