Wachovia Championship


FINAL RESULT: +6pts
Owen posts another good finish, comfortably inside the top 10. Maybe I should keep quiet about him as he has been a real money spinner this season and I fear it won't be long before his odds are slashed to unbackable prices. Verplank and Bryant were steady, but neither managed to really establish themselves at the top end of the leaderboard at any point. The less said about Roberts' first round the better!


Update:
Back Greg Owen 0.5pts @180 at Betfair
Back Greg Owen to finish in the top ten 1pt @10/1 at Stan James
One mediocre performance and Owen is back out to huge odds. He's clearly not a fashionable player and as such continues to be priced too highly. Imagine if someone like Ian Poulter had made two top five finishes and a further 3 top twenties this season: he'd be going off at much shorter odds than these. As ever, the value is to be found by swimming against the tide and avoiding the hype. For example Lucas Glover being heavily backed at 50's this week is really quite absurd.

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Update:
Back Loren Roberts 0.5pts @230 at Betfair
Back Loren Roberts to finish in the top five 0.5pts @37.5/1 at IASBet
Another consistent player who's game is more about accuracy than length. Been backing him regularly at large prices this season, although left him out in his last event at the Houston Open as I felt he would lack the distance required to compete there. A missed cut ensued, but around this course I think it will be a different story.


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Back Bart Bryant to finish in the top ten 1pt @16/1 at Stan James
This season Bryant has teed it up 9 times, from which he has 2 top tens and 3 further top twenty finishes. That is very consistent form. While he did of course win the Texas Open towards the end of last season, it is probably asking too much for him to win in this strength of field. However, a top ten is well within his reach and these odds look very generous.

Back Scott Verplank 0.75pts e/w @66/1 at BetInternet
Followed up his 2nd at the Players with 20th at the Masters and 10th at the Heritage. This is reckoned to be a shot-maker's course with a premium on placement rather than length, and as such Verplank should be well suited.