Find Me A 100 Winner: Webb Simpson

Find Me A 100 Winner / Paul Krishnamurty / 03 February 2009 / Leave a Comment

Emerging talent is this week's selection as Paul's hunt for three figure winners takes him to the Buick Invitational.

With only one tournament to choose from, finding a triple-figured winner is an even harder task than usual this week. It also doesn't help that all of the last ten winners of the Buick Invitational were former major champions. However, that last statistic is slightly misleading, as six were won by this week's most notable absentee, Tiger Woods. And a look back through the players to make the top-five in recent years actually shows a larger number of outsiders than usual.

For me, the best bet in this price range is promising Nationwide Tour recruit Webb Simpson at [150.0]. Along with fellow rookie Scott Piercy, who put up a very strong show at the weekend before losing his nerve when victory presented itself, Simpson has made an immediate impact at the higher level. His first two starts as a fully qualified PGA Tour player resulted in ninth place in the Sony Open, and fifth at the Bob Hope Classic.

That's an impressive start, and certainly not reflective of this week's huge odds. They may be a consequence of a poor weekend at Scottsdale, though rather like Piercy, that can be excused on grounds of inexperience. At the halfway stage in the FBR Open, Simpson was in contention once again in fifth place before falling away with disappointing rounds of 77 and 75.

It would be harsh to read too much into those two poor efforts after such an impressive previous ten rounds. Hopefully they will simply act as a reality check that golf at this level is extremely tough, and Simpson can learn from these experiences and swiftly resume that impressive form.