Australian PGA Championship

FINAL RESULT: 2-3-0; -6.75pts

Chalmers/Coles LOST by 4
Senden/Senior TIED (Lost)
Senden/Moseley WON by 11
Leaney/O'Hern LOST by 3
Lonard/Pampling WON by 6

A baffling result. All five matches were ahead before the weekend, but even then a profit on the plays was denied when Senden bogeyed the last hole to tie his match and lose the play from a winning position.

Matchup plays (1.5pts unless stated):

Greg Chalmers to beat Gavin Coles -110 @ BetInternet [3pts]
Chalmers has yet to finish ahead of Coles in any of their six common events in 2004, but this week should be different. The only time in the last five months that they have played in the same tournament was last week when Coles finished 8th, but Chalmers did finish 15th and having finished in the top-15 in two of his previous three (PGA Tour) starts, he is clearly a player in form. There is also a considerable difference in course form: two top-five finishes in his last three visits vs. missed cuts in his last two.

John Senden to beat Peter Senior -110 @ Stan James [4.5pts]
This really should be a no-contest. Senden successfully retained his PGA Tour Card this season and it was only poor putting that denied him a lot of leaderboard appearances: he finished the season ranked 2nd in total driving, 6th in greens in regulation and 2nd in ball-striking. Senior was a surprise winner a year ago and it would be a surprise if he were to finish in the top-20 again.
(also available at Five Dimes)

John Senden to beat Jarrod Moseley -114 @ Expekt
Moseley won this title (jointly with Peter Lonard) the year before Senior, but he is another who would be a surprise top-20 finisher. He finished 59th of the 60 players who made the cut last week and that was quite an achievement as he had missed eight out of his last ten cuts. Senden finished 11 shots ahead of him last week and with good course form himself, he should expecting a similar margin of victory this week.

Stephen Leaney to beat Nick O'Hern +104 @ Pinnacle [3pts]
Opposing another former winner of this title (1999), though there is no suggestion that O'Hern is playing poorly. Rather that Leaney is playing a little better - as shown by his five-shot victory over O'Hern last week - and that he has finished ahead of O'Hern in each of their last three common events in Australia. That makes plus odds a little generous!

Peter Lonard to beat Rod Pampling -118 @ BetInternet [3pts]
Trying to get back some of the money lost opposing Lonard last week and finally backing a previous winner on this course! Lonard has proved that he is fully fit and competitive again and if that is the case, he should be no match for Pampling who has finished ahead of him in only two of their last ten common events in Australia. I would also expect some negative reaction from Pampling very difficult weekend when he had held a commanding lead last week after 36 holes.