Outright plays (total stake per play: 1.5pts)
Adam Scott to win 25/1 e.w. @ BetInternet, Bet365, Sportingbet, Sporting Odds and BlueSq
Scott hasn't played since the World Matchplay, but that has been his schedule for the last few years and it hasn't caused him any problems. Two years ago, he returned to finish 3rd in this event and win the Players Championship, while last year he returned to finish 30th here and 8th in the Players Championship. That 30th place finish was only courtesy of a final round 75 when he had a nine on his card. That quadruple-bogey at the 6th hole was the four-shot difference between 30th place and a top-5 payout. So far he has played in two strokeplay events since the Sony Open and on both occasions, he was very impressive. The first time to be the early leader in the Johnnie Walker Classic and then to almost snatch victory in the Nissan Open. Any semblance of that form and he will surely be a very strong contender this week.
Scott Verplank to finish in the top-five 9/1 @ BetDirect
That should be the limit of Verplank's abilities this week as he continues to fall short of victory since his last title in 2001. But he is certainly featuring on the leaderboards a great deal this season. Having ended last season with a top-3 finish in the Tour Championship, he gained top-3 finishes in his first two starts of 2006, finished 51st in the Nissan Open, but then looked set to return to the top-3 position when leading the Ford Championship two weeks ago after the 1st round. It was two rounds to early for Verplank as he shot 74-72 over the weekend and double-bogeyed the final hole both times to finish 15th and three shots out of the payout places. But there is no point in denying his form and with a record in Florida that reads four top-3 finishes in his last ten starts in this State, including 3rd here in 2004, he remains backable in the place markets ... especially as he has none of those top-3 finishes were converted into wins.
Lucas Glover to win 66/1 e.w. available generally
By contrast, Glover has already won in Florida (2005 FUNAI Classic) and can boast four top-10 finishes in the last 18 months in this State, including 5th in the Ford Championship two weeks ago. In six strokeplay events this year, he has finished in the top-10 on four occasions, putting him at the top of that stat category on the PGA Tour and as he is also ranked 3rd in the All-Around Ranking category, he is clearly a player that should be competitive in this type of event. Presumably, his lack of course experience is the reason for his inflated odds, but he decided not to play in the Honda Classic, despite being the course record holder, in order to concentrate on the set of events coming up and he has already won on Tour with Tiger in field, so why not this week as well!
Adam Scott to win 25/1 e.w. @ BetInternet, Bet365, Sportingbet, Sporting Odds and BlueSq
Scott hasn't played since the World Matchplay, but that has been his schedule for the last few years and it hasn't caused him any problems. Two years ago, he returned to finish 3rd in this event and win the Players Championship, while last year he returned to finish 30th here and 8th in the Players Championship. That 30th place finish was only courtesy of a final round 75 when he had a nine on his card. That quadruple-bogey at the 6th hole was the four-shot difference between 30th place and a top-5 payout. So far he has played in two strokeplay events since the Sony Open and on both occasions, he was very impressive. The first time to be the early leader in the Johnnie Walker Classic and then to almost snatch victory in the Nissan Open. Any semblance of that form and he will surely be a very strong contender this week.
Scott Verplank to finish in the top-five 9/1 @ BetDirect
That should be the limit of Verplank's abilities this week as he continues to fall short of victory since his last title in 2001. But he is certainly featuring on the leaderboards a great deal this season. Having ended last season with a top-3 finish in the Tour Championship, he gained top-3 finishes in his first two starts of 2006, finished 51st in the Nissan Open, but then looked set to return to the top-3 position when leading the Ford Championship two weeks ago after the 1st round. It was two rounds to early for Verplank as he shot 74-72 over the weekend and double-bogeyed the final hole both times to finish 15th and three shots out of the payout places. But there is no point in denying his form and with a record in Florida that reads four top-3 finishes in his last ten starts in this State, including 3rd here in 2004, he remains backable in the place markets ... especially as he has none of those top-3 finishes were converted into wins.
Lucas Glover to win 66/1 e.w. available generally
By contrast, Glover has already won in Florida (2005 FUNAI Classic) and can boast four top-10 finishes in the last 18 months in this State, including 5th in the Ford Championship two weeks ago. In six strokeplay events this year, he has finished in the top-10 on four occasions, putting him at the top of that stat category on the PGA Tour and as he is also ranked 3rd in the All-Around Ranking category, he is clearly a player that should be competitive in this type of event. Presumably, his lack of course experience is the reason for his inflated odds, but he decided not to play in the Honda Classic, despite being the course record holder, in order to concentrate on the set of events coming up and he has already won on Tour with Tiger in field, so why not this week as well!
