Samsung World Championship

FINAL RESULT: 0-3; -4.50pts

Jang 14th
Gulbis 4th
Matthew 7th

From the 1st round, this was always going to be a race for 2nd place and Matthew did get there towards the end of her 3rd round, but the rest was not so impressive: she finished her third round with a five and then started her final round with three fives to end any hopes. Gulbis was the highest-placed, but with only three places it was still a loss.

Outright plays (total stake per play: 1.5pts)

Jeong Jang to win 12/1 e.w. @ Stan James, BetInternet, Expekt and BetFred
Annika Sorenstam has looked like a tired player since the Solheim Cup and with her announcement that her schedule has been designed to ensure that she only plays the minimum of 70 rounds this season required for her to lift the Vare Trophy (lowest scoring average on Tour), she is certainly opposable with players in better form. One of those in Jang, who has the opportunity to atone for her four-putt when tipped two weeks ago and ultimately finishing 6th. With form beforehand that reads 9th, 5th, 32nd, 1st, 2nd, 4th and 6th, this is clearly not simply a hot spell of form. She has experience of this course having finished 6th last year and that was one of three top-6 finishes in her last Californian events. It should be at least repeated this week.

Natalie Gulbis to win 18/1 e.w. @ BetInternet
Gulbis is making her debut in this event, but with only one year's course history that is not such a great handicap, particularly as this is her home State. She won the California Women's Amateur Championship at the age of 14 and had been the youngest player to qualify for a LPGA Tour event (the Longs Drugs Challenge in California) until Michelle Wie in 2002. And she is a player very much in form. She responded to Saturday's 76 with a 64 in final round last week to finish 11th, even though it ended her run of top-10 finishes, of which she had secured five in her previous six starts. A player in great form that will draw a large body of support from the crowd.

Catriona Matthew to win 20/1 e.w. @ Ladbrokes
Matthew is another in form with back-to-back top-3 finishes in the last two weeks in California and she had finished in the top-10 in three of her previous four starts. She does have course experience, opening with a 64 last year and entering the final round in 5th place, despite being in poor form at the time. That is not the case this year and she should, once again, appear near the top of the leaderboard.