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Golf Preview: Big under-par win likely at Buick Open

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Tareq Quiroz says this week's Buick Open will be a birdie blitz where journeyman and rookies will duke it out for a break-through.

With the news that Tiger Woods will be missing for the rest of the season only just sinking in it seems that the world of golf has suffered a puncture. Even when the great man isn't playing he is still the focus of attention and the topic of conversation as we mull over his many records and the chances of him beating Jack Nicklaus's major haul. Whilst I might be feeling a bit empty you can be sure that the rest of the players will be seeing this as an opportunity to get themselves some headlines. This week's Buick Open will hardly make front page news but for many it holds the opportunity for a successful season.

Last week's Travelers Championship was in all truth a fairly mundane affair with Stewart Cink finally coming out on top in what was essentially a birdie blitz. This week has a very similar feel to it with the host course, Warwick Hills, not really holding too many fears for the top players. You can expect to see a winning score of at least twenty under par so don't waste anytime in removing the conservative players from your staking plan.

Unusually for such an easy track this event has an excellent roll of honour. Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Jim Furyk are all recent winners around Warwick Hills and that is a clear reflection on the quality of the field. In all truth this isn't the greatest field ever assembled for a PGA Tour event and for me the market leaders do not represent any value in the Winner market. One guy who does stand out to me is Lucas Glover. The American has had a reasonable season but is just missing that win that will make it a great season. He is a pin shooter and has come 15th and 10th here in the last two years. I am sure he will carry on from there and really contend this week. Get on him at current odds of [48.0] and I am confident he will give you plenty of value for your money.

The PGA Tour always throws up fantastic new players and there are many that you could pinpoint right now. For me the player that has really caught my eye this year is Michael Letzig. He is a rookie on tour but has shown no fear and has already secured four top twenty finishes this season. I like what I see from this guy and he is one to follow in your staking plans for the rest of the year. He was tenth last week so comes here in good form and full of confidence. I recommend getting on him at [160.0] in the Winner market as well as some small investments in both the Top 5 and Top 10 finish markets.

I always take a good look through the three balls each week to try and find some stand out value. There are a lot of things to consider when trying to find that gem of a bet but in first round three balls it can often just be a case of finding a player who has a knack of playing well early in an event when there is little pressure. This week the spotlight falls on Bob Estes, the journeyman gets a little nervous later on in a tournament but he often goes low in the early rounds. He is paired with JP Hayes and Matthew Goggin this week and for me he is a must bet to win his first round three ball at current odds of [3.0].

Thankfully we are back to some more testing courses next week as I for one am not a fan of these birdie blitz tracks. Some like it like the US Open each week; others prefer twenty five under par winning. I am more on the US Open side of things, where do you stand on what is the most entertaining type of tournament?