Commercialbank Qatar Masters: Back Kaymer for day one win

Three Ball Bets / Dan Geraghty / 01 February 2012 / Leave a Comment

He disappointed last week, can he find form in Qatar?

"Alvaro Quiros and the stats say that this is a course for the long hitters, with that in mind I'm taking arguably the longest on tour, Nicolas Colsaerts [1.91], to get the better of two of the shortest hitters on tour Colin Montgomerie and Jose Maria Olazabal."

Dan Geraghty is hoping for better luck with his three-ball tips, making four selections for the opening day action at the Commercialbank Qatar Masters

Unfortunately the nature of three-ball betting means there are going to be weeks like last, I just hope they are kept to a minimum!

All three recommended golfers led before finishing second in their three-balls. Tiger played well tee-to-green but he wasn't good enough to better the mercurial Rory McIlroy; Joost Luiten also finished day one under par only to find Nicolas Colsaerts too good while Alexander Noren took care of Branden Grace but was overtaken by Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano. To add insult to injury, all three went on to win their three ball on day two.

This week the European Tour makes the short trip to Qatar and by all accounts the players will face a battle, Christian Cevaer has used Twitter to inform us the course is playing like a links - hard and windy, but with rough, water and huge grain!

Martin Kaymer [2.74] will no doubt be hurting after last weeks missed cut. All the headlines leading up to the event were focused on the German but for whatever reason it just didn't happen for him. He got off to a bad start and the course was playing tougher than usual. The German ace couldn't get himself back on terms, meaning a fast start this week is all the more important.

Kaymer's playing partners are Alvaro Quiros and KJ Choi. Quiros has a fantastic record here but if the wind blows, he can struggle, as last year's opening 75 shows. Choi is also a dangerous adversary but is making his debut here and I am backing Kaymer to come out on top after day one.

One young man that should enjoy the battle is Peter Uihlein [3.5]. The youngster performed with great credit in tough conditions at the 2011 Open, where he narrowly lost out on the silver medal to Tom Lewis, who has, of course, since gone on to win on the European Tour.

Uihlein started his professional career last week on the European Tour's sister tour - The Challenge Tour, where he improved round on round to finish a very respectable 12th. The American has already spent some time pre-season practising in the desert with Lee Westwood and his other new 'stablemates' and at the prices I'm willing to give him a chance to beat Thomas Aiken, who has played four tournaments in quick succession and failed to score in the 60s last week, and Damian McGrane, who likes tough conditions but has started the season very poorly and has a terrible record here.

Lorenzo Gagli [2.6] enhanced his reputation with a fine campaign last term, he's yet to win but many are expecting big things this time around. The Italian appears to have started the season slightly sharper than those he faces in his opening day three ball (Raphael Jacquelin and Michael Hoey) and with the cobwebs blown away last week he can make a fast start.

Alvaro Quiros and the stats say that this is a course for the long hitters, with that in mind I'm taking arguably the longest on tour, Nicolas Colsaerts [1.91], to get the better of two of the shortest hitters on tour Colin Montgomerie and Jose Maria Olazabal.

Godspeed, my friends.

Recommended Bets
Kaymer [2.74] - 2 points win
Uihlein [3.5] - 1 point win
Gagli [2.6] - 1 point win
Colsaserts [1.91] - 2 points win

Running profit / loss: - 5.74 points

There's a phenomenal amount of golfing talent to choose from in Abu Dhabi this week so who is Dan Geraghty's money on?...

Dan Geraghty picks the best first day bets at the first PGA Tour event of the West Coast Swing...

With The Punter covering both main tours in his weekly column we have set Dan Geraghty a new test - find us three-ball winners every week. He kicks off at the Joburg Open where a golfer making a new start...

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European Tour Form Guide: Peter a Hanson bet in Qatar

Golf Form Guide / Mike Norman / 30 January 2012 / Leave a Comment

Swede Peter Hanson

"Retief Goosen and Peter Hanson are of more interest however - the former showing glimpses of his best form in recent weeks, whilst Hanson’s final round display last week is best ignored."

Ignore Peter Hanson's final round collapse in Abu Dhabi says Mike Norman, the Swede is still playing well and is one of this week's Form Guide's three suggested players.

If it was a 'dream' for Robert Rock just to be playing in the same group as Tiger Woods, I wonder how he's feeling now that he went head-to-head with the great man in the final group on a Sunday - and defeated him.

