20. WALES OPEN. CELTIC MANOR (ROMAN ROAD COURSE) NEWPORT. 31/05/07 - 3/6/07

On to Wales, to Celtic Manor Golf course, right next to the M4 by Newport in Gwent. For the last 2 years this event has been held on the MUCH easier "Roman Road Course" at Celtic Manor, rather than the more normally-used (and far more difficult) "Wentworth Hills course" (which is still being altered for the 2010 Ryder Cup staging).

This course probably is the most likely on tour to have a 59 shot on it - it all boils down to nothing more than a glorified putting competition really.

Strange that Retief Goosen has chosen to warm up for the impending US Open here, rather than most have done, and play across the pond in the tricky Jack Nicklaus Memorial (like Paul Casey etc...)
Weather is set anything but fair this week, so we are looking for in form players, who are good putters and don't mind playing in wind and rain. Easy to remember.



Selections:

Sterne £1.50p e/w 25-1

Dredge £1.50p e/w 20-1

Karlsson £1.50p e/w 16-1

Marc Warren 50p e/w 80-1

James Heath 50p e/w 125-1

Opening balance:£395.25p

Stake: £11

Balance after stake: £384.25p



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Result:


Sterne- final pos'n:WON!!!

Dredge- final pos'n:SECOND!!!

Karlsson- final pos'n:m/c

Warren- final pos'n:m/c

Heath- final pos'n:=69th

Winnings: £58.88p
Profit/loss: £47.88p

Final balance after tournament: £443.13p

Comment: WHAT A RESULT FOR "TWENTY-SIX"!!! We went against the red hot favourite and twice US Open Champ, Retief Goosen, and also against another US Open Champ, Michael Cambo Campbell, stuck our necks out and cleaned the fuck up! A late charge by Mamat and Ilonen (both winners this year already) gave us the runs for a while, but no worries... FIRST AND SECOND!
At long last, "Twenty-Six" balance looks a bit healthier!
We're on a roll now....

19. BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP, WEST COURSE, WENTWORTH 24-27 MAY '07

After last weeks win with Pod in Ireland, we stride merrily (like Pod himself) down to to my favourite (or second favourite after The Open, anyway) tournament of the entire season, and one that I've been to at least half a dozen times... The star-studded PGA Championship, on the "Burma Road" in leafy Virginia Water, Surrey.
All the big guns have turned up again, (apart from Adam Scott, for personal reasons, though he's never challenged here), even Padraig Harrington, last week's winner in Ireland, who boycotted this event in 2003 and 2004, claiming Wentworth didn't suit his game. That was proved nonsense since, with an 11th and 6th place finish.

Wentworth is allegedly set up beautifully this week, with super-slick greens running at TWELVE on the 'stimpometer' and penal 5" rough lining the famous avenues of old trees.
It is now a very long course running at over 7,300 yards thanks to Ernie Els' redesigns. Els has also added FORTY extra bunkers in the last two years!

This is a 'shot-makers' course, which has cost your average punter much moolah over recent years with outsiders such as 500-1 Scott Drummond, Andy Oldcorn, Ignacio Garrido and Anders Hansen winning against the odds, much to the bookies glee.
Angel Cabrera has the best record here, and Colin 'Mrs Doubtfire' Montgomerie rating it as his favourite course also, not to mention Ernie Els, who is the resident pro, and knows it like no-one else.

No-one jumps off the page at the punter this year - there are crosses against everyone. It wouldn't be a complete shock to me if ANOTHER 3 figure-odded winner lifts the trophy come sunday night, but for the record, here are the selections...

Cabrera - respected on course form (if not current form) alone.
Olazabal - Bang on form this year and the best 'shotmaker' (if not the worst driver) in the 156 strong field.
Casey - Likes the course, has won the world matchplay here, not on form at present but worth chancing I think.
Hanson - ace driver Peter was 5th here in 2005 and 7th in Ireland on sunday...
Orr - one of my favourites. The dour-faced Scot is a local specialist and has finished in the top eight here 5 times.

SO...

Selections:

OLAZABAL £1.50p e/w 40-1
CASEY £1 e/w 25-1
CABRERA 75p e/w 35-1
HANSON 75p 66-1
ORR 50p e/w 125-1

and no bet, but for a REAL outsider, how about the 150-1 Philip Price?

