McDonald's LPGA Championship

The third major of the LPGA season and so far Sorenstam and Webb have so far shared the honors. The bookmakers seem to think that they will win this one as well, but neither has taken this title before with Juli Inkster having won the last two years. For all the records that Sorenstam set earlier this year, Inkster would set a particularly impressive one if she won this week. No player in LPGA history has won the same modern-day major championship in three consecutive years.

The course is described as "long and wide open", but it has not been a characteristic of previous events that long-hitters have done particularly well. Inkster and the winner in 1998, Pak, are not particularly long, the main features of their games are excellent greens in regulation figures. With any major championship, it is the ball-strikers who come to the fore.

With Webb and Sorenstam at prohibitively low odds, the three selections this week are Dottie Pepper, Meg Mallon and Mi Hyun Kim. Pepper missed the trip to France last week and as preparation for this event, it was a good thing. She does not have a great record on this course, just one top-5 finish, but with a record of 2nd and 3rd in this year's majors, it is clear that it is these events that bring out the best golf in her. Ignoring her 1st round withdrawal at the Rochester International when he was certainly not out of contention, she has finished in the top-5 in seven of her last nine events including two majors and the minimum of a safety net of a place finish is expected from Pepper.

Mallon did play in France last week, but this could, in contrast to Pepper, be beneficial for she closed very strongly with two 67s over the last two rounds to record a season-high finish of 5th. That should boost her hopes for this week as she returns to an event that she won in 1991, albeit on a different course, and to a course on which she has an excellent record - a worst finish of 22nd in seven attempts.

Kim is a regular selection and remains so this week. She continues to challenge each week and though she hasn't reached her performances of April when she reached two playoffs, she is consistent enough to be somewhere near the leaderboard all week long. With finishes of 26th and 12th on this course as well, she could be another strong challenger for a place finish.

Outright plays:

Dottie Pepper to win 14/1 e.w @ Surrey

Meg Mallon to win 40/1 e.w. @ Ladbrokes [5 places option]

Mi Hyun Kim to win 33/1 e.w. @ Surrey

72-hole play:

Meg Mallon to beat Laura Davies -110 @ Surrey [2 units]
Change of shafts has seen a change in form for Davies and she even won the Rochester International, but last week also saw a change in form for Mallon as well and with both having excellent course form, Mallon gets the nod here. Just have yet to be convinced that this is more than a new gimmick which all-too-often leads to as quick a drop in form and confidence as an immediate increase.

Update:

The sole matchup play of the week so far is not decided at the cut. And just as well, because I called it completely wrong. Mallon made the cut on the mark and trails Davies by ten shots. At least, there's another 36 holes to make amends and strange things have happened in golf. In the outrights, Mallon just made the cut, Pepper is again doing nothing on this course and 37th, while Kim is 11th and has a chance of a place finish in what looks like being a Webb-Sorenstam event.

Final update: 0-1-0 and -2.20 units for the week

Mallon eventually lost by six shots to Davies with the writing on the wall for this play clear from the very first day. Didn't find any value in Five Dimes' lines this week - still clear they are using my ratings to formulate their matchups - and really thought there would be more betting opportunities, given that this was a major.

Update on outright plays: 0-3 and -3.00 units

Kim threatened all weekend to secure a place finish, but ended two shots short at the post. Mallon and Pepper did finish in 17th position, but had never threatened to finish any higher. Disappointing week.