It was a fabulous performance from Rock, and although he wasn't one of our 'Players to Watch' last week, the likeable down to earth Englishman was recording his third top-10 finish and fourth top-12 finish in his last four events, so a form clue was definitely there.

Alvaro Quiros was a big disappointment for us last week but two of our other players to watch - Charl Schwartzel and Peter Hanson - got into contention at different stages and traded significantly lower than their pre-tournament odds.

The Tour stays in the desert this week for the Qatar Masters where another strong field has assembled. Lee Westwood is the early favourite at [11.0], just ahead of Martin Kaymer and Sergio Garcia, both available to back at [16.0]. American Ryder Cup star Hunter Mahan ([25.0]) makes a rare but welcome appearance on the European Tour but I doubt his presence will generate anywhere near as much attention as Tiger Woods did seven days ago.

Tournament Finishing Positions

(Tournaments used: Abu Dhabi Championship, Volvo Golf Champions, Joburg Open, Africa Open, Dubai World Championship, UBS Hong Kong Open)

Branden Grace (2)... 27
Rory McIlroy (2)... 26
Robert Rock (3)... 22
Retief Goosen (2)... 21
Louis Oosthuizen (3)... 21
Peter Hanson (2)... 15
Alvaro Quiros (2)... 15
Charl Schwartzel (2) ... 14
Paul Lawrie (3)... 14
Jaco Van Zyl (2)... 13.5

*number in brackets after a player's name is the number of top-10 finishes achieved in qualifying period
**players in bold are scheduled to participate in the next tournament on tour

Branden Grace remains top of our form guide as the fact is, despite missing the cut in Abu Dhabi, he has won two of his last three events. Retief Goosen and Hanson are of more interest however - the former showing glimpses of his best form in recent weeks, whilst Hanson's final round display last week is best ignored. The Swede recorded a magnificent eight under par third round on Saturday but looked visibly nervous playing in the same group as Woods on Sunday.

Players to watch: Branden Grace [70.0], Retief Goosen [30.0], Peter Hanson [44.0]

The Cut-makers

Jaco Van Zyl... 17.5
Charl Schwartzel... 14.5
George Coetzee... 13.5
Retief Goosen... 12.5
Thomas Bjorn... 12
Ernie Els... 12
David Drysdale... 12
Robert Karlsson... 12
Jamie Elson... 12
Luke Donald... 12
Gregory Havret... 12

Jaco Van Zyl is becoming a solid weekend performer. If scores were reset at the halfway stage the South African would have finished first, fourth, and eighth in his last three events and is a total of 26 shots under par for the last six weekend rounds he has played. Van Zyl is definitely a player to watch In-Play when making the cut and is worth keeping an eye on in various markets depending on how far back he is.

Players to watch In-Play: Jaco Van Zyl, George Coetzee, Retief Goosen

Don't forget to check back later in the week for The Punter's in depth preview of this event.

The European Tour moves to UAE this week where a world class field has been assembled, but Mike Norman's Form Guides points us firmly in the direction of a likeable desert specialist....

Mike Norman's updated form guide has thrown up a trio of South African-born players to follow at this week's prestigious Volvo Golf Champions event....

Mike Norman kicks off his new Form Guide column with a look at the best performing players on the European Tour currently, and recent winner Louis Oosthuizen heads the list....

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Qatar Masters: Bjorn again for the Punter

The Punter / Steven Rawlings / 31 January 2012 / Leave a Comment

Thomas Bjorn, looking to double up at Doha

“The forecast suggests an early start on Thursday could be a distinct advantage, so if you haven’t played yet, make sure you bear that in mind.”

It's going to be a blustery week in Qatar, so who has the best draw? And what does it take to win around Doha? Read Steve's event preview here...

Tournament
This will be the 15th staging of the Commercialbank Qatar Masters, the middle leg of the Race to Dubai's Middle East swing.

Venue
Doha Golf Club, Qatar

Course Details
Par 72, 7388 yards. Like last week's venue, Doha was also designed by Peter Harradine. Punter's may want to keep a close eye on the weather forecast, the wind plays a big part in the outcome of the tournament and those drawn in the afternoon on day one last year were severely hampered. Runner-up, Alvaro Quiros, playing in the very worst of the winds and was five over par at one stage on day one. I'd shown my hand before the draw was made and I've one pick with a good draw and one with a poor one, but the forecast suggests an early start on Thursday could be a distinct advantage, so if you haven't played yet, make sure you bear that in mind. The rough is even less penal this year because of the forecast windy conditions.

