Outright plays (1 unit):
Tiger Woods to win 2/1 @
WSEX
There are only two par-fives on this course and the argument is that it should not favour Tiger. But with Mickelson and Tiger 1-2 the last time this course was used, it can hardly be described as a course that favoured accuracy off the tee. They ranked 1-2 in driving distance in the 2000 event and both were in the top-4 in greens in regulation. Woods was top-4 in scoring on the par-3s and the par-4s in 2000. His game is more than just about par-fives. That said, even though 2/1 is an attractive price for the world's best player in such a small field, it is not a double-play. It is at the very least a safety play because the other two selections do not have a good record of winning events when Tiger is in the field.
David Toms to win 16/1 e.w. @
Tote or
Stan James
This is Toms' last chance to secure a win in the 2002 season. He has become an extremely consistent player and is currently on a run of five consecutive top-15 finishes and would have surely won last week but for an unbelievable burst of low-scoring by Jonathan Byrd. Will be wanting to atone for losing the tournament last year when he three-putted the penultimate and hopefully a return to Atlanta, the scene of his 2001 PGA Championship, will bring a return of his winning ways.
Nick Price to win 50/1 e.w. @
William Hill or
SportsInterAction
Big price for a player who has become as consistent as Toms, but looked much less likely to win even though he has on PGA Tour victory this season. In all competitions since his opening event this year, he has finished outside the top-20 on just three occasions. With a 3rd place finish in 2000 on a course that doesn't penalise his lack of length, he looks a big price at 50/1 or rather 12.5/1 to gain a top-4 finish.