THIS WEEKS GOLF, March 26th – 29th.

[wakeman]

Good afternoon everyone.

Well after Pete and myself both hit the jackpot with Estanislao Goya last week we will be hoping for more of the same this week to help keep the Bank Manager happy not easy to please at the best of times .

Three Tournaments for me this week and having mulled over them I have come down on the side of these in my quest to carry on from last week.

Beginning with the next leg of the Race To Dubai which this week takes in the Open De Andalucia hosted by none other than Miguel Angel Jimenez and it’s fair to say a very open look to it indeed.

Estanislao Goya fresh from strutting his stuff for us last week will no doubt be relishing the chance to follow up but I just have a feeling that may have took a bit out of him and for that reason will be passed over, another prominent showing would not be beyond the realms of possibility though.

Main Selection.

Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano 40/1 has the honour of opening the batting for me this week, in a very open market he I feel has a good a shout as anyone given that he has performed well here in the past.

Next Best.

After having a good time of it on the Sunshine Tour recently Anders Hansen 22/1 comes here in pretty good nick, the downside if there is one when I have gone with him in the past more often than not I have come away empty handed so it’s fair to say I feel he owes me one , no time like the present then.

Longshots.

In the hope that history does not repeat itself regarding Daniel Vancsik last week I had to look twice at the odds on offer for Oliver Fisher 100/1, for me they are far to big so in the hope that he can go one better than in the corresponding event last year he I’m afraid will have to contend with me in his corner this week .

Last but by no means least my final port of call for this one will be my dark Horse for this year Oskar Henningsson 125/1, having taken to his performance at the final qualifying school it is I think fair to say he has not trained on from that at present, a good showing this week will go some way to rectifying that, here’s hoping I will be doing the Foxtrot Oscar come Sunday afternoon.

On next to the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the continued return of Tiger Woods to the battlefield and I see that we are already getting markets without him, it is fair to say that he is well and truly on his way back and looked like a win was imminent with his showing at Doral, but I am quite happy to bet with him.

After his victory last week Retief Goosen comes here in good heart but is he likely to follow up, some would say yes but I have a feeling that it may not be the case this time.

Main Selection.

For this I am going to go for the future Tiger Woods in some people’s book, none other than Anthony Kim 35/1, he along with many others will be in no doubt up for this and with Tiger in the field again I feel sure he would like to get one over on him.

Next Best.

If all is well after last weeks problems then at the odds available Vijay Singh again 35/1 is to good to pass up but due to last weeks misfortune a smaller than usual investment will be done by me just in case.

I am also going to give Padraig Harrington also 35/1 a run out this week, on this occasion it has to be said more in hope but it is also a chance I am prepared to take.

Longshot.

Another of my usual suspects I’m afraid, it is about time I feel that Hunter Mahan 66/1 started to deliver, I certainly am along with Pete owed a few here so if your listening Hunter the bailiff’s will be a knocking if you don’t pull your finger out soon , this week will do nicely there’s a good lad .

Finally for me then and this weeks offering from the opposite sex that being the Phoenix LPGA Invitational, and most of the main tour de force are in residence again i see.

First and foremost this is a new venue so despite Lorena Ochoa’s victory’s in this over the last two years we again start from scratch in that everyone has a fresh challenge before them, Lorena’s price 7/2 is I have to say getting to be tempting but not quite enough for me I’m afraid.

Katherine Hull will this week be taking up my Butlers duties , I’m sure she will fill my usual employer’s shoes quite admirably .

Main selection.

A few will no doubt call me boring here and rightly so, my initial thought was to say no thanks this week and then Sky Bet dangle this juicy carrot in front of me and despite my efforts to say no the weight of it I’m afraid has meant that in my corner again this week will be none other than Paula Creamer 20/1 which I feel in relation to Yani Tseng’s odds no offence here are shall we say a bit insulting, Yani Tseng is well capable of winning this don’t get me wrong but after having a puncture late on Sunday you have to feel that will have a knock on effect, in saying that are we 100% sure that all is well with Paula, I can categoriacally state that she has kept no secret from me on that score so with hopefully all systems go here’s hoping the Cream will rise to the top on this occasion.