Useful Sites

www.dohagolfclub.com

www.qatar-masters.com

http://www.weather-forecast.com/locations/Doha/forecasts/latest

TV Coverage
Live on Sky Sports all four days - starting 7.00am Thursday and Friday, 9.30am Saturday and 8.30am on Sunday

Last five winners
2011 - Thomas Bjorn -14
2010 - Robert Karlsson -15
2009 - Alvaro Quiros -19
2008 - Adam Scott -20
2007 - Retief Goosen -15

Typical Winner
As is so often the case, the most important stat here is Greens In Regulation. Unlike last week, Driving Accuracy isn't crucial at all. The plan here is fairly simple, bang it a long way off the tee, find the green and get hot with the putter. Although only Adam Scott has been successful more than once here, the same players tend to contend and conversely, some players just don't seem to get it. Martin Kaymer's record is lamentable and Rory McIlroy hasn't been back after a couple of fruitless visits.

Market Leaders
Lee Westwood has a fine record at Doha without winning but he was carrying an injury last week and that's more than enough to put me off. Sergio Garcia also has bits and pieces of form here but he's plenty short enough for my liking. Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer are the next two in the list and of the two, I much prefer G-Mac. He didn't look miles off last week whereas Kaymer was awful. As previously stated, the German's record here is poor too.

Selections
I picked out Alvaro Quiros as a pick here at the end of last year. Put simply, he's a no-brainer bet, especially now he has an advantageous early start on Thursday. He won the event three years ago and he's finished runner-up in each of the last two years. He missed the cut last week but he's never got to grips with Abu Dhabi and I'm happy to dismiss that performance. Hopefully, it's given him the opportunity to blow away a bit of rust and us a chance to get a better price here. I'd have gladly taken [16.0] and was delighted to get on at an average of [19.5].

Last year's winner, Thomas Bjorn, hasn't looked back since success here, challenging hard at the Open Championship and winning a couple more times on the Race to Dubai. He won comfortably last year (four strokes) and played very well last week. For once, Thomas isn't overlooked in the market but I still wanted him onside. Unfortunately his afternoon draw on Thursday isn't anywhere near as favourable as Alvaro's morning one.

Qatar Masters Selections
Alvaro Quiros @ an average of [19.5]
Thomas Bjorn @ [26.0]

I'll be back later with a preview of the US Tour's event, the WM Phoenix Open, and I'll kick off the In-Play Blog on either Thursday or Friday.

As if there wasn't enough drama in Abu Dhabi, with Robert Rock holding Tiger Woods and Co at bay, last night's Farmers Insurance Open produced an unbelievable finish......

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Our man runs the rule over this week's PGA Tour action, where Phil Mickelson will be trying to make up for last year's near miss. Read Steve's thoughts here......

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The Punter's De-Brief: The Qatar Masters and the WM Phoenix Open

The Punter / Steven Rawlings / 07 February 2011 / Leave a Comment

Cheesehead Mark Wilson enjoys a great 24 hours

“Mark Wilson was winning the Phoenix Open 12 months too late! Amazingly, I ignored him this time around, having backed him before the off last year at a humongous [350.0], when he led at halfway before dropping tamely away.”

It's a frustrating week for the Punter, as a near miss in Qatar is followed by a winner in the States that's a year too late!

Thomas Bjorn held his nerve and putted superbly to hold off the field and take the Qatar Masters yesterday. Whilst in the States, Mark Wilson had what must go down as the best 24 hours of his life. His beloved Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl yesterday, before he returned to TPC Scottsdale today to clinch the WM Phoenix Open, beating Jason Duffner in a play-off.

My Bets

All my bets are detailed in this week's Live Golf Blog and it's not been a great week. The only thing that isn't listed there is my lay back of my bet on Phil Mickelson to win the Masters. He spooked me yesterday and I can see him drifting a bit if he doesn't get his act together next week, so I've dumped my bet back at the same price I took - [8.8].

Alvaro Quiros very nearly pulled off a decent gamble but stuttered at just the wrong time and Mark Wilson was winning the Phoenix Open 12 months too late! Amazingly, I ignored him this time around, having backed him before the off last year at a humongous [350.0], when he led at halfway before dropping tamely away- a painful pair of results.

