Outright plays (total stake per play: 1pt)
Padraig Harrington to win 16/1 e.w. @ BetInternet [6 places]
It's the week before the Masters and this is a very weak field, but Pod is not one to use these events as merely warm-ups, no matter how much the course has been designed to reflect the setup for next week's Major. In 2004, for example, he finished 4th the week before the Masters and 2nd the week before the U.S. Open. Though not entirely applicable to this week, his last PGA Tour victory (2005 Barclays Classic) was the week after the U.S. Open. In short, he is too good for these odds. In the last six months, he has played in 14 Tour events and finished in the top-20 in 12 of them, including two victories. He is the only player in this field who ranks in the top-10 in Scoring Average on the PGA Tour and having gained course experience last year, he represents far better value than others at the head of this poor field, such as the 16/1 available on K.J. Choi.
Steve Stricker to win 33/1 e.w. @ BetInternet [6 places]
A position inside the top-25 in Scoring Average on the PGA Tour gives Stricker a lofty credential in this field, as does a return of two top-5 finishes from six strokeplay events this year. Both of those were achieved on Bermuda greens and so was his top-3 finish in this event last year when his 68-66 finish was the best weekend score by anyone in the field. It all points to a decent chance of another top-5 finish this week.
Anthony Kim to win 80/1 e.w. @ BetInternet [6 places]
Taking a chance on Kim, who has not played this course previously, but showed no problems when making his debut in Texas at the Texas Open last year and finishing 2nd. And he has been in very good form over the last month as well, finishing 9th in the Nissan Open, 13th after three rounds of the Honda Classic and finishing 14th at the PODS Championship. And if this course is successfully set up along the lines of Augusta National, his big-hitting (4th in driving distance on the PGA Tour) should help his cause.
Padraig Harrington to win 16/1 e.w. @ BetInternet [6 places]
It's the week before the Masters and this is a very weak field, but Pod is not one to use these events as merely warm-ups, no matter how much the course has been designed to reflect the setup for next week's Major. In 2004, for example, he finished 4th the week before the Masters and 2nd the week before the U.S. Open. Though not entirely applicable to this week, his last PGA Tour victory (2005 Barclays Classic) was the week after the U.S. Open. In short, he is too good for these odds. In the last six months, he has played in 14 Tour events and finished in the top-20 in 12 of them, including two victories. He is the only player in this field who ranks in the top-10 in Scoring Average on the PGA Tour and having gained course experience last year, he represents far better value than others at the head of this poor field, such as the 16/1 available on K.J. Choi.
Steve Stricker to win 33/1 e.w. @ BetInternet [6 places]
A position inside the top-25 in Scoring Average on the PGA Tour gives Stricker a lofty credential in this field, as does a return of two top-5 finishes from six strokeplay events this year. Both of those were achieved on Bermuda greens and so was his top-3 finish in this event last year when his 68-66 finish was the best weekend score by anyone in the field. It all points to a decent chance of another top-5 finish this week.
Anthony Kim to win 80/1 e.w. @ BetInternet [6 places]
Taking a chance on Kim, who has not played this course previously, but showed no problems when making his debut in Texas at the Texas Open last year and finishing 2nd. And he has been in very good form over the last month as well, finishing 9th in the Nissan Open, 13th after three rounds of the Honda Classic and finishing 14th at the PODS Championship. And if this course is successfully set up along the lines of Augusta National, his big-hitting (4th in driving distance on the PGA Tour) should help his cause.
