Longs Drugs Challenge

FINAL RESULT: 1-2; +2.44pts

Kerr 47th
Matthew 3rd
Kang 62nd

Kang four-putt when in the lead last week was bad enough, but this week Kerr shot an opening 62 was cruising to a comfortable lead when she took a NINE and then a double-bogey a couple of holes later. Now entering the weekend in 12th place, there was no way back from that! Just as well Matthew earned some reprieve despite a triple-bogey seven on her card.

Outright plays (total stake: 1.5pts)

Cristie Kerr to win 18/1 e.w. @ SkyBet
She was backed at 14/1 last week and is backed again this week at 18/1 against a weaker field (no Paula Creamer or Jeong Jang) and over 72 hole. She did miss the cut last week and withdrew after the 1st round last year, but both can be dismissed. She was not really in contention after the 1st round and with all the weather disruption, a missed cut was the best preparation for this week. And she isn't a player to let such finishes affect her confidence: she missed the cut in the Safeway Classic in August and won the Wendy's Championship for Children the following week. And while she withdrew after an opening 76 last year, she was struggling with an injury and it was the second successive week that she had been forced to withdraw. After a three-week break, she would finish 8th, 5th, 7th and 2nd in her remaining events of 2004. That makes 18/1 better value than last week's 14/1 on offer.

Catriona Matthew to win 33/1 e.w. @ SkyBet and BetInternet
Matthew also struggled last year and finished in 49th place, but having been in poor form - she had finished 62nd the previous week - and having opened with 73, she was never in contention and her remaining rounds can be treated with a little caution. She did, however, shoot 69-70-71 for the rest of the week so there is some suggestion that she can play on this course. If that is the case, she has a good chance this week in her current form. She has four top-10 finishes plus an 18th place finish in her last five starts. Good enough for another top-5 finish.

Soo-Yun Kang to win 33/1 e.w. @ Ladbrokes
Didn't play last year as she returned home to South Korea after the Safeway Classic, but it shouldn't be too much of a handicap with only one year's course form. And as that leaves current form, she should be a strong contender for this title. She was a wire-to-wire winner of the Safeway Classic in late August, she followed that with leading the Wendy's Championship for Children for two rounds before finishing 6th and followed that with a 2nd place finish in the Office Depot Championship last week when she was the only player to put any pressure on Hee-Won Han on Monday. In this form, she can beat anyone in this field.