Preview & outright plays:
A week without a major on any Tour, though this will be the last piece of competitive action of most of the leading players before the British Open in two weeks time. A high quality field assembles at Cog Hill yet again - it will not be the same again on the PGA Tour this month. This is the 2nd oldest event on the PGA Tour, dating back to 1899, with the oldest, the US Open, not technically run by the Tour. It therefore has a great heritage and is one of the most sought-after titles this year. The list of winners reads likes of 'who's who' of twentieth century golf.
The Dubsdread course at Cog Hill has hosted this event since 1991. Much has been written that driving length and greens in regulation are essential to playing well here, but the course compatibility stats dispute this. This is a short, tight, tree-lined course measuring just over 7,000 yards. The four par-fives are not very long and three of them are reachable for virtually the whole field. Accuracy and a good putting touch on the large, undulating greens will decide the winner.
Players with local connections are Jeff Sluman, who has played this event every year for over twenty years and did record three top-10 finishes in the 1990s, and Steve Stricker, who hails from neighboring Wisconsin and attended Illinois University; he also won this event in 1996 by eight shots. Both can be expected to perform better than of late.
The outright selections this week are Vijay Singh, Scott Hoch and Nick Price. Vijay may have missed the cut last year, but he had finish in the top-10 in four of his previous five visits so maybe can discount last year's rogue finish. He has been a model of consistency this year which 12 top-10 finishes in his last 15 events and a worst of 18th in that run (The Masters). He sits on top of the Tour putting stats and if the par-fives are to be important, he ranks 3rd behind Duval and Woods in that category as well. Overdue a win on the PGA Tour.
Scott Hoch has very similar stats to Vijay. He ranks 3rd in putting and 7th in par-five birdies - impressive for a short hitter (he ranks 10th in driving accuracy). In a great run of form - no worse than 16th in his last 8 events - and with just as good course form - top-15 in five of the last seven years - he looks good to secure another place win.
Maybe more can be expected of Nick Price, who lost in a playoff to Robert Allenby last year and failed to join at elite group of players with at least 3 Western Open titles in their career. Apart from 70th in 1996, his worst finish since the event came to Cog Hill has been 22nd. His holds the low scoring record for this event - 263 in 1993 - and is joint holder of the course record (63), which he shot in the first round last year. He has secured top-10 finishes in two of his last four events and he should secure another one this week.
Outright plays:
Vijay Singh to win 16/1 e.w. @?
Eurobet [5 places option]
Scott Hoch to win 28/1 e.w. @
Bet247 or
Sports.com
Nick Price to win 50/1 e.w. @
Eurobet [5 places option]
