FINAL RESULT: 1-2; -1.00pts

Ochoa 20th
Wie 3rd
Lang mc

Another very good performance from Wie that just falls short of the mark.

Outright plays (total stake per play: 1pt)

Lorena Ochoa to win 11/1 e.w. @ Victor Chandler
This really should be an event solely for big-hitters. At 6,616 yards, this is one of the longest U.S. Women's Open courses in history and with the weekend rain that not only caused the course to be closed to spectators on Monday, but has been a problem throughout one of the wettest Springs ever in the area, this course will play very long with very little roll expected on the fairways all week. The shorter hitters and those that rely on hybrid clubs should struggle and their typical U.S. Open defence of penal rough harming the bigger-hitters will not only be compromised by the lack of the roll on the fairway (and into the rough), but by the USGA's decision to maintain the policy of graduated rough that they introduce at Winged Foot. For twenty feet, there will be an intermediate cut of rough which, given the lack of roll on the ball, should give the bigger hitters some freedom to play attacking golf with the greens also expected to remain soft all week. This is good news for Ochoa who not only tops the Tour's Money List, Scoring Average and Greens in Regulation stats, but is also ranked 5th in driving distance this year. Admittedly, in her current form, she could compete on any course and she really should have won around Cherry Hills last year until topping her drive into the water on the last hole and taking a quadruple-bogey eight. But these conditions will eliminate the likes of last year's winner, Birdie Kim, from contention and will also reduce the necessity to play links-style golf around this softened course.

Michelle Wie to win 12/1 e.w. @ BetDirect
The LPGA Tour may have granted Morgan Pressel exemption to become a member of the Tour before the age of 18 and if they are to use Wie to their best advantage, they may need to consider doing the same for Wie as soon as possible. The 'best player without a Tour' has been playing all around the world and on many different Tours and that freedom of movement has enabled her to set up camp with an entourage that has included her coach, David Leadbetter, in Rhode Island last week. Everything that has made this course play longer has benefited Wie more than any other (in practise, she has been driving past her playing partner between 60 and 100 yards on average) and particularly as the greens have now become so soft that they are expected to reach a maximum speed of only 9.5 feet on the stimpmeter. For a player who would have been playing at Winged Foot, but for poor putting, this is welcome news. And if the wind does blow, she has shown with her 3rd place finish in last year's Women's British Open that she can cope with wind and links courses. So, there may be no great intuition behind the first two selections, but everything sets up very nicely for them to enforce their advantage over the rest of the field, bar Annika.

Brittany Lang to win 66/1 e.w. @ BetInternet, Sportingbet, Sporting Odds and BetFred
A good price for the 6th-ranked player in driving distance on Tour who finished 2nd in last year's U.S. Women's Open while still an amateur and finished 3rd last week when in contention throughout. It had been a disappointing rookie season, but she hit more greens in regulation last week than in any event since February and it should give her confidence ahead of an event that she threatened to run away with for the first round and a half. She has still to win on Tour, but she followed up her runners-up finish last year with a season-best (until last week) 8th place finish in the Nabisco Championship for the only two major championships that she has played in during the last year. Those are very impressive performances in major events for a rookie and the course conditions should help her continue that run this week.