22nd Jan 2013 | Farmers Insurance Open
Farmers Insurance Open Tips: Roberto Castro
An unheralded talent who enjoyed an excellent rookie season. Was second going into the final round of the Humana last week.
One of the least reported success stories of 2012 was the rookie performance of Roberto Castro. He managed to retain his playing rights by earning $755,000, helped in large part by making 19 cuts in 27 tournaments.
Having tipped him 5 times I therefore watched in horror last week as he started his final round at the Humana Challengen in second place. Unfortunately, for the player, everything went wrong in his final round. In his attempt to keep pace with the leaders he forced the issue too much, registering four bogeys and a double, sliding down the leaderboard to finish T37.
As a result, the bookmakers have ignored his chances and priced him up at 200/1 (Betfred). After last week’s near miss, it is a price that cannot be passed up.
The strength of Castro’s game is his ability to grind out good rounds, something that will be crucial on the savage Torrey Pines South course. In 2012, he ranked an excellent 45th for adjusted scoring average, which shows he can play well on difficult courses.
After an encouraging T33 finish last year, the 27-year-old should be backed at 200/1 (Betfred) to bounce back from his disappointment at the Humana Challenge. With ¼ odds for a top-5 finish, he looks excellent each-way value.
Odds correct at time of publishing: 14:58 22nd Jan, 2013 but subject to change
