FINAL RESULT: 0-3; -4.50pts

Clarke wd
Owen 34th
Davis mc

That's six weeks in a row! I might as well write the postscript when I make the initial plays! Clarke finished the first round in 2nd place, but when withdrew to be with his ailing wife. Owen did hold the lead in the 2nd round, but even though Appleby overtook him late in the day, he was tied for the lead after the opening hole on Saturday. But then the usual Saturday play of my tips returned with back-to-back double bogeys and he finished the round outside the top-10. Still, hope was restored with a 3-under-par spell through the opening six holes on Sunday lifted him to 4th place and four shots behind Appleby, but thereafter it was farcical. He three-putted the 7th from 31 feet, he hit two balls in the water on the next hole (the easiest hole on the course) and he then four-putted the 9th hole! You couldn't write this stuff!

Outright plays (total stake per play: 1.5pts)

Darren Clarke to win 25/1 e.w. available generally
A new course and with David Toms' input into the design, this could easily be a course that suits European players more than the standard TPC course on which the young American bombers have mastered their art of playing golf. With par-5s that are too long to make them two-shot holes for the long-hitters and some very short par-4s protected by trees and water, there is a lot to suggest that the Tournament Course at Redstone will be very different to the Members Course, perhaps more akin to Riviera or Bay Hill. Hopefully, that will be the case as Owen and Clarke finished 2nd and 3rd at Bay Hill, but a good record in Houston is also desirable as it shows an ability to play in the prevailing course and weather conditions. Clarke has played in this event twice, in 2002 and 2005, on two different venues and finished 2nd and 4th. Last year's 4th place finish was particularly impressive given his final round collapse the previous week. This time he arrives in just as good form with his 3rd place at Bay Hill followed by a top-20 finish in the Players Championship and a very strong performance in the Masters. He started the final round in 4th place and even though he admitted in his post-round interview that he did play very well, he didn't hole anything and finished 22nd. Against a weak field and on a course that should suit, he looks backable in a difficult event to predict.

Greg Owen to win 50/1 e.w. available generally
Owen followed up his 2nd place finish in the Bay Hill Invitational - famous for his three-putt on the penultimate green - with a strong finish in the Players Championship and though he disappointed in his next event last week, his form does remain good - he finished in the top-20 in greens in regulation for the fourth consecutive event and that should be very important on any David Toms course. And last year's Houston Open represented his best chance to win on the PGA Tour before the Bay Hill Invitational last month. He held the sole lead during the front nine in the final round and though he would finish in 4th place alongside Clarke, a return to Houston should help his game.

Brian Davis to finish in the top-ten 8/1 @ SkyBet and Paddy Power
Becoming increasingly speculative and that is certainly the case with Davis. He has just one top-10 finish from ten PGA Tour starts this season, but there are plenty of signs that he close to another top-10 finish. His top-20 finish in the Players Championship should have been so much better. He ranked in the top-20 in driving distance, but more importantly he was 1st in driving accuracy and greens in regulation that week and it was only a poor performance on the greens that stopped him being a serious contender. He then returned to the European Tour for a week as he was not eligible for the Masters and finished in the top-10 in Portugal and returned to this Tour last week and was in the top-30 throughout on a course he had never played until two double-bogeys at the end of his 3rd round. He will not suffer from such course inexperience this week and if a good history in this event is of any benefit, it will benefit Davis as well as Clarke and Owen. The Londoner finished 7th last year and this course really should suit his game far more than the Members Course.