FINAL RESULT: 0-3; -3.00pts

Creamer 7th
Ochoa 24th
Lee 37th

With Annika not in contention, I would have expected a lot better from Creamer being in 3rd after 36 holes and only Sarah Lee and Aree Song ahead of her. In the end, she even missed out on the place payout by a shot.

Outright plays (total stake per play: 1pt)

Paula Creamer to win 10/1 e.w. @ SkyBet  ('w/o Annika Sorenstam' market)
Odds of 14/1 are on offer (Victor Chandler and Expekt) for Creamer to win the event, but history shows that there is better value in the 'w/o Sorenstam' market. Creamer has won only once when Annika was in the field (2005 Evian Masters) and the World Number 1 was never in contention in that event. By contrast, Creamer's last two runners-up finishes have been to Annika last week they started the final round in a tie for the lead and in the final group, but it was Creamer who buckled under the pressure. But she still finished 4th and after an indifferent start to the year, her form was rediscovered during the 2nd round of the Fields Open in Hawaii when she faced a very real threat of missing the cut. She recovered to shoot 69 and so compete in the third and final round where she shot 67 to climb to 11th. With form not an issue, she should certainly improve on last year's debut on this course when let slip a top-10 finish with a poor final round. She is a different player twelve months on, though still not yet in the same class as Annika.

Lorena Ochoa to win 22/1 e.w. @ BetDirect
A year ago, Ochoa was a winning selection in the 'w/o Sorenstam' market, but at a best price of 11/1, the value is to be found in the full field market. In the two years that this event has been staged at Superstition Mountain, she has finished 3rd and 2nd and that really should have been one place higher last year. She wilted under the pressure from Annika posting a challenging score in the clubhouse and was denied a wire-to-wire win with a playoff loss. But for the lack of value in the 'w/o Sorenstam' market, that would have been the natural choice for this play. In terms of current form, there is little to complain about with Ochoa setting tournament records in each of her first two starts and finding the pressure of home expectation too much to bear last week. Last week's finish can be easily discounted and hopefully Ochoa can take heart for how well she has played this course in the last two years, despite last year's ending.

Seon Hwa Lee to win 27/1 e.w. @ Expekt  ('w/o Annika Sorenstam' market)
Lee has been extremely impressive on her graduation to the LPGA Tour and while she was a close call to earn a place as a selection last week, she is not to be overlooked this time. She was passed over simply because she had virtually dominated the Fields Open, but was forced into a playoff after a closing 65 by Meena Lee, which she lost. But to recover from the disappointment of losing her first playoff and then finishing 2nd in the next event is quite an achivement, but maybe it should not have been too much of a surprise. She was the leading money winner on the Futures Tours and finished in the top-5 in eleven of eighteen starts. That's a ratio that was only surpassed by Annika on this Tour and it shows her potential. So to get odds of 27/1 in the 'w/o Sorenstam' market when she is a best price of 33/1 to win the event is very good value.