Siebel Classic

Course: Coyote Creek Golf Club, San Jose, California
Yardage: 7200
Par: 72  (three par-fives)
USGA Rating: 75.1
Greens: Tifdwarf Bermudagrass - 6,500 sq.ft  (Tour average: 6,000 sq.ft)

Weather Forecast

Best Players Last 10 Years

Past Winners:
2001 - Hale Irwin

Outright plays (2 units unless stated):

Hale Irwin to win 9/2 @ Stan James
Much weaker field than last week so no 7/1 on offer again, but he is still selected at anything in excess of 3/1. Has won three times in his last five starts, including the Senior Skins, and has finished 2nd and no more than a single shot out of the lead in the other two events. Won the inaugural event last year by five shots. Don't see any reason why he shouldn't win this.

Dana Quigley to win 25/1 e.w. @ Surrey
Would have liked to back Doyle this week @ 12/1 (Centrebet), but with Irwin as a win-only selection, looking for two higher-priced players to complete this week's portfolio. Quigley is widely available at half this price, but presumably Surrey have based it upon his 41st place finish last year. But he was in the middle of an indifferent run of form last year, whereas this year he has four top-5 finishes from seven starts and close to top-5 finishes in two of the other three events. Will take this disparity in price with pleasure.

Doug Tewell to win 33/1 e.w. @ Stan James
Didn't play last year, but has won already this year and stands top of the driving accuracy stats and 2nd in the greens in regulation stats to Tom Kite who isn't playing this week. Both these stats will be important on this tougher-than-usual course and he looks over-priced at 33/1.

Matchups plays (2 units unless stated):

Hale Irwin to beat Bruce Fleisher -165 @ Five Dimes
Irwin has beaten Fleisher in every event this season bar the season-opening MasterCard Championship in Hawaii and finished 14 shots ahead of him on this course last year. Short odds, but will bite for a small play.

Allen Doyle to beat Gary McCord -138 @ Five Dimes
Doyle had never finished worse than 3rd at Newport Beach and followed suit by finishing 2nd last week. On this course, he finished 2nd last year and looks good to achieve something close to that again this week. McCord could only finish 15th last year when coming off a top-3 finish and his finishing positions in the the last three weeks read 2nd, 6th, 18th. Can't see the trend extending to 54th this week, but it's definitely moving in the wrong direction.

Doug Tewell to beat Bob Gilder -118 @ Five Dimes [6 units]
Took this matchup last week and won. Even more confident this week. From seven starts this season, Gilder has just two top-10 finishes and has finished outside the top-30 in three events. Not very good for the 2001 Rookie of the Year. If that were not enough reason to oppose Gilder, he shot 77-77-74 to finish 56th last year and it was not as though he was out of form at the time - his worst finish of the year to date had been 13th and he had won Verizon Classic.

Final update:

Matchups: 1-1-0; -0.76 units

Irwin/Fleisher WON by 1
Doyle/McCord LOST by 3
Tewell/Gilder VOID (Tewell did not start)

Outrights: 1-1; +29.25 units

Irwin 5th
Quigley 1st

Had Irwin's game not collapsed on the back nine yesterday - it was cold and windy though - he would have tested Quigley's suspect nerves coming down the stretch. Will gladly take a loss on Irwin to win the event with Quigley taking the honours.   Irwin did have a great final round though to catch and overtake Fleisher