OUTRIGHTS
Cheers Ian -- Thanks for the heads up on David Gossett (was 50/1 @ Bet365) sleeping in his own bed and all that this week -- I had no trouble pulling the trigger on that one, given the deep golf roots in his family. Others with local angles that are worth tracking to see if the home cooking angle shows any signs of slumping include Loren Roberts, Shaun Micheel, and John Daly, while David Toms' swing coach Rob Akins is a local, and Bryce Molder is from only 160 miles down the road in Conway, Arkansas.
Dicky Pride (150/1 @ Bet365, and then 200/1 @5dimes) seems to rate as a shot at value rather than just a shot in the dark. I caught a segment on The Golf Channel about his medical ordeal, and how his sights have been squarely set on a return at this event, with family and friends along side. Plus he said he believes he is playing well. A lot of the same information on what he has been through is in an article at the Memphis link in DTB's post.
I'll probably add another Outright after I research the matchups, now that they are finally appearing at my outs -- I don't think they want to give us a sporting chance to pick winners.
ELSEWHERE:
Tom Watson (10/1 @ Bet365)
I'll hitch my wagon with the winless Watson. While value may not be there, I pretty much feel a need to be along for the ride.
Jim Thorpe (25/1 @ Bet365)
A pairing with Watson initially scared me as being a possible case of too many eggs in one basket, but his value was too hard to ignore. It starts with a solid record in USGA championships; he's having a stellar year; he's strong in 72 hole senior events and in senior majors; he has been strong in the hot summer months during his career, and has fared well on the senior tour after playing 8-10 consecutive events. He also seems to fit the profile of a motivated senior that relishes an opportunity to be a Big Dog with this go round. To boot, he found time this week to participate in a Congressional luncheon in D.C. for the First Tee program and speak directly on the issue of enhancing opportunities for minority kids in the game, and chimed in with an opinion on Caves Valley that, "It's a great golf course, but it doesn't have that bite yet that the USGA normally puts into thier golf courses." Full speed ahead. And did I mention he is paired with Tom Watson?
Padraig Harrington (10/1 @ Bet365)
A core of the U.S. Ryder Cup squad followed the U.S. Open by stepping up to the plate smartly in Hartford; now I hope it's Padraig's turn to perform with similar flair on home soil, and "go one better than I did last year" on a course where he also won an amateur title. His value looked more attractive than Justin Rose(16/1) in filling out my card, for now.
All Outrights are for 0.25* ($10) e.w.
GL
