The Quicken Loans Arena takes centre stage on the PGA Tour this weekend, and the competition certainly has a lot to live up to after the finish to the recent Travelers Championship. With past champions including the likes of Tiger Woods and Justin Rose, just who will be the next player to write his name into the history books? Now in its 11th year, the tournament always seems to throw up a certain amount of surprises, with the relatively unknown Troy Merritt and Billy Hurley III seeing off the big name to claim shock wins in 2015 and 2016.
The Course
The TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm in Washington has gained a reputation as one of the most difficult on the tour, despite being immaculate in its presentation. The mid-length par 70 course features some unforgiving bunkers, with players showing that they can grind out performances in with a good shout of featuring at the top of the leader board come Sunday.
The Contenders
After his fifth-place finish at the US Open, Rickie Fowler will be looking to answer those who have questioned his demeanour over recent times, as well as earning Presidents Cup and FedEx Cup points in the process. Elsewhere, Patrick Reed has recovered from a poor start to the season to finish tied 13th and tied 5th in his last two tournaments. Having also starred in the Ryder Cup against Europe, Reed is certainly an outsider for the win. Meanwhile, Justin Thomas has three wins already this season, and despite missing the cut at the US Open, has generally been in excellent form. Compatriots Jimmy Walker and Kevin Chappell are also set to be among the leading candidates, with the latter having won the Texas Open already this year.
Top Betting Tips
With backing an outright tournament winner in golf like finding a needle in a haystack, looking at the top five finishers market at bookmakers is substantially more viable. Despite the likes of Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas and Bill Haas all being heavily backed by punters, our top tip for the Quicken Loans National is to back Patrick Reed for a place in the top five, with odds of 5/2 from Ladbrokes.