All I can do is take a deep breath and move on....

Player to follow

Quiros was out of form last year but still finished 2nd, and playing in atrocious conditions this year, he was five over par through 15 holes on Thursday, and yet still managed 2nd again. He'll be a strong fancy again next year as I can't believe when his career is over and done he'll just have the 2009 Qatar Masters title to his name. Doha is so well suited to his game I can see him winning this title several times.

There will be plenty of punters that don't agree with my assessment after his finish yesterday. The missed par putt on 15 was terrible and his decision to take a wedge off the 17th tee mindboggling, but those sort of things are always possible with Quiros and as a backer you know it's factored into the price and you just have to accept it. Some would say he choked, and maybe they're right but for me he didn't. He'll still scoop up titles each year and often at a value price.

He also traded odds on last year in this week's event - the Dubai Desert Classic, and it may not be very long at all before he gains compensation for yesterday's near miss.

Players to swerve

There will be plenty of punters disappointed with Mickelson's pathetic effort this week as well and I can't pretend I wasn't one of them but like Quiros, it's all there before you and when you pay your money you take your chance. Lefty's been liable to go from brilliant to awful for years now and he's not going to change now. This game is all about price though and like Quiros, the negative aspect of Lefty's game often leads to him being over-priced. The same can't be said about short-priced American young guns Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler....

Johnson started very well in Phoenix, was matched at just [3.5] but then, yet again, went AWOL. It's a year to the day since I first started to wonder about Dustin's in-contention disposition when he gave up a great chance to win the Northern Trust Open. That dodgy effort was enough to put me off the following week when he scrambled home in most unconvincing fashion at the AT & T (which he defends again this week). He then went on to famously blow a considerable lead at the same venue at the US Open. He did manage another win last year, at the BMW Championship, but that was largely thanks to Paul Casey's choke and he appears to be getting worse in the mix.

As for Fowler, he was very in-and-out this week and that illusive first career win appears to be sliding further away. Both players are amongst the very, very best in the world and only a fool would say they weren't and that they won't win plenty of titles, but will they win as often as their prices suggest? I suspect not.

What have we learnt for next year?

Doha GC really is a course for a certain type of horse, as the saying sort of goes, and this year's leaderboard was again littered with the usual Qatar suspects. Recent past winners Robert Karlsson, Alvaro Quiros and Retief Goosen all contended, and even out of form past winners Paul Lawrie and Darren Fichardt showed up for a while. Thomas Bjorn didn't have sparkling form at Doha before this week, but he'd finished in the top-ten there a couple of times previously. In contrast, the likes of Martin Kaymer and Ian Poulter just can't seem to take to the place. Stick to the course form guys again next year.

With wind often an issue the draw is very important. Those with an afternoon start on day one this year were severely handicapped and I have to wonder how much worse Bjorn's first round score would have been (he shot a two over 74 with a morning start), had he played in the worsening afternoon winds.

I'll be back tomorrow or on Wednesday morning with a preview of this week's two events - The Dubai Desert Classic and the AT & T Pebble Beach.

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The Punter's Live Golf Blog: The Qatar Masters and the WM Phoenix Open

The Punter / Steven Rawlings / 03 February 2011 / Leave a Comment

Retief Goosen – 42 today and leading the Qatar field

"Louis Oosthuizen must have played well to keep a bogey off his card through 13 holes but the rot set in once the coverage started and I had to endure him bogeying three off his last five holes."

There's been a Fasth start in windswept Qatar, as Niclas joins Birthday Boy Goosen at the top off the leaderboard.....

17.45 - February 3rd, 2011

I've had a busy day away from the golf today, so I haven't seen much of the coverage. I did watch the first hour or so first thing this morning though and it wasn't much fun. One of my picks, Louis Oosthuizen, must have played well to keep a bogey off his card through 13 holes but the rot set in once the coverage started and I had to endure him bogeying three off his last five holes to drop back to a score of +1. That wasn't a disaster though and he's only four shots behind pace-setters Retief Goosen, who shot an impressive 69, and Niclas Fasth, who still has two holes of round one to play. Play was suspended due to fading light.

It's not been the greatest of starts for my picks with Alvaro Quiros the best of the rest but he's way back in a tie for 52nd after limping around in the afternoon winds in 75 strokes.

