Johnnie Walker Classic

Finishing Positions (0.5pt Stakes)

Final Summary: After the cut, a profit was assured on this event but Donald had a good weekend to eat into the eventual result. Profit = 12 Pts.

Round Three Summary: Donald shot 65 thanks to a great back 9 and is now inside the Top 10. I think we just need to hope that the loss here isn't too big and that we come out of the weekend in profit with help from the Houston trades. We will make a minimum of 8pts on this tour and hopefully a lot more than that.

Round Two Summary: Luke Donald shot 67 to get to T28 and may cost us from hereon in, although he certainly isn't finding the course easy. After 30 holes of his two rounds he was outside the cut line but shot -4 in those 6 to make it with ease. The other two missed the cut so we will make a profit on this tour but results on other tours could still make this an average week.)

Pre Round One Trades (Summary: All three players are below the cut line with Donald +1, and Schwartzel +6, not playing until Saturday to complete R2. Wiratchant shot 75 and will probably need to shoot 68 or 69 to get into R2. Schwartzel needs to shoot mid 60's to get in to the weekend which isn't impossible but will take a big change in form to achieve.)

Buy Luke Donald at 21 with IG Sport M/U 9, Loss 6 Pts
This price just seems a little low in a field which is probably the strongest field ever to start in Asia. It is also a new course to most of these players and with all that information, Donald is certainly worthy of a buy at 21 when seasoned Asian Tour players like Jimenez, Bjorn and Monty are all 3 to 5 strokes higher. Especially when not only the course is new to Donald but also the continent.

Buy Thaworn Wiratchant at 32 with IG Sport M/U 50, Profit 9 Pts
Wiratchant is a local who has played fairly well in co-sanctioned events without ever being the consistent type in the way that Jaidee and in previous years Zhang has been. So, with a field that puts the Houston Open to shame we should be trading Wiratchant at the 32 offered by IG. He does have course form as the China Masters were played here in 04' but a poor 55th in a completely different event for quality compared to this suggests we have a bit of value at 32.
 

Buy Charl Schawrtzel at 32 with IG Sport M/U 50, Profit 9 Pts
Another play based on Asian Tour form and the depth of quality of this field. Schwartzel has played on this tour 5 times and we opposed him unsuccessfully back in December when he put in by far his best performance of 8th in the Hong Kong Open. Previous to this his best position in 4 events was 29th. His immediate form is a MC in Spain last week and it may be worth playing up on that result in a much better field and on another tour, like mainland Europe, where his results do not match his quotes.