Stake 3pts Duke to beat Baddeley -111 @ Expekt Stake 2pts Z Johnson to beat Baddeley -110 @ Skybet Duke has had a number of good finishes of late, has some encouraging stats to go along with those finishes, has a good accurate game, finished 18th last year in this event and has a remarkably good majors record for a player of his ability. Johnson has had a frustratingly inconsistent season so far due to a poor short game. But last time out was his best finish of the season and his best putting display of the season, favoured by the fast greens which he loves, and which he should get this week. Baddeley consistently starts the season well only to have his form tail off badly over the summer months andn yet again his form has tailed off this season over the past few months. His current stats are poor as is his previous record in thsi event. Duke tied with Baddeley Johnson (mc) beaten by Baddeley
Stake 3pts Casey to beat Stenson -105 @ Paddy Power Second for GIR in The Open and first for GIR last week, Casey looks to be hitting peak form and is obviously being spurred on by the upcoming Ryder Cup. The only worry is Casey himself and in particular his concentration. His average score per round this season reads 4th round-71.60, 3rd round-71.60, 2nd round- 71.67, 1st round-73.27. So a good showing is expected and a very strong showing if he can get his head in gear and get off to a decent start for a change. Casey leads Stenson 2-1 in h2h's on the PGA tour this season, it was 4-1 in Casey's favour in 2007 and given his current form Stenson shouldn't be favourite here. Casey beaten by Stenson by 5
Stake 3pts Clarke to beat Romero -111 @ Expekt A lot points to Romero missing the cut this week. His current form is poor, his current stats are very poor, he is typically wayward off the tee (and that's going to be a handicap this week) and he has missed the cut in his only two previous starts in this event. Clarke on the other hand played beautfiully last week, in fact his stats in general this season have been excellent (95.2% GIR in Austria!!!). His accuracy game will be an asset this week and he typically putts extremely well on fast greens. Clarke (mc) beaten by Romero
Stake 2pts DiMarco to beat Stricker +150 @ The Greek A huge price for a player who I expect to show up well this week against a player who has not been the most consistent of late. DiMarco has been missing cuts for most of the season but following some swing advice his overall accuracy improved considerably last week and he has a very good record in this event. He is also another player who will be determined to put in a good showing with the Ryder Cup team selection coming up. Stricker is obviously a class above Stricker but five recent missed cuts, another poor showing last week and a very average set of recent stats do not mnake him a -170 shot. DiMarco beat Stricker by 1
Stake 4pts Els to beat Scott -110 @ Pinnacle, The Greek, WSEX Els has a tremendous record in this tournament five top twenty finishes in his last six starts. His game has been dogged with inconsistency this season but recently his iron game has been outstanding and if his putting holds up then a top ten finish looks well within his grasp. I've always had a question mark beside Scott when it comes to majors, so many times he has disappointed and the fast greens are also going to be against him this week. Els beat Scott (mc)
Further Plays
Stake 3pts Kim to beat Furyk +106 @ Pinnacle Furyk was extremely disappointing last week when he was in fine form and on a course where he had excellent previous form. Kim was also slightly disappointing but he was feeling the effects from playing baseball earlier in the week!! Kim does look pretty close to being the real deal from current evidence. He has a great all round game and in fact currently leads Furyk 7-9 in h2h's over the past 12 months making this price look very big. The final round of the Canadian Open was a surprisingly poor but this is a learning experience for Kim and I fancy him to regain his form this week and finish ahead of Furyk who's lack of length will be a disadvantage this week. Kim beaten by Furyk by 6
Stake 3pts Weir to beat Leonard -110 @ InterTops, Boyle Sports & William Hill There's nothing wrong with Weir's form, a decent record in this event and a game that is suited to this type of tough course, as shown by his excellent previous record in majors. Leonard is playong pretty well at the moment but against an in form Weir, with conditions suiting his game and with Weir already holding a 12 month h2h lead of 10-5, Weir should be a around a -125 shot in my book. Weir beat Leonard by 4
Stake 3pts Mahan to beat Rose -107 @ FiveDimes Mahan has had a excellent and consistent season so far. He is not short off the tee but is still accurate and his GIR stats are superb. Mahan finished runner-up here at Oakland Hills in the 2002 US Amateur Open and he has an excellent record in majors in general. Rose has been a big disappointment this season and any time that he looks like he is regaining his impressive form of last season it disappears just as quickly. Playing on a course that suits his game well and with him being in such fine form Mahan deserves to be favourite here. Mahan (mc) beaten by Rose
Stake 3pts Ogilvy to beat Perry +100 @ William Hill Ogilvy has a strong all round game, has been in good form recently, although disappointed last time out, and has a good record in amjors and in this event in particular wth top ten finishes in his last three starts. Perry has been in amazing from all season long yet despite that the h2h record between the two is tied at 7-7. And with Perry disappointing last time out and a question mark around his effectiveness on these fast greens Ogilvy looks a value selection at +100. Ogilvy beat Perry (mc)
Stake 3pts Slocum to beat Sabbatini -110 @ The Greek Slocum is unlikely to win this event but he is the perfect player to support in a matchup. He hasn't missed a cut in the last 6 months (16 consecutive cuts made), should be suited to the course as he has a very impressive game based around accuracy, he has a decent record in this event and generally performs well in majors thanks to his consistency and accuracy. Sabbatini has been rather poor but generally inconsistent this season and for a player of his ability has a dreadful record in this event with a best finish of 68th from eight previous starts. Slocum (mc) beaten by Sabbatini
