WorldCom Classic
Course: Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head Island, South
Carolina
Yardage: 6973
Par: 71 (three par-fives)
USGA Rating: 75.2
Greens: Tifeagle - 4,000 sq.ft (Tour average: 6,000 sq.ft)
GCSAA Tournament Fact Sheet
Weather
Forecast
Best Players Last 10 Years Past Winners:
2001 - Jose Coceres
2000 - Stewart Cink
1999 - Glen Day
1998 - Davis Love
1997 - Nick Price
1996 - Loren Roberts
1995 - Bob Tway
1994 - Hale Irwin
1993 - David Edwards
1992 - Davis Love
Outright plays (1 unit unless stated): Scott Verplank to win 33/1 e.w.
@ Blue Square or Heathorns
Opposing the triumvirate of Els, Mickelson and Garcia who head the market as
they should suffer from last week's exertions and in a combined 11 attempts at
this title can muster only two top-5 finishes between them - Els 3rd in 2000 and
Mickelson 3rd in 1998. Course form has always been very important on this course
and even though the last two winners may have bucked this trend, the other
players in the top-3 largely did not. Verplank's course form is only recent. It
had been disappointing until 2000 when, armed with fitted with a pump to his
belt to control his diabetes, he rediscovered his game and has finished 11th and
3rd since. Last year he was one of only three players to break par in every
round. He played extremely well in the 1st round until double-bogeying the last
hole and thereafter fell away. His form is good and he should be relatively
fresh after last week's event. Rocco Mediate to win 40/1 e.w. @ Sportingbet
or UKBetting
Another late developer at this course. Disappointing here until 1993 and then
didn't return until 1996 since when he has recorded five top-20 finishes in six
starts. He has had a very light schedule in the past two months with the Masters
being only his 3rd start since the WGC Matchplay in February. He'd recorded
top-3 finishes at the Bay Hill Invitational and the Players Championship and was
in contention for a third after the 2nd round last week. The fall from
contention in the 3rd round should keep him fresh for this week's event.
Nick Price to win 40/1 e.w. @ Surrey
or Blue Square
Okay, so it's been four years since he won an event on the PGA Tour, but I'll
take a place finish behind either Verplank or Mediate! He completes a trio of
players who have a good course history, are straight off the tee and hit a lot
of greens in regulation. These are some of the smallest greens they will face
this year, so accurate approach play is important and Price's and Mediate's
primary failing with the short stick should be of limited importance this week.
Like the others, his course form for the first half-dozen years was poor, which
only stresses the importance of having a course history this week, but he then
had five top-10 finishes in six years in the 1990s, including a win in 1997.
That may seem a distant history, but Price has finished in the top-20 in all but
one PGA Tour start this season and looks a likely contender this week.
Matchup plays: Brett Quigley to
beat Kenneth Staton -111 @ BetandWin
Neal Lancaster to beat Lucas Glover -111 @ BetandWin [3 units]
My laptop has packed in again Can't access
my golf stuff anymore, so not sure if there'll be any more plays this week now
Will know more tomorrow.
Matchup plays: Kevin
Sutherland to beat Craig Perks -115 @ Cascade
Fully expect Perks' TPC hangover to continue. Two missed cuts since that
surprising victory and probably three this week. He missed the cut last year in
his only appearance in this event and languishes much lower than Sutherland in
the Tour driving accuracy and greens in regulation stats, both of which will be
important this week. Frank Nobilo to beat Kent
Jones -111 @ BetandWin
Course experience is important in this event and while Nobilo had played here
every year since 1996, making three of his last four cuts, Jones will make his
debut here this week. With Nobilo having a 5-2 head-to-head record over Jones in
common events this year, he gets the nod.
Mid-point update: Quigley/Staton LOST by 6
Lancaster/Glover WON by 10
Sutherland/Perks WON by 3
Nobilo/Jones WON by 2 Verplank 8th
Mediate mc
Price 40th Decent tournament so far with all four
matchups completed and a victory in the all-important 3-unit play. A chance of
some return with Verplank though Price has quite a distance to catch the top-5
and Mediate has never looked like making the weekend.
Final update: Matchups: 3-1;
+3.89 units All decided at the cut
Outrights: 1-2; -1.46 units
Verplank 5th
Price 19th Only two selections were active at the
weekend and but for some annoying bounce-backs on Saturday - following birdies
with bogeys not the other way around
- this could have been a much more profitable event. Verplank did share 5th
place with two others, but it meant little more than his stake being covered.
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