The PGA Tour season ends as it started: with a high quality restricted field of just thirty players. Whatever the excesses of the prize money for even finishing last, this is high quality golf on a high quality golf course and if this Sunday is half as enthralling as the first Sunday of the season at the Mercedes Championship, this will be an excellent way to close the PGA Tour season.
The home course of the legendary Bobby Jones was toughened five years ago in preparation for this event in 1998; the only time this course has been used for a PGA Tour event though it did host the Ryder Cup in 1963 and will stage the US Amateur Tournament next year. Consistently in the top-100 catalogues of US golf courses, it proved a difficult challenge two years ago. The fairways are generally wide, though some are lined by mature trees, with penal rough a factor in 1998. This year the rough has been made easier this year because of the dry weather, but as the course compatibility stats show, in 1998, it was the best iron players that fared well on this course. The winning score was only six-under-par and only four payers broke par. There is no reason to suspect otherwise this time around.
On top of the ratings is Tiger. His swing was still not looking at its best last week, but he will be better for a 3rd week of competitive golf and last week's failure to storm to victory on Sunday has given rise to an unusual situation of late - he can be bought for well in excess of even money! He may have only been 3rd last week, but he has won six of his last nine tournaments and 17 of his last 29 - that makes even money and above rather profitable over the last year or so. With Canbet offering as high as 7/5, it is not passed over for once.
The second outright play is David Duval. He has never finished worse than 15th in this event and won this event in 1997; on this course two years ago he finished 8th. He was not that impressive in the Presidents Cup, but matchplay is not his forte and this is a return to a course that he played many times [before the changes, admittedly] during his college days. At high enough odds for an e/w bet, he is a value play at 14/1.
Passing over Mickelson as the main challenger to Woods - he does not have a good record in this event and his iron play is not the best on view this week by some distance - and also passing over local boys Davis Love, who was consulted about the changes to the course for this event in 1998, but whose form is still rather suspect, and Stewart Cink who was affiliated here as well as being a regular during his Georgia Tech days, but disappointed on his only Tour Championship performance to date and does not really have the all-round game to challenge the best players on a consistent basis.
Instead, opting for rank outsider Jesper Parnevik to spring a 50/1 surprise. In a 30-man field, the chances of a place finish are good. He comes here after a long layoff and will be refreshed for this and the WGC event next week. At home on the tougher courses, he could surprise many and improve on his only Tour Championship performance so far, a 6th place finish at Cypress Creek in 1997. With Woods hopefully dominant again, the value lies more in a large price outsider for a place finish, which is the top-four this week.
Outright plays:
Tiger Woods 7/5 @ Canbet
David Duval 14/1 @ Ladbrokes
Jesper Parnevik 50/1 @ Ladbrokes, though available generally
[This message has been edited by Stanley (edited 10-30-2000).]
The home course of the legendary Bobby Jones was toughened five years ago in preparation for this event in 1998; the only time this course has been used for a PGA Tour event though it did host the Ryder Cup in 1963 and will stage the US Amateur Tournament next year. Consistently in the top-100 catalogues of US golf courses, it proved a difficult challenge two years ago. The fairways are generally wide, though some are lined by mature trees, with penal rough a factor in 1998. This year the rough has been made easier this year because of the dry weather, but as the course compatibility stats show, in 1998, it was the best iron players that fared well on this course. The winning score was only six-under-par and only four payers broke par. There is no reason to suspect otherwise this time around.
On top of the ratings is Tiger. His swing was still not looking at its best last week, but he will be better for a 3rd week of competitive golf and last week's failure to storm to victory on Sunday has given rise to an unusual situation of late - he can be bought for well in excess of even money! He may have only been 3rd last week, but he has won six of his last nine tournaments and 17 of his last 29 - that makes even money and above rather profitable over the last year or so. With Canbet offering as high as 7/5, it is not passed over for once.
The second outright play is David Duval. He has never finished worse than 15th in this event and won this event in 1997; on this course two years ago he finished 8th. He was not that impressive in the Presidents Cup, but matchplay is not his forte and this is a return to a course that he played many times [before the changes, admittedly] during his college days. At high enough odds for an e/w bet, he is a value play at 14/1.
Passing over Mickelson as the main challenger to Woods - he does not have a good record in this event and his iron play is not the best on view this week by some distance - and also passing over local boys Davis Love, who was consulted about the changes to the course for this event in 1998, but whose form is still rather suspect, and Stewart Cink who was affiliated here as well as being a regular during his Georgia Tech days, but disappointed on his only Tour Championship performance to date and does not really have the all-round game to challenge the best players on a consistent basis.
Instead, opting for rank outsider Jesper Parnevik to spring a 50/1 surprise. In a 30-man field, the chances of a place finish are good. He comes here after a long layoff and will be refreshed for this and the WGC event next week. At home on the tougher courses, he could surprise many and improve on his only Tour Championship performance so far, a 6th place finish at Cypress Creek in 1997. With Woods hopefully dominant again, the value lies more in a large price outsider for a place finish, which is the top-four this week.
Outright plays:
Tiger Woods 7/5 @ Canbet
David Duval 14/1 @ Ladbrokes
Jesper Parnevik 50/1 @ Ladbrokes, though available generally
[This message has been edited by Stanley (edited 10-30-2000).]
