Preview & outright plays:
The start of the Florida Swing normally brings more predictable weather. After a week when all of the top-6 on the leaderboard could be found at odds of 80/1 and above before the event, a more predictable leaderboard is the main request this week! Last week's six-man playoff may have been exciting and it the record books are worth anything, then maybe we could face the same chaos this week. Since the opening Doral-Ryder Open in 1962, 26 of the 39 tournaments have been decided by a single stroke or less. It includes one of those famous 1990s duels between Faldo and Norman - Faldo won in 1995 by a shot after Norman had hooked his second shot into the water on the last hole.
The course has been much-maligned in recent years since Ray Floyd attempted to make the course tougher after the 1996 event. It has not been popular and many of the 'name' players have stayed away and have done so again this year. Players that are here include Els and Singh who make the journey from other continents and Love who wishes he had been on another continent last Sunday. They tackle a course that is still relatively easy by Tour standards, though it does boast a particularly difficult finishing hole if the wind gets up. With water on nine of the holes, a focus on accurate driving is needed this week and with Tifdwarf Bermudagrass on the greens, it has favored players from Florida or Australia in the past.
With the traveling requirements of the Els and Singh, questions over Love's mental strength after last weeks collapse and questions over Duval's choice of irons this week, this looks to be a fairly open event and these four are ignored given the low odds on them. Instead Jim Furyk, Nick Price and Scott Verplank are this week's picks. Furyk held the course record with 62 until Ames bettered it by one last year, but he made his own mark last year by fazing Langham and taking the title. It added to a 9th place finish on his previous visit despite an opening 77. He comes to the event rested and having already won once on Bermuda greens already this year at the Mercedes Championship. A good chance for an outright win.
Nick Price joins Furyk as one of the more accurate drivers on Tour and if his putter is behaving he can be a real title contender. It did last week, but not on the Sunday, but the grainy Bermuda greens are his preferred surface. He may have fallen back on Sunday but that makes two top-20 finishes from his two PGA Tour starts. He has a good record in this event with top-10 finishes in 3 of the last 4 years and that includes 2nd in 1997 and 3rd last year. Buoyed by at least contending last week, he could repeat last year's performance and gain a place finish.
Scott Verplank completes a trio of straight-hitting picks. He salvaged a matchup win last week with a good closing round, but was never in the tournament. That 33rd place finish did break his run of two 4th place finishes and it can be assumed that his game is still in great shape. He did finish 6th here last year and like Price stands a decent chance of securing a place finish.
Outright plays:
Jim Furyk to win 20/1 e.w. @
Victor Chandler
Nick Price to win 28/1 e.w. @
BetSmart
Scott Verplank to win 50/1 e.w. @
Quickflutter
