Chrysler Classic of Greensboro

FINAL RESULT: 1-3; +2.25pts

Johnson 61st
Lehman 4th
Faxon 27th
Van Pelt 16th

Had hoped for better with Lehman sharing the 3rd round lead with Geiberger who had not won for five years, but he was nowhere near as impressive in the final round. Not much to cheer from the other three.

Further outright play (1.5pts):

Bo Van Pelt to win 16/1 e.w. @ SkyBet and BetDirect
Bo Van Pelt leads this tournament in terms of greens in regulation and that is the basis of any good score. He has been in the top-10 (and not leading) after two rounds on four occasions this year and has finished 14^th, 4^th, 5^th and 7^th, so the Nationwide Tour graduate has not done poorly in this situation and is learning and improving. He ranks 16^th in scoring average on this Tour and lies in the top-40 on the Money List, so he has proved that everyone that he can compete with the best on this Tour and is in position to earn his first start in the Masters next year. Given that quality, 16/1 seems reasonable odds at this stage of the event.

PRICE UPDATE: BetInternet have released prices this morning and have clearly not looked at what is available elsewhere as Johnson is now a best-price of 25/1. They offer 33/1 for Johnson and 50/1 for Lehman!

Outright plays (1.5pts):

Zach Johnson to win 28/1 e.w. @ Expekt, UKBetting and Totalbet
Agreeing with Shaker on this play. Each of his last four finishes have been in the top-15 and two of them have been top-3, so there is only Luke Donald in this field who can match him for form. No course experience, but his accuracy from tee to green has been particularly good over the last two months and he is a very good scrambler, which is important around Forest Oaks.

Tom Lehman to win 40/1 e.w. @ William Hill, Victor Chandler and BlueSq
Not a particularly good scrambler, but the resurgence in Lehman's game since he moved to the long putter cannot be ignored. He was on the shortlist for selection last week, but makes it this week after recording his second top-5 finish in his last three starts. Having also finished in the top-25 in each of his last four visits here, I would have expected shorter odds on Lehman.

Brad Faxon to finish in the top-five 10/1 @ GolfingGods
Did consider the place-only option for Lehman after he blew a great chance to at least earn a playoff last week, but the place odds were not particularly good. I would go as low as the 8.25/1 available at Expekt, but will take 10/1 elsewhere. Faxon has been extremely consistent this year and has raised his game to finish in the top-15 in three of his last four events and against much stronger fields. He should be able to do again on this course which rewards his short game prowess. He has finished 2nd in 1997 and 2003, so a repeat is certainly within his capabilities this week.

* GolfingGods are a new online bookie, devoted solely to golf betting. Of course, Tour-Tips welcomes the arrival of GolfingGods, but with numerous other online operations going bankrupt and not refunding punters' lost deposits, it would be best to be cautious at this stage. Never bet more than you can afford to lose, either by losing bets or by losing your deposits.