BMW Championship

FINAL RESULT: 1-2; +23.25pts

Clarke wd
Cabrera 1st
Khan mc

Very impressive performance from Cabrera - one of only two players to shoot every round under par and he responded well when the pressure was on. A long-overdue win! Clarke withdrew after being in 11th place after two rounds to be with his wife who had been re-admitted to hospital on Wednesday evening. I'm surprised that he played at all under those circumstances.

Further outright play (total stake: 1.5pts)

Simon Khan to finish in the top-five 22/1 @ BetFred
Third time lucky or three strikes? Backed him three weeks ago and he took eight on the last hole to finish 6th, I took the week off and he finished 5th, backed him last week and he finished 49th, having ended the 1st round in the top-10. It looked like he was coasting in the difficult weather conditions after a poor 2nd round, so it can be discounted to some degree. And having finished 24th on this course last year on his debut when in poor form - his last two finishes had been a missed cut and 60th - he should be set for another strong performance this week. He has, after all, finished in the top-10 in three of his last four starts. I would have preferred to back him in the 'Top-10 market', but at Stan James' offering of 15/2, it represents poor value to the 'Top-5 market'.

Outright plays (total stake per play: 1.5pts)

Darren Clarke to win 18/1 e.w. @ GolfingGods
Apart the Players Championship when a final round 79 saw him finish 63rd, last week's 17th place finish was his worst finish of the year. But when you can finish 17th and it be a considerably below-par performance, there is clearly a lot that is good with Clarke's game this year. Okay, he should have won the MCI Heritage, particularly as was a selection, but away from the goldfish bowl of the PGA Tour, he looks a far better prospect to win and particularly on a course close to his home and where he has finished in the top-15 in each of the last six years.

Angel Cabrera to win 28/1 e.w. @ BetInternet and Paddy Power
After a run of poor form in the United States, his return to Europe has signalled a marked improvement and that was very evident last week when he finished 3rd to just miss out on the playoff. But again long off the tee and ranked 4th in greens in regulation around Carton House, he looks in good form to profit from the Wentworth setup. He has done so in the past, finishing 2nd last year and in 2001. In fact, in the last four years, Cabrera has won one event and finished 2nd four times in England so if Clarke looks a decent bet to win, the 'Duck' looks a decent bet to finish 2nd!