I'm a bit disappointed I didn't back Robert Karlsson, who I had considered carefully before the off. He's a shot off the lead and vying for favouritism with the Goose but I'm not tempted to get him onside right now. He performed minor miracles to hold his score together and played very scrappily over the last half a dozen holes.

I haven't made any further plays in Qatar but I have added a couple more in Phoenix, even though they still haven't started, thanks to a delay of 3 ½ hours due to frost. For some bizarre reason last week's winner Bubba Watson drifted right out yesterday and I managed to get a very small bet matched at [42.0], and I couldn't resist the [60.0] available on Ben Crane.

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Qatar Masters Betting: Think twice before backing Kaymer

Golf Bets / Paul Krishnamurty / 01 February 2011 / Leave a Comment

The Doha course has not suited Kaymer in the past - why would it now?

"Having arrived here three times in stellar form only to fail miserably each time, one must assume there is something about the layout that doesn't fit Kaymer's game."

Paul Krishnamurty finds plenty of reasons to doubt [7.8] market favourite Martin Kaymer in Qatar this week, and finds a pair of players with which to oppose the German genius

If the new season were your first experience of golf betting, it would be easy to conclude that whereas the PGA Tour was a wide-open mug's game, picking Race to Dubai winners is as easy as shelling peas.

While the shortest priced winner of the four US events so far has been [90.0], the favourite has won the last three 'European' events. After scouring recent Euro Tour schedules, I can find no precedent for such a run, though I'm sure somebody with a longer memory can remember the last time it happened. Nor has the trend been restricted to favourites - the previous two winners started as third and second favourite.

It would of course be wrong to assume that those trends reflect anything deeper over the long-term. After all, the 2010 season saw only six favourites win throughout the entire year, and the general consensus is that the European Tour is becoming ever more competitive. Nevertheless, recent results at the Qatar Masters point to another predictable winner. Since this event began to attract top international stars halfway through the last decade, one of them has tended to win.

A golden opportunity for Martin Kaymer to deliver a fourth straight win for favourite backers and become world number one, then? Mike Norman certainly thinks so and punters have been quick to steam into odds of [7.8] about the German. I have to disagree.

I should add that has absolutely nothing to do with my wider view about Kaymer, who I agree will become world number one soon. Indeed, the last time he had such an opportunity at last autumn's Valderrama Masters, I tipped him at an almost identical price. Kaymer failed miserably on that occasion - perhaps due to the pressure, but that isn't part of my reasoning. He lacks nothing in the bottle department. Instead, my opposition is based on three grounds - price, opposition and most importantly, the course.

There is no sense in trying to find fault with Kaymer's performance to win his third Abu Dhabi title, because there were none. It was almost perfect, 'machine' golf. However, we already knew that the course was absolutely perfect for him on the basis of previous renewals, so there's no reason to assume he'll be anywhere near so dominant elsewhere. Against a field that also includes three other members of the world's top-seven, [7.8] is a very short price about anyone, especially given serious doubts about Kaymer's suitability for this Doha course.

Kaymer has played Doha three times, with a best result of just 31st. I suppose he could be forgiven at least one of the failures, as it came immediately after winning his first title. Many youngsters suffer such a reaction. But having arrived here three times in stellar form only to fail miserably each time, one must assume there is something about the layout that doesn't fit. I suspect it has much to do with tricky, undulating Bermuda greens, that are different and slower than at Abu Dhabi. Kaymer certainly wouldn't be the first classy player to struggle to get the hang of them.

Given those previous Doha failures, the best value may lie in laying Kaymer to finish in the top-ten and top-five. As for alternative picks, refer to my recent "Five to follow during the Desert Swing" piece. In addition to discussing Kaymer's prospects around these different layouts, Alvaro Quiros and Chris Wood were identified as players to follow. Quiros absolutely loves this layout, finishing first and second in the last two years, even when not quite at his best. A top-ten on a less suitable layout in Bahrain is the ideal prep.

Wood also took the eye on last year's Doha debut, starting poorly with 75 before fighting back to register a top-15 finish. He's started the season well and looks as likely a first-time winner as anyone. Moreover, the strong winds forecast this week are right up his street, as illustrated by top-fives on his first two cracks at the Open Championship.