Next Best.

Pete correctly stated in a private message to me earlier that Angela Stanford 12/1 has not won so many times over the last year as Paula, I think it’s 4-3 on that score but Angela Stanford’s wins have been quite recent and when she has not won she has not been to far away so whilst she continues in such rude health I have to have her on my side again, granted she is due a bad one.

Longshot.

At the odds she can hardly be classed as a long shot but Jee Young Lee 50/1 could quite easily pop up this week in what I feel is a very interesting four days ahead of us here.

Well that will do it for me for this time, so as always the Best Of Luck to everyone.

Cheers.

Adrian.

[SwallowCottage]

Good luck to Adrian and everybody else betting on the golf this week

Tiger continues his comeback after injury in the

Arnold Palmer Invitational

which is an event he has won on 5 occasions but his price is too short for my likening as he has yet to show that he is as good as he was last year here when he birdied the final hole to win by a single shot. It is certain that he will be trying though whilst I suspect that some of the other top names are just using this event in preparation for the Masters which takes place in a fortnight.

I’ve selected four players at odds of 66/1 or better –

I have not bet on

Hunter Mahan

for a while but I have always considered that his style of play suits this type of par 70 course better than some of the longer courses he has played on recently and he finished a respectable 6th here in 2008. He looks worth an interest this week at odds of 66/1.

Stewart Cink

has not shown much form this year apart from in the Matchplay event. He is capable of performing a lot better though and managed to finish in the top three in five tournaments during the first half of 2008 which included one victory. I’m hoping for a return to top form from him here.
I have not bet on

David Toms

for many months but he has played well this year so far and I think that this course will suit him. My main worry is whether he still has the winning mentality needed but at odds of 50/1, I’m willing to risk that he has.

John Rollins

has improved this year with runner up finishes in the Buick Invitational and the Honda Classic. He finished 5th in this event in 2007 and I am surprised that his odds are as high as 100/1 this week which looks good e/way value in my opinion.

The Race to Dubai continues with the

Open de Andalucia

which takes place in Spain. I recently added

Soren Hansen

to my Fantasy race to Dubai team so a victory from him this week would be very welcome and my money is on him to win.

Soren Kjeldsen

showed his best form of the year so far when finishing 7th in the WGC Championships in the USA and he is my next selection even though I have a few doubts about whether this course will suit him.
My other choices are

Francesco Molinari

and

Gregory Bourdy

who is my optimistic e/way bet at odds of 170/1 to win and 12/1 for a top 10 finish.

The lpga event this week is the

Phoenix LPGA International

and it looks very competitive with most of the top players taking part. Lorena has started the year well with a win in Thailand and nearly won last week at a course where she had previously not performed well at by her high standards. She is in very good form and she may easily win this and the 7/2 on offer was very tempting but I have decided not to back her.

Suzann Pettersen

(25/1 ) will probably like this long course with it’s wide fairways and she put in some good performances last year on the lpga tour without winning but won 5 events on the lpga circuit during 2007. My money is on her to win.

Paula Creamer

(20/1) was not going to be one of my selections but I could not resist the odds available. She won 4 lpga events last season and may feel more comfortable playing in her home country where conditions will be hot but not as humid as in the events she has recently played. Her odds look good e/way value in my opinion.

I’ve bet on 3 players e/way at decent odds –

Eun Hee Ji

(40/1 ) is one of my favourite lady golf players and she can take a few weeks to find her form. She played her 5th event of the year in Mexico last week and performed with credit to finish 6th. She is one of the best putters on the lpga circuit and I reckon she is worth an e/way interest here.

Jee Young Lee

( 50/1 ) has never won an lpga tournament since she joined it in 2006 so I am realistically looking for a place return by betting on her. She is one of the longest hitters on the tour which may be an advantage on this course and this is the main reason why I am backing her.

Vicky Hurst

( 100/1 ) is my rookie to watch this year on the lpga tour and therefore the one for everybody to avoid I am probably being even more optimistic than usual to expect her to do well against this experienced and talented field but she had a great season on the Futures tour last year and I could not resist betting on her this week at the long odds on offer.

Happy punting

Pete

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