Constellation Energy Classic

FINAL RESULT: 1-1; +3.25pts

Quigley 16th
Morgan dns
Hatalsky 2nd

A small profit on the event thanks to Hatalsky, but having shared the lead with Gilder midway through the first nine on Sunday, this was a disappointing return.

Outright plays (total stake per play: 2pts)

Dana Quigley to win 14/1 e.w. @ BetInternet
With just one finish outside the top-15 since April (14 starts), Quigley still warrants his position at the top of most important stats categories on this Tour: Scoring Average, Money Leaders and Charles Schwab Cup Points. He has held the lead after the first round in each of his last two starts, only losing in a playoff for the JELD-WEN Tradition three weeks ago, so the fears over the his back pains are allayed. And having approached this event in poor (probably tired) form in recent years, he certainly should record his best finish on this course this week.

Gil Morgan to win 14/1 e.w. @ BetInternet and BetFred
Whereas Quigley has a 2-for-4 record in top-10 finishes on this course, Morgan is 1-for-1. But it is largely the result of his recent form that his odds have returned to levels of two or more years ago and that he is considered competitive enough again to be backed. He did lose a playoff for the rain-shortened Bayer Advantage Classic in June and recorded top-5 finishes in July and August as well, but it is his last two starts that have caught the eye. In the JELD-WEN Tradition, he held the lead after the second and third rounds and it was only a failure to birdie the par-five last hole that denied him a place in the playoff with Dana Quigley and Loren Roberts; while in the First Tee Open, he again held the lead heading into the final round and held it until recording a six late in the day. For the second successive week he finished one shot behind the winner which is hardly bottling. None of the winners in those events are playing this week and if he retains his form, he will surely go very close again.

Morris Hatalsky to win 25/1 e.w. @ BetInternet
In similar fashion, Hatalsky failed to birdie the easy par-5 final hole in the First Tee Open and so force Hale Irwin into a playoff. He finished 2nd alongside Morgan and having shown similar form in August to record two top-10 finishes in that month, he is not far behind Quigley and Morgan in the form stakes. He is, after all, the 2nd-highest ranked player in this field in terms of Scoring Average behind Quigley and so represents good value at these odds.