Recommended Bets:
Lay Martin Kaymer to make the top-five @ [2.9]
Lay Martin Kaymer to make the top-ten @ [1.9]
Back Alvaro Quiros @ [16.5]
Back Chris Wood @ [70.0]

Betfair website

The Punter's picks for the Qatar Masters and the WM Phoenix Open

The Punter / Steven Rawlings / 01 February 2011 / Leave a Comment

The unique 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale

“Players need thick skins if they’re going to mess up at the par three 16th hole, where thousands upon thousands dish out jeers and cheers in equal drunken measures.”

Steve looks to rekindle happy memories of past glories in Qatar and to erase painful ones of near misses in Phoenix....

Now in its 14th year, the Qatar Masters has always been staged at Doha GC, so there's plenty of course form to peruse and the first thing that stuck me is that the last six winners have all been top-class, so it's highly likely that the run of punter-friendly results on the Race to Dubai could well continue for at least another week.

I knew who'd be my main pick here as long ago as last year really. I backed Alvaro Quiros when he won this event two years ago and I was again onboard twelve months ago when he finished 2nd. He's the second of my Five Bets for 2011, though the less said about the first the better! And I see Paul Krishnamurty also ear-marked the swashbuckling Spaniard for this event in his 'Five to following during the Desert Swing' piece.

Another of Paul's five is Louis Oosthuizen and after a bit of dithering I've backed him too, but not at the price I pondered far too long over on Monday. Some lucky soles have managed to get [30.0] and [29.0] about King Louis, I've settled for [27.0]. He was the runner-up two years ago, 14th last year and 8th in '05. I was very disappointed by his performance in Abu Dhabi a fortnight ago but I'm prepared to give him another chance.

If I hadn't backed Oosthuizen I would almost certainly have backed last year's winner Robert Karlsson. His whole game was in fine fettle last week but he putted particularly well when finishing 5th in Bahrain. I never seem to get Bob right though, so I've reluctantly left him out.

Last year's third, Brett Rumford looked a little big at [180.0] and one from far, far leftfield is Pablo Martin. The Spaniard's three outings to date here have yielded precisely zilch - two missed cuts and a withdrawal but at [350.0] I thought he was well worth a few pounds and here's why. It's a bit longwinded but bear with me...

It's less than two months since Martin defended the Alfred Dunhill Championship, an event Alvaro Quiros also won in 2007, and he should also have won the Portugal Masters in October - where he traded odds on. Another event Quiros has won. And the runner-up in Portugal (for the second time) was Karlsson, defending champ here. There looks to be a correlation between the two venues and maybe also this one and Leopard Creek. Like Quiros, Ernie Els has won this title as well as the Alfred Dunhill Championship. It could be a nonsensical theory but at the price I can live with it if is.

Selections:

Alvaro Quiros @ [20.0]
Louis Oosthuizen @ [27.0]
Brett Rumford @ [180.0]
Pablo Martin @ [350.0]

Like the Qatar Masters, this week's US PGA Tour event, the WM Phoenix Open, also has plenty of course form to consider - it's been played at TPC Scottsdale since 1987. It's a unique and very well patronised stadium course where players need thick skins if they're going to mess up at the par three 16th hole, where thousands upon thousands dish out jeers and cheers in equal drunken measures.

My ole mate Phil Mickelson didn't do much wrong when getting beat by the narrowest of margins by Bubba Watson on Sunday and I couldn't see any reason not to back him again this week, in an event he's already won twice.

Last week he ranked 2nd for GIR (Greens in Regulation) and 11th for putting. A repeat of that performance will see him go close again. He'll need to lift himself though, as he looked pretty disappointed on Sunday night.

I've also backed last year's runner-up, Y E Yang, who played OK last week and who looked a shade big at a triple-figure price. I don't want to dwell too long on last year, it was a painful result. As well as backing Yang, I was also backed Rickie Fowler at a big price and they both traded odds on but failed to cross the line!

Paul Krishnamurty was also on Fowler last year - he was his 'Find Me A 100 Winner' pick and purely by coincidence I see I've backed one of his selections again this year....

After backing Scottsdale resident Robert Garrigus in-running at the opening event of the season, the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, where he lost in a play-off, I've backed him, and been very disappointed in him, in his last two events. I was going to give up on him but I see he was 11th here on debut way back in 2007. He missed the cut a year later in his only other outing but he's a different proposition nowadays and sleeping in his own bed won't hinder his chances.

Selections:

Phil Mickelson @ [9.2]
Y E Yang @ [100.0]
Robert Garrigus @ [140.0]

I'll be back sometime on Thursday with the start of my Live Golf Blog.

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