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
==================================================================
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?!!!
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