Preview & outright plays:
A new venue - the first time in twenty years that the event as moved out of Florida - but a fitting course for the oldest major championship in Senior Golf (1937). The Ridgewood Country Club was originally founded in 1890 and has been listed by the USGA as one of first 100 clubs established in the U.S. This is a classical golf course with tree-lined fairways and deep rough. Just as a major should be!
The defending champion is Doug Tewell and he also holds the honor of having won the first major this year, the Countrywide Tradition. His toughest challenge should come from Hale Irwin who has won this event three times in five years, but with his odds still very low despite the doubling of the size of the field, he is passed over. In fact, the fact that 156 players are competing for this title should have little effect on contenders, history has shown that the same old faces appear week-after-week and this event is no different.
The three selections this week are Gil Morgan, Allen Doyle and Dana Quigley. Morgan does not have a particularly impressive record in this event, just one top-10 (3rd in 1998) in his four starts, but he has shown that while he has not won for a couple of months, he is still very competitive at this level and still finishes in a top-5 position in over half of his tournaments. He should at least repeat that this week.
Allen Doyle is one who has yet to win this year, but is the model of consistency. He has finished in the top-10 in 15 of his last 18 tournaments. On a course that requires accuracy over length, his game is ideal and as a former winner of this event (1999), another good week is expected. The same can be said for Dana Quigley who returned to form last week with a 2nd place finish at the TD Waterhouse Championship. Last week he was the defending champion and raised his game on his return to a scene of former glory. This week, the course is different, but the event is one in which he has excelled in recent years: 6th (1998), 5th (1999) and 2nd (2000). Wouldn't mind trend continuing this year!
Outright plays:
Gil Morgan to win 14/1 e.w. @ Simon Bold
Allen Doyle to win 20/1 e.w. @ Surrey
Dana Quigley to win 50/1 e.w. @ Surrey
A new venue - the first time in twenty years that the event as moved out of Florida - but a fitting course for the oldest major championship in Senior Golf (1937). The Ridgewood Country Club was originally founded in 1890 and has been listed by the USGA as one of first 100 clubs established in the U.S. This is a classical golf course with tree-lined fairways and deep rough. Just as a major should be!
The defending champion is Doug Tewell and he also holds the honor of having won the first major this year, the Countrywide Tradition. His toughest challenge should come from Hale Irwin who has won this event three times in five years, but with his odds still very low despite the doubling of the size of the field, he is passed over. In fact, the fact that 156 players are competing for this title should have little effect on contenders, history has shown that the same old faces appear week-after-week and this event is no different.
The three selections this week are Gil Morgan, Allen Doyle and Dana Quigley. Morgan does not have a particularly impressive record in this event, just one top-10 (3rd in 1998) in his four starts, but he has shown that while he has not won for a couple of months, he is still very competitive at this level and still finishes in a top-5 position in over half of his tournaments. He should at least repeat that this week.
Allen Doyle is one who has yet to win this year, but is the model of consistency. He has finished in the top-10 in 15 of his last 18 tournaments. On a course that requires accuracy over length, his game is ideal and as a former winner of this event (1999), another good week is expected. The same can be said for Dana Quigley who returned to form last week with a 2nd place finish at the TD Waterhouse Championship. Last week he was the defending champion and raised his game on his return to a scene of former glory. This week, the course is different, but the event is one in which he has excelled in recent years: 6th (1998), 5th (1999) and 2nd (2000). Wouldn't mind trend continuing this year!
Outright plays:
Gil Morgan to win 14/1 e.w. @ Simon Bold
Allen Doyle to win 20/1 e.w. @ Surrey
Dana Quigley to win 50/1 e.w. @ Surrey
