Outright plays (1.5pts):
Juli Inkster to win 14/1 e.w. @ BetInternet
Not a good idea to back a player the week after they have been in contention in a major, but even though Inkster was 3rd after the 3rd round, she was seven shots behind Annika Sorenstam and really didn't have the pressures of being a genuine contender. Instead, it is encouraging that she has continued her return to form - she finished 2nd in the Michelob Ultra Open last month - and should contend very well this week. There are few that can contend with her record here - a winner in 1986 and 1988, she has finished in the top-4 in six of the last seven years. It also helps that one of her main contenders, Shi Hyun Ahn, has already withdrawn.
Cristie Kerr to win 18/1 e.w. @ Paddy Power
Kerr has missed the cut in each of the last two years, but both times she had been in poor form coming into the event. This is certainly not the case this year as she has had one win and a runners-up finish already, plus she has finished no worse than 7th in half of her starts this year. Relatively fresh from not being on the leaderboard last week, though still finishing in the top-20, a return to her form of 2001 when she finished 3rd looks far more likely this year.
Becky Morgan to win 50/1 e.w. @ BetInternet
Call it 'all eyes on the U.S. Open' or whatever, but this price is quite an outlier. She is generally in the 20/1-25/1 range elsewhere and with good reason. Not only has she had two top-3 finishes in her last six starts, but she has also finished 7th and 2nd in the last two years here. This is quite a rick!
Juli Inkster to win 14/1 e.w. @ BetInternet
Not a good idea to back a player the week after they have been in contention in a major, but even though Inkster was 3rd after the 3rd round, she was seven shots behind Annika Sorenstam and really didn't have the pressures of being a genuine contender. Instead, it is encouraging that she has continued her return to form - she finished 2nd in the Michelob Ultra Open last month - and should contend very well this week. There are few that can contend with her record here - a winner in 1986 and 1988, she has finished in the top-4 in six of the last seven years. It also helps that one of her main contenders, Shi Hyun Ahn, has already withdrawn.
Cristie Kerr to win 18/1 e.w. @ Paddy Power
Kerr has missed the cut in each of the last two years, but both times she had been in poor form coming into the event. This is certainly not the case this year as she has had one win and a runners-up finish already, plus she has finished no worse than 7th in half of her starts this year. Relatively fresh from not being on the leaderboard last week, though still finishing in the top-20, a return to her form of 2001 when she finished 3rd looks far more likely this year.
Becky Morgan to win 50/1 e.w. @ BetInternet
Call it 'all eyes on the U.S. Open' or whatever, but this price is quite an outlier. She is generally in the 20/1-25/1 range elsewhere and with good reason. Not only has she had two top-3 finishes in her last six starts, but she has also finished 7th and 2nd in the last two years here. This is quite a rick!
