Outright plays (total stakes per play: 1pt)
Carl Pettersson to win 20/1 e.w. @ Ladbrokes and BetFred
There have been plenty of withdrawals already and there will be surely be more before Thursday, so the odds on Pettersson and Slocum, in particular, are expected to be much lower at the start of this event. The Swede has shown that he does end seasons with a flourish - five top-10 finishes in his last six PGA Tour events in 2004; 1st and 2nd in his last two PGA Tour starts in 2005 - and with finishes of 10th and 5th in his last two starts, he looks set to do the same again this year. With finishes of 10th and 2nd in his last two visits to Annandale and with some unfinished business after he failed to capitalise on a good opportunity to win last week, Pettersson should be a strong candidate for the title this week.
Heath Slocum to win 25/1 e.w. @ Sunderlands [6 places]
Slocum held off Pettersson to win this event in 2005, so his record at Annandale is also worthy of attention. And his recent form also looks impressive in this field: top-25 finishes in six of his last seven events. That form was enough to earn him a spot in the top-30 of the FedEx Cup standings and thus entry into the 2008 Masters, but like Pettersson, he also has the added incentive of playing well over the next few weeks as a top-30 position in the Money List will earn him a place in the 2008 U.S. Open - Slocum currently ranks 35th and Pettersson 38th. With momentum from recent form, good performances on this course in recent years and strong incentives to play hard this week, these two players really should fare well in this field of journeymen pros for whom the stifling pressure of maintaining playing privileges for next year will dominate.
Bo Van Pelt to win 33/1 e.w. @ Sunderlands [6 places]
Maintaining playing privileges will not be a factor for the last two selections, though they also have Money List objectives similar to Pettersson and Slocum: the top-70 on the Money List earn entry into the limited field events in 2008 such as the Memorial Tournament and Arnold Palmer Invitational: Van Pelt currently ranks 70th; Wi 87th. But beyond extra incentives, both players have shown some decent form recently and, more importantly, some strong performances on this course. In Van Pelt's case, that is consecutive top-5 finishes in each of the last two years, so with his form improving considerably in September, he can be backed to repeat the feat.
Charlie Wi to win 50/1 e.w. @ Sunderlands [6 places]
In Wi's case, it is a record of one top-5 finish from one previous visit and he has also looked more competitive in September: he finished 14th in the Deutsche Bank Championship, ranking 1st in greens in regulation as well as his usual high ranking in driving accuracy, and he finished 18th last week despite a third-round 73. He has already earned one runners-up finish during the last two months so, while I can't see him winning, there is no reason why he can't go close again on this course.
Carl Pettersson to win 20/1 e.w. @ Ladbrokes and BetFred
There have been plenty of withdrawals already and there will be surely be more before Thursday, so the odds on Pettersson and Slocum, in particular, are expected to be much lower at the start of this event. The Swede has shown that he does end seasons with a flourish - five top-10 finishes in his last six PGA Tour events in 2004; 1st and 2nd in his last two PGA Tour starts in 2005 - and with finishes of 10th and 5th in his last two starts, he looks set to do the same again this year. With finishes of 10th and 2nd in his last two visits to Annandale and with some unfinished business after he failed to capitalise on a good opportunity to win last week, Pettersson should be a strong candidate for the title this week.
Heath Slocum to win 25/1 e.w. @ Sunderlands [6 places]
Slocum held off Pettersson to win this event in 2005, so his record at Annandale is also worthy of attention. And his recent form also looks impressive in this field: top-25 finishes in six of his last seven events. That form was enough to earn him a spot in the top-30 of the FedEx Cup standings and thus entry into the 2008 Masters, but like Pettersson, he also has the added incentive of playing well over the next few weeks as a top-30 position in the Money List will earn him a place in the 2008 U.S. Open - Slocum currently ranks 35th and Pettersson 38th. With momentum from recent form, good performances on this course in recent years and strong incentives to play hard this week, these two players really should fare well in this field of journeymen pros for whom the stifling pressure of maintaining playing privileges for next year will dominate.
Bo Van Pelt to win 33/1 e.w. @ Sunderlands [6 places]
Maintaining playing privileges will not be a factor for the last two selections, though they also have Money List objectives similar to Pettersson and Slocum: the top-70 on the Money List earn entry into the limited field events in 2008 such as the Memorial Tournament and Arnold Palmer Invitational: Van Pelt currently ranks 70th; Wi 87th. But beyond extra incentives, both players have shown some decent form recently and, more importantly, some strong performances on this course. In Van Pelt's case, that is consecutive top-5 finishes in each of the last two years, so with his form improving considerably in September, he can be backed to repeat the feat.
Charlie Wi to win 50/1 e.w. @ Sunderlands [6 places]
In Wi's case, it is a record of one top-5 finish from one previous visit and he has also looked more competitive in September: he finished 14th in the Deutsche Bank Championship, ranking 1st in greens in regulation as well as his usual high ranking in driving accuracy, and he finished 18th last week despite a third-round 73. He has already earned one runners-up finish during the last two months so, while I can't see him winning, there is no reason why he can't go close again on this course.
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