Outright plays (total stake per play: 1.5pts)
Steve Stricker to win 28/1 e.w. @ Bet365, Victor Chandler, BlueSq and BetDirect
The Comeback Player of the Year. He has never been as good he is now, ranking 5th in the Scoring Average charts, which is the best by far of any player in this field. He comes into this event without the handicap of playing in Europe last week and having finished in the top-10 in each of his last four starts. And in terms of course form, he has finished 3rd and 7th here in 1996 and 1995. That is a very long time ago, but nothing in recent years matters with Stricker.
Shigeki Maruyama to win 33/1 e.w. @ Sportingbet, Sporting Odds, Ladbrokes, Victor Chandler and BetDirect
Maruyama's course form is much more recent and ranks 2nd only to Choi in this week's field in terms of average finishing position on this course (minimum three starts). To add to his 8th place finish on his debut in 2000, he won in 2003, finished 19th as defending champion the following year (only two shots out of the lead one round to play) and was runner-up last year. He has played fairly well over the last three months without putting four good rounds together, but if he were to do so, this would the course on which he would do it.
Ted Purdy to win 50/1 e.w. @ William Hill and BetDirect
Retaining Purdy after his 5th place finish last week. After missing seven straight cuts from the U.S. Open to the Canadian Open, he has started his last three events very strongly with rounds of 66, 65 and 68. The last one really should have been a 66, but he hit his 3rd shot into the water on the 17th and recorded a double-bogey. It has enabled him to finish in the top-5 in two of those three occasions, with the only failure being due to a final round 78 in the Texas Open when starting the day in 2nd place. With Purdy recording a top-10 on his last visit in 2004, he shouldn't be 50/1 for this event.
Steve Stricker to win 28/1 e.w. @ Bet365, Victor Chandler, BlueSq and BetDirect
The Comeback Player of the Year. He has never been as good he is now, ranking 5th in the Scoring Average charts, which is the best by far of any player in this field. He comes into this event without the handicap of playing in Europe last week and having finished in the top-10 in each of his last four starts. And in terms of course form, he has finished 3rd and 7th here in 1996 and 1995. That is a very long time ago, but nothing in recent years matters with Stricker.
Shigeki Maruyama to win 33/1 e.w. @ Sportingbet, Sporting Odds, Ladbrokes, Victor Chandler and BetDirect
Maruyama's course form is much more recent and ranks 2nd only to Choi in this week's field in terms of average finishing position on this course (minimum three starts). To add to his 8th place finish on his debut in 2000, he won in 2003, finished 19th as defending champion the following year (only two shots out of the lead one round to play) and was runner-up last year. He has played fairly well over the last three months without putting four good rounds together, but if he were to do so, this would the course on which he would do it.
Ted Purdy to win 50/1 e.w. @ William Hill and BetDirect
Retaining Purdy after his 5th place finish last week. After missing seven straight cuts from the U.S. Open to the Canadian Open, he has started his last three events very strongly with rounds of 66, 65 and 68. The last one really should have been a 66, but he hit his 3rd shot into the water on the 17th and recorded a double-bogey. It has enabled him to finish in the top-5 in two of those three occasions, with the only failure being due to a final round 78 in the Texas Open when starting the day in 2nd place. With Purdy recording a top-10 on his last visit in 2004, he shouldn't be 50/1 for this event.
