Deutsche Bank Championship

-5.5pts.

Update:

Singh's withdrawal due to a back injury has certainly done no harm to the chances of the existing bets here. Most prices have been hauled in a result, but there's one that hasn't changed that I think is worth adding:

Back JJ Henry to finish in the top five 1.5pts @50/1 at Centrebet

Henry isn't lacking in distance off the tee and has a recent top five finish to his name at the Reno Tahoe Open. He did ok in this event last year finishing 37th and in what isn't really that strong a field once you look past the top few in the betting I don't believe he should anything like as big as 50/1 to place.

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Woods and Singh head up the market this week and on a course where they've both done well in the past there might not be a lot of sense in opposing them this week in terms of trying to find a winner. Having said that I can't back either of them at the prices available, although Singh is the more tempting of the two.

Instead this week I'll be concentrating on place only bets. If Woods and Singh do both go well, then it could well be only 3 places the rest are playing for, but that has been factored in to the prices on offer - maybe a bit too strongly in my opinion. The top 5 market at Betfair is as dead as ever for most players (which continues to be a real shame  - it's got the potential to be a great market if only there was more interest shown) so we'll have to go to the bookies.

Back Ted Purdy to finish in the top five 2pts @40/1 at Centrebet

Not quite sure what Purdy's done wrong to be pushed out to these odds. He has won on tour already this year, very calmly getting the job done at the Byron Nelson. Recently he finished 10th at the USPGA and was in reasonable position in the top half of the leaderboard at the WGC NEC Invitational event after two rounds when he was unfortunately dq'd. His only outing on the course, in last year's event, saw him miss the cut, but that was down to an opening round of 77. On the second day he got to grips with the course and came back with a 67 to only just miss out. This a course where solid driving and ball striking are important and that is the strength of Purdy's game.

Back Greg Owen to finish in the top five 2pts @30/1 at Centrebet

Owen is another who's game is based on good driving and ball striking and so should be suited to this set up. He was right in the picture in his last event at the USPGA until the pressures of contending in a major got to him and he wilted with a final round 80. Since then he's been in the news for non-golfing reasons as he resigned his European tour membership effectively ruling himself out for a possible Ryder Cup place. It is clear that he now sees his home as being the US tour and so getting back to playing golf 'at home' will be probably be a big weight off his shoulders. He tends to play his best golf when he is relaxed and so hopefully he will put all the tension of recent weeks behind him here.