I'm sure there is solid agreement that one of the most tangible and reliable capping themes of every golf season is the build-up to the Masters that starts as soon as the season does; the storyline of players making quick starts to the season is closely connected to that bigger focal point. From start to finish at the Masters last week, the impeccable Mike Weir of the west coast swing delivered right on cue, and in so doing he memorably punctuated the end of the first chapter of the 2003 golf season.
Pretty soon I'll calculate an update for the last month or so for my YTD record, and I expect my Matchups and related types of plays have dipped just a few units below break even. But first I'm going to pause and recap the best of my Outright plays from the season to date:
WIN - Mercedes Championship - Ernie Els(11/2)
WIN - South African Airways - Trevor Immelman(11/1)
WIN - AT&T Pebble Beach - Davis Love(16/1)
WIN - Ford @ Doral - Scott Hoch(66/1)
I hedged the win portion of the e.w. bet to 50/1 with some money on Furyk after the playoff was suspended.
WIN - Players Championship - Davis Love(+550)
Wager made after the second round, and it was the biggest and most confident bet I've posted all season.
WIN - Masters - Mike Weir(66/1)
It was the Masters, so it earns the nod as my best play in my soon to be 500 posts at Madjacks.
And I've been close:
SECOND - Heineken - Nick Faldo(50/1)
Wager made after the second round
SECOND - ACE Group - TomWatson(9/1) and Des Smyth(20/1)
SECOND -ANZ - Stuart Appleby(12/1)
SECOND - Nissan L.A. Open - Charles Howell(30/1)
SECOND - SBC Classic - Gil Morgan(11/1)
That one slipped away on the last hole.
SECOND - Bay Hill - Kenny Perry(75/1)
SECOND - BellSouth - Bob Tway(33/1)
AND a handful of other selections paying in the 3-5 spots.
Under the circumstances, it's been fairly easy to be philosophical about the close calls. You'll have to trust me when I add that my real regrets are saved for when I think about how close I came to making winning wagers on Justin Leonard(50/1), David Eger(100/1) and Ben Crane(66/1).
I can easily sink fast and deep from this high water mark. But I NEVER thought I'd EVER enjoy a tear like the one I've been on. And that closes the book for me on the first chapter of the 2003 golf season.
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CHAPTER TWO
The storylines from the season to date may continue to dominate, but until a couple of events prove me wrong, I will likely be looking and watching for some developments that have only been hinted at to date, if even that. This week certainly doesn't lack for angles worth exploring.
Even if he is merely stating the obvious, Scott Hoch nicely summed up the prevailing atmosphere when the players arrive at Harbour Town: "This week is fun, where last week was torture. Whether you're playing good or not, it's torture," he said of the Masters, where he missed the cut by a stroke."This week is just fun. We have a real good golf course, one of the best courses we play, the only kind of its style. After last week, it's a more casual atmosphere, but it's always that week after a major. I always play here. This is one of the best tournaments of the year for a family."
Two items I thought worth mentioning from a quick review of the MJ thread for this event last year: (1) Since 1995, no winner here has finished any better than 20th (Justin Leonard) in the Masters the week before; and (2) Scott Verplank was that rarest of all birds last year, a player that withstood being very, very widely touted on the forum without it being the KOD.
OUTRIGHTS:
Bob Tway(40/1) for 0.60* e.w. @ Bet365
Very few players arrive this week and can challenge Tway by any standard of good form, and my read of his intangibles doesn't tell me to expect a let up here. I'll give this chump the dual burden of being my first posted play after modestly bumping my stakes, along with putting him in this spot as my top choice, a slot that has been troubling me for some time as much more likely to feature my biggest clunker of the week rather than a pick that gives me a run for the money.
Chad Campbell(50/1) for 0.60* @ 5dimes
Chad can be forgiven for his stumble last week after a stretch in which his performance rates as off the charts. His solid all around game and well-managed style of play should stand him in good stead on this Pete Dye jewel, he showed well here last year before slipping on the weekend, and an early exit from Augusta after a shockingly uncharacteristic +10 for 36 holes at Augusta might be fertile grounds for cultivating a generous harvest of birdies this week.
David Gossett(200/1) for 0.50* @ Bet365
Maybe his threat is as impotent as all that.
Skip Kendall(100/1) for 0.50* e.w. @ 5dimes
His swing somehow looked better to me last year, but he is doing what he does well right now, and his windows of opportunity have been hard to come by.
Scott Verplank(24/1) for 0.50* e.w. @ 5dimes
The cases can be made for Love, Els, Furyk, and some other strong suspects, but I'll play a hunch based on Verplank's surprisingly strong performance at Augusta.
Billy Andrade(100/1) for 0.40* e.w. @ 5dimes
I thought I was done and had made all the hard choices, but I couldn't say no at that price.
GL
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Don't believe everything you think.