Opening Balance: £400.25p
Stake:£9
Balance after stake: £391.25p

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Result:

Olazabal final pos'n: =41st
Casey final pos'n: =12th
Cabrera final pos'n: =5th
Hanson final pos'n: m/c
Orr final pos'n: m/c

Winnings: £4.03p
Profit/loss: -£4.97p
Balance after tournament: £395.28p

COMMENT: Wow! What an amazing result! No luck for "TwentySix" I'm afraid, and we were close. Cabrera, (our horses for courses runner) really should have won this, but a torrid last back nine, with a double bogey 6 on hole 15, and two sitter putts missed on 17 and 18 cost us dearly. Instead of sitting on a £40 profit, the Burly Argentine only made us £4!
Casey looked good for sometime also, after his horrid 9 (quadruple bogey) on hole 12 on the first day.
Unfortunately our long shots had terrible second rounds after promising much on day 1, and missed the cut - the same effectively happened to Ollie, after a great first round, he just simply faded away.
The weather for the first two days was hot and sunny, and for the last two (the last one in particular), miserable.
Past winner (and a past Wentworth betting stalwart of mine - I've bet and claimed real winnings on him 3 times at Wentworth when I used to have a flutter there), claimed his SECOND PGA title after a playoff with Justin Rose. Rose produced a magnificent pitch from 110 yards at the last, in regulation play, to set up the playoff, but its fair to say that the Dane probably deserved to win (which of course he did), because of his far more consistent golf throughout the week. Rose missed most fairways but just had a hot putter, whereas tee to green, Hansen was far more solid - and so mit proved at the first extra hole.
It's wonderful to see Anders Hansen win again, after quite a torrid time trying his luck across the water - a really nice, smiley, friendly, understated, underrated man, who has now finally proven to all his doubters (including Peter Alliss and most of the BBC Commentary team) that his 2002 win was no fluke.
Its now with great pleasure that I declare Anders Hansen to have the best Wentworth record, not Angel Cabrera!

On to the Wales Open next week, at Celtic Manor (near Newport), which we drove by the day before yesterday, on our way to visit friends in Cardiff. An Omen?!!!

18. IRISH OPEN, ADARE, LIMERICK, 17-20 MAY '07

Finally, finally the tour moves closer to us.
Ireland this week and Wentworth next.

Not much comment here, the bet of the week probably lies at the AT & T Classic, at Bellsouth, home of Stewart Cink, who maybe worth a flutter. That bet isn't good enough to make my "Sports Bets" section, (old "Tip of the Week"), but it's a decent bet nonetheless.

Anyway, to Limerick...

Balance: £395.75p


Selections:
Sterne £1.50p e/w 50-1
Harrington £1.50p to win 8-1
Jacquelin £1 e/w 25-1
McDowell 75p e/w 33-1
JM Singh 50p e/w 66-1

Stake: £9
Balance after stake: £386.75p

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Result:

Sterne. Final pos'n: =37th
Harrington. Final pos'n: WON!
Jacquelin. Final posn: =7th
McDowell. Final posn: =31st
JM Singh. Final pos'n: m/c

Winnings: £13.50p
Profit/loss: +£4.50p
Balance after tournament: £400.25p

Comment:Another WIN for "Twenty-Six", though it only came via a playoff.
Adare was set up very difficult obviously, and it was VERY windy! Most players finished WELL over par!
So. We head to Wentworth (my favourite tournament of the year) this week, full of confidence!

17. GUEST TOURNAMENT. THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP, SAWGRASS, FLORIDA. 10-13th MAY '07

We move across the pond this week, to (the) TPC at Sawgrass, the commonly named "Fifth Major" of the year, with all the world's top players involved (as every year), and the famous "island par 3 "(the 17th) which features in golf publications so often. The european tour is involved with the Andalucian Open, a poor relation when the TPC is being played - tournament selection was a no-brainer this week, but I would probably always like to tip on the TPC at Sawgrass as it is such a high quality field each year, with a massive $8m dollar total purse.

Woods comes to the TPC having won thw Wachovia last week, but he brings no course form with him - he has never won at Sawgrass. In fact, only twice have top20 players triumphed at the TPC at Sawgrass - Scott (a big win for me) and Ames (last year).

