PGA Championship

FINAL RESULT: 1-2; +8.25pts

Singh 1st
Furyk mc
Cink 17th

Geez! That was hard work! Hard work for Vijay who lost his game until the playoff and had to rely on Justin Leonard missing his golden opportunities and hard work to finally get a winning selection in the outrights this week. Started the final day with a player in prime position in all four events - two that were leading, a 2nd-place and a 3rd-place - and not one of them threatened to pick up a trophy until Leonard handed it over to Vijay.

Outright plays (1.5pts):

Vijay Singh to win 12/1 e.w. @ Paddy Power [6 places]
Can't really split the leading four, so it is surprising that Woods, Els and Mickelson are all single figures and Singh as high as 14/1. He is long off the tee, ranked #1 on Tour in greens in regulation which is always an important stat in majors and has an excellent long game. With plenty of high finishes on links courses and with the wind not expected to blow too fiercely, it would be a surprise if he is not placed at least. Taking the Paddy Power offer of six places and a refund should Tiger win rather than the 14/1 on offer elsewhere.

Jim Furyk to win 33/1 e.w. @ BlueSq [6 places]
On a long course, Furyk should be a surprising choice, but in the ShotLink categories of 'approaches from 175-200 yards' and 'approaches from > 200 Yards' only one other player has better figures than he has in 2004. He has shown an ability to play in the wind in Hawaii and in the British Open and provided that his lack of distance off the tee does not prove to be too prohibitive, he should be a very strong contender. It also helps that he is fresh after missing so much of the season with his wrist injury.

Stewart Cink to win 66/1 e.w. @ Paddy Power [6 places]
Spurning the 80/1 on offer with five places for Paddy Power's terms as he is more likely to finish 5th or 6th than 2nd or 3rd. As frustrating as his mid-round collapse was on Sunday, it should also be encouraging for Cink that he recovered so well and earned valuable Ryder Cup team points. He is now up to 12th in the list and could seal his place with a strong performance this week. His form is very good and while he is the #1 ranked putter on Tour this year, his long game is also very good. He showed that he could play links golf at Royal Troon last month and he could certainly feature this week.