Tipster: Stanley

Safeway International

Matchup plays (1.5pts unless stated):

Stacy Prammanasudh to beat Michelle Ellis -105 @ NordicBet [4.5pts]
Successfully opposed Ellis last week, reportedly injured anyway, and will do so again this week. Many are expecting a bright future for Prammanasudh who was the Futures Tour Player of the Year last year, finishing top of their money list. She certainly sowed tat promise when finishing in the top-5 last week and wile odds of 100/1 were passed over for the outright market, this represents a good opportunity to back a promising player.

Hee-Won Han to beat Sophie Gustafson -111 @ Stan James
Han did finish a sot behind Gustafson last week, but it was her opening event of the year against the third one for the Swede. I'm expecting a less rusty performance from Han this week and on a course that will penalise wayward driving, Gustafson should struggle to match last week's top-20 finish.

Cristie Kerr to beat Meg Mallon -111 @ Expekt [3pts]
It was certainly a rusty performance from Mallon last week as she shot five-over-par on a very easy course to miss the cut. Kerr did manage a top-25 finish and looks as though she could pick up from where she left off in 2003 - four top-10 finishes in her last five events. Having also finished in the top-10 in toe last two years in this event, Kerr has good reason to be optimistic about this week.

Lorena Ochoa to beat Meg Mallon -125 @ Stan James
Ochoa also finished well ahead of Mallon last week and should also prosper more on the more demanding course this week. She was a student at the University of Arizona so has plenty of local connections and could very easily match her top-10 finish of last year. It will take a huge improvement in form for Mallon to achieve that.

Jung Yeon Lee to beat Michelle Wie +100 @ Stan James [4.5pts]
Opposing all the hype about Wie. Yes, she nearly made the cut in the Sony Open on the PGA Tour, but her record on the LPGA Tour is less than impressive. Just one top-10 finish in nine starts and no other top-25 finishes. She is talking about being a joint member of the LPGA and PGA Tour in the future with her aim of playing in the Masters. This is all rather premature and she really should focus on short-term goals first. I'll gladly back a player who has finished 2nd, 6th, 7th and 2nd (last week) in her last four LPGA Tour events.

Grace Park to beat Karrie Webb -154 @ Expekt
Short odds, but no hesitation in backing Park again. Se has finished ahead of Webb in each of their last seven common events so on that basis alone, there is still value here.

Adding (1.5pts unless stated):

Grace Park to beat Karrie Webb -120 @ Five Dimes
Five Dimes were very late in producing odds for this event with the upshot being that I jumped on what now seems very uncompetitive odds on this matchup. But at these odds and given the reasons above, there is still good reason to top up on this play.

Lorena Ochoa to beat Michelle Wie -115 @ Five Dimes [4.5pts]
I wasn't going to oppose Wie too many times this week, just in case Leadbetter's swing changes did produce a player closer to the hype. But will oppose her with a player over whom there was much hype a year ago and does have a local connection. Ochoa has proved herself far more on the golf course than Wie and should improve her current 4-1-0 h2h record against the 9th-grader.

Final update: 6-1-0; +19.34pts

Prammanasudh/Ellis WON by 8
Han/Gustafson LOST by 5
Kerr/Mallon WON by 20
Ochoa/Mallon WON by 17
Lee/Wie WON by 1
Park/Webb WON by 15
Ochoa/Wie WON by 9

A top-20 performance was as good as Wie could produce and that was not worth the hype. A very profitable week on the matchups wit all but one decided by very convincing margins.