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Sabbatini and Cabrera are the picks to start 2008 golf betting in style

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Betfair's golf man TQ previews the opening event on the PGA Tour, the Mercedes-Benz Championship

There is no better place to get the 2008 golf calendar underway than in the sensational resort of Kapalua, Hawaii. The amazing surroundings provide the perfect backdrop to what is always an exciting way to start the PGA Tour.

The Mercedes-Benz Championship tournament is an invitational event specifically for all the winners on the tour in 2007, although Woods and Mickelson are notable absentees. Nonetheless, we still have a top quality field assembled for what is always a well contested event. Vijay Singh and Jim Furyk head the market and as past winners they will certainly take some beating.

The Plantation Course at the Kapalua resort measures over 7,400 yards and is a tough test if the trade winds blow. The fairways are wide and the greens enormous but if you do make a mistake then the punishment can be severe. It will pay to go with players who can hit the ball a long way as the undulating greens mean that an accurate approach shot is vital, a skill made significantly easier with shorter irons.

Preparation is key to winning this event, especially with it coming so soon after the festive period. You are looking for a player with a thoroughly professional approach and who's not just there to pick up the guaranteed bumper pay cheque and enjoy the magical Hawaiian atmosphere. The roll of honour suggests that this event is usually won by one of the fancied runners and I see no reason why we should buck the trend this year.

Your betting strategy should be one of all out pre-tournament attack. Select two against the field and watch the action unfold. As mentioned previously, preparation is vital and our main tournament pick has been in Hawaii for over two weeks already. Admittedly Rory Sabbatini's extended break in Hawaii may be partly for holiday purposes, but there is no doubt he will be acclimatised and ready for action. His attacking style of golf should suit this course and he came close to taking this title when losing out by one stroke to Jim Furyk in 200l.

Another player whose style should suit this venue is Angel Cabrera. The US Open champion hits the ball miles and should his putting hold up then he will be a major contender for the first tour title of the year. At 25's he is a huge price and merits his place as the second pre-tournament pick.

One man who enjoyed a resurgent end to the season was Mike Weir. The likeable Canadian played well in the Presidents Cup and continued that through to the end of the season. He will be one to follow this year and although I don't feel he has the weapons needed to win the Mercedes-Benz Championship I do think he will attain a fairly high finish. He is tempting at 4.9 in the Top 5 Finish market but a safer bet would be to get on him at 1.9 in his tournament matchbet against Scott Verplank. This looks a certainty to me and a great way to start the New Year off.

Vijay Singh loves this event and has a tremendous record in Hawaii. So it was interesting this week to hear that he feels that the event starts too early in the year and that maybe it should be pushed back a week. I don't feel that the event should be pushed back as all the golfers at that level pick and choose their events throughout the year, do they really need to choose the times they are on as well? Although they may well feel committed to certain tournaments they are not obliged to turn up to the Mercedes-Benz Champs. Do you think Vijay is right or is it just another unjustified gripe from some extremely well-paid superstars?