The TPC at Sawgrass used to be played in March, but for the first time this year, its been moved to May - and therefore the fairways and greens will be that much firmer. A tough course with narrow (firm now) fairways and relatively penal rough, with a sea breeze affecting shots massively, very often, Sawgrass takes no prisoners.
That island 17th hole can be as much as a 4 iron or as little as a 9, depending on the wind - that's what makea Sawgrass such a fantastic place for spectator golf!

So who has got a chance?
Jim Furyk, in his own back yard, probably knows this course better than anyone else, and has been practicing here, at the revamped Sawgrass for the past 3 weeks. 2nd on the USPGA tour's accuracy league (2nd to Fred Funk's lead) (VERY important at Sawgrass) and at 40-1 - Furyk HAS to be on the shortlist.
Harrington and Donald both love Sawgrass and both have the temperament to win here.
And as for two outsiders - how about Mike Weir (nicely in form, accurate, fine record at Sawgrass and the 'forgotten man') is worth a punt, as is John Rollins - in the form of his life, and an accurate driver and solid putter.
Woods is playing his chances down, with his errant driving, and may be carrying a slight knee niggle, but should be wary of a wounded tiger? At 3-1? Not for me!



Opening Balance: £406.75p


Selections:

Harrington £1.50p e/w 40-1
Donald £1.50p e/w 33-1
Furyk £1.50p e/w 40-1
Weir 50p e/w 100-1
Rollins 50p e/w 100-1

Stake: £11
Balance after Stake: £395.75p

==========================================


Result:

HARRINGTON - final pos'n: 52nd
DONALD - final pos'n: 16th
FURYK - final pos'n: 28th
WEIR - final pos'n: 37th
ROLLINS - final pos'n: 58th

Winnings: £0
Profit/loss: -£11

Balance after tournament: £395.75p

Comment: Not much to say really - a lot of people challenged for this one, but not Tiger Woods, who redeemed himself somewhat with a final round -5, and not my selections.
Phil Mickleson coped the best with a very tough course, and went on to win from Garcia.
Nice to see Olly do well also.

16. ITALIAN OPEN. CASTELLO DI TOLCINASCO G & CC, 3-6 MAY '07

We head from Spain last week, to Italy this - the tour has at last taken hold in its home continent, as we approach the tour's flagship event - the BMW PGA at Wentworth, over Whitson Bank Holiday Weekend, (I won't be going this year, as I'm in Cardiff).

This Italian venue is relatively new, having staged only the last 3 Italian Opens, is very spectacular, and quite long at over 7200 yards.

Last year, one of the Molinari brothers (the younger Francesco) triumphed, to secure a first Italian winner of the Italian Open since 1980. Both Francesco and Eduardo (his elder brother) are competing this week, although Eduardo is making only his second appearance in the tournament, his first as a professional, as he played last year as an amateur, and missed the cut.
Big things are expected of the two Molinaris, and the sibling rivalry cannot but help their progression through the tour ranks one would think?

Also playing near Milan this week is Graeme McDowell, a winner at Castello on its first Italian open hosting in 2004. Graeme is playing well at the moment, in fits and bursts - consistent, rather than spectacular...





Selections:

Jacquelin £1.50p e/w 22-1
P.Hanson £1 e/w 40-1
Kaymer £1 e/w 33-1
A.Canizares £1 e/w 50-1
O.Fisher 50p e/w 100-1


Balance before stake: £416.75p
Stake: £10
Balance after stake (pre-tournament): £406.75p

____________________________________________________


Result:

Jacquelin Final pos'n: =7th
P.Hanson Final pos'n: m/c
Kaymer Final pos'n: =14th
A.Canizares Final pos'n: m/c
O.Fisher Final pos'n: =14th


Winnings: £0
Profit/Loss: -£10

Final balance after tournament: £406.75p


COMMENT:

Pretty non descript really, with the Spaniard Gonzales Fernandez-Castano winning the shortened tournament (due to torrential rain in Milan) so making his tournament wins tally move to 3. He beat Marcus Brier in the playoff, but once again, Nick Dougherty shouls be kicking himself, letting a 3 shot lead disappear witha few holes to go. That's becoming the norm for Dougherty this year - a bit shakey at the business end of tournaments.

As for the "Twenty-Six" selections... a mixed bag, with Raphael Jacquelin doing the best, finishing just one shot and 1 spot off making "Twenty Six" a small return...

On to next week...