Tipster: Stanley

Jacob's Creek Open

Outright plays (1.5pts):

Nick O'Hern to win 14/1 e.w. @ Paddy Power
Tamely surrendered the lead on Sunday to eventually finish out of the places, but still retained this week. His form is good and improving each week and he does have a good record on this course - 8th and 3rd in the 1999 and 2000 Ford South Australian Open and top-20 last year. With any luck, he'll gain the lead on Sunday with very little time left to self-destruct.

Peter Fowler to win 14/1 e.w. @ Centrebet
With the arrival of the Nationwide Tour players for their second event of the year and the departure of the European Tour players for whom the Southern Hemisphere leg is an important part of their Tour schedule, this field looks rather weak and so Fowler is also added at these rather short odds. His credentials are certainly as good as O'Hern's - 3rd and 8th in the last two events in Australia and 3rd and 6th in the last two years here - so he should certainly contend. It has been over a decade since his last Tour win, but if he does keep getting himself into contention then it ca only be a matter of time.

Ryan Armour to finish in the top-five 25/1 @ Paddy Power
Would normally avoid a player who has yet to play in a particular region, but the player who took Tiger Woods to extra holes in the 1993 U.S. Junior Championship (Woods was trying to win this event for the 3rd straight year), has made a very noticeable entry at this level. He secured his Nationwide Tour Card after winning the 2nd stage of the PGA Tour Q-School and then finishing 65th in the final event at the end of last year and then finished 3rd in the BellSouth Panama Championship two weeks ago. If he can keep up this sort of form, he might get another chance to play with Tiger next year.

Final update: 1-2; -3.38pts

O'Hern 5th
Fowler mc
Armour mc

Let down by O'Hern yet again. He had been one of the leaders for the first two rounds, fell back to 12th after the 3rd round and then got within a couple of shots of Walters on the front nine on Sunday only to shoot 3-over-par on the back nine. He finished just one shot shy of being in 2nd place, but the three-way tie for 5th did not even return the stake. Armour had been with the leaders after the first round, but a second round 78 ended any hopes of a bumper payout.