MasterCard Championship

[Stanley]

Outright plays (2pts):

Craig Stadler to win 7/2 @ Stan James
Dominated the Tour last year and is available at very short odds to top the Money List again. Closed with 63 to finish 3rd last year on his debut on this course so will be better prepared and there is really is no better indication of form than a top-10 finish on the PGA Tour in Hawaii the previous week. A very impressive performance and as he has the desire to dominate on this Tour that many others are lacking, I'll take him at these odds in this small field.

D.A. Weibring to win 33/1 e.w. @ BetInternet
Weibring also made his debut on this course last year and finished well down the field, but as a result he will be better prepared for it this year and he did finish 6th in his previous Champions Tour start in Hawaii. He finished the season as a very consistent top-10 finisher, so this price looks rather large for someone who gets into contention so often.

Tom Purtzer to win 50/1 e.w. @ Centrebet, BetInternet and BetFred
Was tempted by the 100/1 on Rodger Davis after his top-10 finish in the Australian Open, but will side with the unpredictable Purtzer. He started last season the way that Weibring ended it with a series of top-10 finishes, but that has been the way in all three of his seasons on this Tour. So with a top-5 finish in this event last year and finishes of 7th and 6th in his first Champions Tour events of 2002 and 2003, he does look one who starts the season well no matter how frustrating he was to back in the second half of the previous season. Speculative, certainly, but certainly capable of winning in this company.

 

[Stanley]

Matchup plays (2pts unless stated):

Morris Hatalsky to beat Bob Gilder -140 @ Five Dimes [4pts]
A continuation of last year's form should see an easy win. Hatalsky was 15-6-4 against Gilder in 2004 and 8-1-1 in their last ten common events. Short odds, but with Gilder's form on this course not too impressive, they are not short enough.

Craig Stadler to beat Hale Irwin -161 @ Centrebet
An even shorter price here. Not much to choose between them head-to-head in 2004, but while Irwin has a great record in the other Hawaiian event which he seems to win every year, his record on this course is rather poor, failing to finish in the top-10 in any of the last four years. With Stadler in such good form last week, this should be straightforward despite the odds.
(also available at Expekt and Five Dimes)

Tom Jenkins to beat Bruce Lietzke -114 @ Expekt
Jenkins defeated Lietzke by 17 shots last year and expecting the same sort of margin against a player who famously never practises unless forced. And having finished ahead of Lietzke in four of their last five common events, Jenkins should be the favourite in this match.
(also available at BetFred)

Mark McNulty to beat Larry Nelson -125 @ GolfingGods
Have to like a player who is half the odds of his opponent in the outright market. No course form, but McNulty should feel confident heading into 2005 having won the last two events of the 2004 Champions Tour season. Nelson has finished ahead of his opponent just twice in the last eight months, he should need at least a top-5 finish to do so again.

 

[lostinamerica]

My wagers on The Champions Tour last year were a weekly exercise in futility. I might have broken even on matchups, but Bruce Lietke (2nd) at the FedEx Kinkos in May was the ONLY serious threat of a nice payoff. While I was much more focused on the other men's tours, their was enough of an effort to feel abused by the weekly outcomes . . . A quick start this year would be a preposterous development.

OUTRIGHTS:

Dana Quigley(25/1) e.w. @ Bet365
Tom Kite(12/1) e.w @ Bet365

GL

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

one 72 hole
Qiug -115 over James @ 5dimes
--same reason as in outright in lower errant Mastercard "Masters" thread.

 

[sports student]

1st round:

Quigley +175 over Jacobsen (365)

 

[sports student]

2nd round at bet365:

Hatalsky +138 over Quigley
Watson -138 over Levi

 

[Stanley]

Outrights - FINAL RESULT: 0-3; -6.00pts

Stadler 7th
Weibring 19th
Purtzer 9th

Disappointing result after all three had started the final day in the top-eight.

Matchups - FINAL RESULT: 2-1-1; +0.78pts

Hatalsky/Gilder TIED (Push)
Stadler/Irwin LOST by 4
Jenkins/Lietzke WON by 2
McNulty/Nelson WON by 7

Small profit to offset some of the losses on the outrights. Nothing much to cheer about in this event.