US Women's Open

FINAL RESULT: 0-3; -4.50pts

Wie 23rd
Inkster 37th
Jang 49th

She did a "Goosen"! This looked like being a very profitable week due to Michelle Wie - she was leading both her match bets and she was in joint 1st position heading into the final round ... and then she shot 82! Very disappointing end result.

Outright plays (total stake per play: 1.5pts)

Michelle Wie to win 20/1 e.w. @ Stan James ['w/o Annika Sorenstam' market]
Annika Sorenstam may not have won this title since 1996, but it is difficult to ignore a player who has won six of her eight starts this year. At the very least, the 'w/o Annika Sorenstam' market should offer six places in practice as Annika has finished 2nd, 4th and 2nd in the last three years. As for Wie, she has finished 2nd twice in four starts this season, the second time being in the McDonald's LPGA Championship, the last major championship, which was won by Annika. She was in sole 2nd place that week, so won this market and looks a good prospect to repeat the feat. This will be her 3rd U.S. Women's Open, so she has gained valuable experience of playing under such testing USGA conditions and will certainly improve on her 13th place finish of last year.

Juli Inkster to win 20/1 e.w. @ Stan James ['w/o Annika Sorenstam' market]
At the other end of the experience spectrum is Inkster. That experience will always useful in USGA events and as a two-time winner in recent years (1999 and 2002), she can also draw confidence from the way in which she battled Annika head-to-head in 2002 and came out on top. Her form this year is good with five top-10 finishes in her last seven starts, including a 2nd place behind Annika in the ShopRite Classic earlier this month. A repeat result would mean a win in this market.

Jeong Jang to win 25/1 e.w. @ Stan James ['w/o Annika Sorenstam' market]
Jang is another in very good form at the moment with three top-five finishes in her last four starts and though she finished 13th in the other event, she had been 3rd after 54 holes. Together with finishes of 6th and 7th in the last two years in this event, Jang is clearly a player that should perform well this week and gain the high finish for a payout in this market.