WNB Golf Classic

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Danny Lee 1.5pts e/w @ 16/1 Various

Young Danny Lee is a worthy market leader this week as he quite simply has stunning course form that reads 1st (2011) and 2nd (2012). His 2nd place finish last year was a feat in itself but considering the pressure he would have been under to become the first Web.com Tour player to complete a back to back tournament defence, it is even more impressive. Lee came up (1) shot shy of an in form Luke Guthrie but there is no doubt that he loves and knows how to play this course. Following his win in 2011, the New Zealander explained,
"Somehow, every time I hit it on the green I can read the greens really nicely. I don't know if it's the green color, or it's Midland, or I'm just having a good time...It's similar to the Four Seasons (TPC Las Colinas in Dallas where he moved after turning pro) where I practice, I can read the putts really well." His stats don't read as well as I would like them so far this year with a DA of just 44%, has a PA of 1.84 and is only ranking 99th in Par 5 Birdies or better, but he does have two top tens to his name already. He is also hitting just under 70% of greens in regulation which will serve him well here as will the fact that his Scrambling percentage is 59, meaning that if he misses the fairways he has a decent chance of still making the green from the rough.

Tim Wilkinson 0.5pts e/w @ 66/1 Various

Although we only have eight rounds of data in 2013 to go on for Wilkinson, his start to the season does seem to bode well for this week. A Putting Average of 1.66, Driving Accuracy of 63.46% and a GIR percentage of 73.61 have all helped him to a 6th in Louisiana and a 10th in Brazil. Over his career, the New Zealander has consistently averaged well over 40% in Birdies or Better on Par 5 holes which will also help this week as will the fact that he ranks 1st in Scoring Average with a terrific 68.00. Wilkinson also has some pretty decent course form to fall back on too with only one missed cut in six appearances at Midland. Last year he finished a career best of 9th, carding all four rounds under par, while other than the MC has finished no worse than 33rd. One final thing worth noting is that in 2008 he finished 2nd in the PGA Tour's Texas Open in fine company which shows that he is more than comfortable in the unique windy Texan conditions.

Rod Pampling 0.5pts e/w @ 80/1 Sporting Bet

The veteran Australian was a natural pick for me this week as his fits the profile in that he is a Southern Hemisphere player who plays well in the wind and who has experience of tougher events than he will face this week. As recently as December last year he finished 2nd in the Australian PGA Championship, ahead of the likes of Geoff Ogilvy and under windy conditions. He has played five events on the PGA Tour this year and only made two cuts but still he is hitting close to 70% of GIRs and has DA of 64%. Although he has never played Midland before, he is a Texas resident so should have experience of the area.

Billy Hurley III 0.5pts e/w @ 300/1 Stan James

It was a surprise to see 30 year old Billy Hurley III in triple figures, let alone at 300/1, given the talent he has and the fact his stats for 2013 indicate that his game is suited to Midland. He has a Putting Average of 1.694 for the year, Driving Average of 63.46%, GIR of just under 70% and ranks 1st in Scrambling at 73.91%. If we look further back to when he last graced the Web.com Tour in 2011, he posted stats of a similar consistency in the same areas. He has never played the WNB Classic before, nor does he have any stand out results in Texas but he can lay claim to two 13th place finishes so far this year. Hurley's most recent 13th came on US soil at the Louisiana Open and crucially posted a PA of 1.69. If he can bring that kind of flat stick game to Texas then I'm sure he will be up there contending.

Total staked - 6pts