Golf Betting Column: What The Golfinggods Say…. If you look at the career of a golfer you can suggest that their rise from mediocrity to world-class player was due to a couple of pivotal shots along the way. Take David Howell for example. Here was a guy that had a great game but could not find a way to win. He was, along with Padraig Harrington becoming a second place specialist. In nearly a decade of touring around Europe he had only won once on tour. However I believe two shots have changed his mental approach to his game and made him realise how good he can be. The first shot was at the 2004 Ryder Cup when he hit a superb four iron, under the most extreme pressure to win the seventeenth hole and then go on to win a crucial point at the eighteenth with his partner Paul Casey. That match changed the whole feel of that Ryder Cup and Howell produced when required. The second shot was his approach to the tenth hole at the HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai. After making back-to-back bogeys at eight and nine, and having Tiger breathing down your neck he produced a fantastic pitch to five feet and held the birdie putt. This stopped the mid round crisis and he went on to win in style. David Howell is a world-class player now and at the end of his career he may look back at these two shots and realise how important they were. Apart from the performance of Howell in Shanghai the only other notable thing to occur was the lack of back nine charge from Tiger. He was two shots back with nine to play but never got it going coming down the stretch. I am not sure if it was tiredness but it was strange to see such a moderate performance. The major tournament this week is the last World Golf Championship event – The World Cup of Golf to be played in Portugal. Once the premier team event for Golf this historic tournament is still respected by all who participate in it. Played around the Victoria Club de Golf the teams will play a mixture of stroke play and team formats. The course is relatively straightforward with little to no rough. The greens are smallish and slow so I expect low scores if the wind stays calm. Selections: England: Luke Donald and David Howell are by far the most in form team playing this year with a recent win for Howell and consistent performances by Donald. Both players are consistent and have experience from the Ryder Cup with team events. Should win! Ireland: Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley have combined to form a very good side but there are a few doubts over them. Firstly Padraig has not been in good form since his Father passed away and McGinley is suffering from a knee injury. Beware the wounded however and they must have enough class to contend this week. Australia: an outside chance if both players – Peter Lonard and Mark Hensby can find some form. At their best they would be live contenders and if the team events can spark some Australian passion then they may just surprise the rest of the field. Until next week – May The Golfinggods Be With You! For all your Golf Betting requirements log onto http://www.golfinggods.com/ | 
