Golf Events / Steven Rawlings / 28 February 2009 / Leave a Comment

The World Match Play has turned into the disaster the Punter suspected it might but thankfully he hasn't got too involved. Meanwhile, things are looking a little rosier at the Indonesia Open.

I thought I'd cracked it after day one when only two of my original seven went by the wayside but only Phil Mickelson and Ian Poulter progressed to the third round and they submitted tamely yesterday.

I've had just four bets on the matches, winning two and breaking even but my heart's just not in it. It feels like betting on coin tossing.

Struggling to see a winner, I was all for leaving the event alone. Jeff Ogilvy seems to have an incredible knack of worming his way through when looking beaten and Paul Casey has looked fantastic but they're first and second in the market and represent little value. Rory McIlroy has been magnificent so far but can he really take such a prestigious title at such a young age? I've had just one small, half-hearted and final play, backing last year's runner-up Stewart Cink at [12.5].

I don't like Cink, he was pathetic in last year's final, lacks bottle in stroke play events and wasn't exactly convincing yesterday when knocking out Lefty. However, even with all those negatives he's a bit big at the price given his matchplay record.

When I got up just before five this morning, I was delighted to see that my pick in the Indonesia Open, Thongchai Jaidee, was five under par for his first nine holes, two clear of the field and in with a real chance of putting the event to bed.

It wasn't to be though, he played the next six holes well enough but he lost his touch on the greens and bogeyed the 16th - the second easiest on the course and one he'd eagled the day before.

Remarkably, Scott Drummond hit the front at one point and to say that was a surprise is quite an understatement. Drummond plays the Tour courtesy of a five year exemption gained after causing a massive shock when winning the 2004 Volvo PGA at Wentworth. He would have lost his card in each of the last three years had he not had that exemption and was coming into the event at [1000.00], following a string of missed cuts. He, somewhat understandably, dropped a few shots on the last two holes and now trails my man, Jaidee, who leads on nine under after birdying the last.

It will be another alarm clock job tomorrow and should be a tense final day. I wouldn't say I trust Jaidee with the lead but there isn't anyone in the chasing group I'd want to go to war with either so I'm not going to meddle at this stage.

My main pick at the Mayakoba Classic, Chad Campbell, had looked in decent shape on day one, two under par with two to play but he bogeyed the last two and then his scorecard was amended, removing one of his birdies. In round two he chartered a very similar course to that of Jaidee this morning, racing to five under par through nine and then putting the brakes on down the back nine. Unfortunately, he now looks too far back to figure but you never know, Chad can blow hot and cold and low scores are possible.

I added to my armoury with Scott Piercy before yesterday's round, backing him at [30.0]. Piercy has made a really good start to his first year on tour and looked a fair price but plenty of errors all but cancelled out the six birdies he made and he can now be backed at a much bigger price.

With two rounds to go I haven't had any further bets. Co-leaders Mark Wilson and Kevin Na should be closer in the betting and I was tempted by Wilson but the truth is, he isn't one to place much faith in. In fact, none of the six players atop the leaderboard are what you'd call strong closers, which is why I'm happy to let things roll and see how they develop.

It's been a frustrating 24 hours or so but Thongchai could change all that. Maybe there's a less plausible winner waiting in the wings or perhaps an opportunity will present itself at the Mayakoba Classic... Whatever happens over the next day or so, I'll be glad to see the back of that wretched Matchplay lottery.

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