Canadian Open

Outright plays (1 unit):

Charles Howell to win 25/1 e.w. @ Bet365 or Sporting Odds
In great form and the move to Angus Glen should suit his game. With finishes of 22nd, 19th, 17th and 3rd in his last four starts, he is moving nicely into the form that was expected of him at the start of the season and he is hitting the ball a very long way at the moment. In the Reno-Tahoe Open, his drives averaged 326 yards. With the wide-open fairways at Angus Glen, he looks well-suited this week.

Mike Weir to win 33/1 e.w. @ Five Dimes (.5 units to win & .5 units to finish in the top-5), though available generally
Did look at Justin Leonard, but opted for the home player instead. His form is not good and he has yet to record a top-10 finish all season, despite having won in each of the last three seasons. But the move to the new venue is decisive. While the rest of the field try to acquaint themselves with a new course, Weir will be returning to his birthplace and to a course on which he won junior and amateur championships.

Steve Flesch to win 40/1 e.w. @ Victor Chandler or BetInternet
Not expected to win this week, though he must win eventually, but he does come into this event in good form. His last three finishes have been 10th, 17th and 6th and he did finish 6th in this event last year. He is not regarded as one of the longest hitters, but in two of his last three starts, his drives have averaged over 300 yards and he looks a decent prospect to contend on this course at least.

Postscript: The information I had about Mike Weir's history at this course was incorrect. He had only played a few of the holes on this course before this week and no more.

Matchup plays (1 unit unless stated):

Charles Howell to beat John Daly -149 @ Sporting Odds [2 units]
Steve Flesch to beat Len Mattiace -125 @ Five Dimes, though available generally
Brian Gay to beat Pat Perez -118 @ Easybets
Brent Geiberger to beat Adam Scott -111 @ BetandWin
Lee Janzen to beat Rory Sabbatini -118 @ Easybets
Loren Roberts to beat Graeme McDowell -125 @ Sporting Odds or Sportingbet

No time for explanation/reasons/excuses ...

Mid-point update:

Howell/Daly Leads by 4
Flesch/Mattiace Leads by 4
Gay/Perez Trails by 1
Janzen/Sabbatini WON by 8
Roberts/McDowell All Square

Adam Scott didn't play this week.

Howell 7th
Weir 17th
Flesch 13th

With just one matchup decided at the cut and none of the outrights in a top-5 position, there is everything to play for at the weekend. Looks promising though!

Final update:

Matchups: 2-3-0; -3.41 units

Howell/Daly LOST by 2
Flesch/Mattiace WON by 7
Gay/Perez LOST by 12
Roberts/McDowell LOST (ties lose @ Sporting Odds and Sportingbet)

Outrights: 1-2; +2.50 units

Howell 35th
Weir 22nd
Flesch 4th

Looked promising on Friday night, but certainly didn't on Saturday night. Weir and Howell, in particular, had just had horrible rounds. At least Flesch made amends, though again it could have been much better. Dropped three shots in four holes on the back nine due to some poor putting and he still finished just one shot out of the playoff.