Outright plays (1.5pts):
Fred Funk to win 25/1 e.w. @ Bet365, William Hill and Tote
At this stage of the season, there is a lot to play for and that means lot of pressure. Some players on the 'bubble' for their Tour Card have very high finishes, but very rarely do they win events. There is too much to lose from playing aggressively in the final round. Instead, these selections have their playing right secure for 2005 and in the case of Funk, he has his incentive this week. He currently lies in 40th place in the Money List, the last place that guarantees entry into the 2005 Masters. With two top-3 finishes in his last five starts and a creditable performance in the Ryder Cup, he is certainly playing well enough to win this event and having finished 1st (1998), 6th and 3rd in his last three appearances at Annandale, there is plenty of reason to support him this week.
Loren Roberts to win 33/1 e.w. @ Tote
Not the same incentives for Roberts and he is much more of a consistent top-25 finisher than a player who gets himself into the top-5 every few weeks, but this is a B-class event played on a course on which his lack of length will not be punished. He finished 6th in his only previous appearance here (2001) and really should be no more than 25/1 in this field.
Tim Clark to win 33/1 e.w. available generally
Clark does finish on the leaderboard more often as he showed when finishing 5th two weeks ago in the Texas Open. That erased any doubt over retaining his Tour Card for next season and there should be an improvement in form and consistency as the season closes. He made his debut in this event last year and shot every round in the 60s to finish 7th, so his course form also suggests a good week for the South African.
Fred Funk to win 25/1 e.w. @ Bet365, William Hill and Tote
At this stage of the season, there is a lot to play for and that means lot of pressure. Some players on the 'bubble' for their Tour Card have very high finishes, but very rarely do they win events. There is too much to lose from playing aggressively in the final round. Instead, these selections have their playing right secure for 2005 and in the case of Funk, he has his incentive this week. He currently lies in 40th place in the Money List, the last place that guarantees entry into the 2005 Masters. With two top-3 finishes in his last five starts and a creditable performance in the Ryder Cup, he is certainly playing well enough to win this event and having finished 1st (1998), 6th and 3rd in his last three appearances at Annandale, there is plenty of reason to support him this week.
Loren Roberts to win 33/1 e.w. @ Tote
Not the same incentives for Roberts and he is much more of a consistent top-25 finisher than a player who gets himself into the top-5 every few weeks, but this is a B-class event played on a course on which his lack of length will not be punished. He finished 6th in his only previous appearance here (2001) and really should be no more than 25/1 in this field.
Tim Clark to win 33/1 e.w. available generally
Clark does finish on the leaderboard more often as he showed when finishing 5th two weeks ago in the Texas Open. That erased any doubt over retaining his Tour Card for next season and there should be an improvement in form and consistency as the season closes. He made his debut in this event last year and shot every round in the 60s to finish 7th, so his course form also suggests a good week for the South African.
