Tipster: Shaker

*** Please note, trading plays were posted in January only to highlight the benefits of introducing Betfair into your golf betting. By backing players at standout early prices and then laying back at the lower odds on Betfair, you can have extremely large odds on a player to win an event. This is a simple process that, once learned, can be applied to any golf betting market.

There are many other advantages to using Betfair and Shaker will now be introducing these instead of concentrating on trading alone. His Betfair plays will be found on this page. Trading advice will continue to be given on this page only during February and these will not be 'official' plays, so specific staking and lay-price advice will not be given. However, these bets should be virtually risk-free given the price that you will be able to lay on Betfair.

Buick Invitational

Outright play:

Hidemichi Tanaka 0.5 pts at prices down to 180 (currently 230)

The form he showed at the end of 2003 has been quickly forgotten by the people offering these prices I think. In his last 8 events he secured 4 top 6 finishes and then also went on to represent Japan in finishing 7th in the World Cup in November. I think he has a preference for tough courses like the South Course they play three times here and the clincher for me to play at these prices is the tee-times draw. He is first out on the much easier North Course tomorrow and a good start could see us recouping our stake with a lay at much shorter odds come Friday morning. My money is on at an average of just under 200 and currently there are lays waiting to be taken, down to odds of 180, to win over 10000 GBP. I think any bet down to around that price is value on this up-and-coming player who was starting at much, much shorter prices just a few tournaments ago.

Update after round 1:

He did little wrong in the first round but didn't score well enough to get his price down. Hopes still linger that he'll play well from now on and get involved at some stage.

Update after round 3:

Still, he's done OK but he definitely isn't going to get involved now. He kept promising to but it wasn't to be; however, we'll keep on looking for good players at these kind of prices in the coming weeks.

Outright play (after 3rd round):

Duffy Waldorf 0.5 pts at prices down to 80 (currently 95)

I'd be hopeful of getting on at 95 as so many bookies go 80/1 (if any of them went 4 places I'd be doing this play each-way). Waldorf was in fine form leading up to this tournament and his tee to green play was super on the South Course yesterday, 79% DA and 78% GIR must've been close to leading the field in those categories on this very difficult track. His final rounds in his last two tournaments have been 66 and 65 and if he can sink a few more putts today he looks sure to put in a decent score, one which the masses of unreliable characters that currently populate the top 15 or so may not match. And if he does, who knows what will happen regarding the leaders?

In case he does start well to get involved we'll put up some lays on BF to recoup our stake, and maybe more.

So, also put up lays of 0.5 pts @ 11, 2.5 pts @ 5 and 5 pts @ 2 on Duffy Waldorf at Betfair.

Summary:

Well, blow me down, Waldorf did get to Evens! It looked like he had a putt on 18 to very nearly win in there and then (although it would ultimately only have got him in a playoff) but in hindsight it was a difficult putt despite it being from only 5 feet; Riley missed one to lose in the playoff from similar range. Waldorf didn't produce any fireworks but played very well, especially the last three holes, where he had three birdie putts when almost everyone else had to struggle for par. An exciting tournament helped by our profit here on Waldorf but it coul have been oh so much better!

Total points staked: 1 ... Total points laid: 8 ... Profit = 7 pts.