The Punter / Steven Rawlings / 25 March 2008 /

An exotic week for the Punter, who has been watching the Madeira Islands Open and the Puerto Rico Open. Catch up with his betting stories from those two, and of course the WGC event at Doral.

The first surprise of the week is that we're in Europe on the European Tour! The low key Madeira Islands Open is a non televised event which is perennially contested by the tour's lesser lights.

The 2003 renewal is remembered as the scene of one my favourite betting stories, the tale of one intrepid punter who haplessly laid tournament leader Bradley Dredge after he'd played the first hole in round three at odds of up to [250.0]. The scoreboard had erroneously showed that Dredge had made a 30 on the first! Choosing to believe the European Tour's website, our punter was reported to have lost his life savings of £10,000 when it transpired that Dredge had in fact made a three and went on to win the event by eight shots.

I have played to small stakes here with half a dozen players that have fared well on this quirky, oft wind affected, short course in the past.

On the US Tour there is a new event, the Puerto Rico Open. With nothing to go on and a mediocre field I have backed just two players, Paul Stankowski at [85.0] and Charley Hoffmann at [100.0].

By far the most prestigious tournament this week is the second of the year's three World Golf Championships, where the cream of the worlds golfing talent assembles for the CA Championship at Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Miami. Tiger Woods has won on this course the last three years, twice when it was used for the Ford Championship and last year when it first hosted the CA Championship. Until last year the CA Championship had different worldwide venues each year. In total it has been contested eight times and Woods has won six of them. A hefty bet at [2.0] was the order of the week.

Day One

It felt strange to get up on a Thursday morning and the golf hadn't even started. However, when it did I didn't fair well, my best representative being Swede Mattias Eliasson on -2. Having backed him at [120.0], I was pleased to see him four shots behind the leader, Germany's Sven Struver.

The less said about the Puerto Rico Open the better, the mercurial tour maiden Bo Van Pelt led after shooting -8. My two selections were a country mile back, Hoffman had shot a disappointing level par, whilst Stankowski languished in a tie for 122nd after a dreadful 77.

At the CA Championship, despite fairly high winds the scoring was very good and at the end of play Geoff Ogilvy and Miguel Angel Jimenez led on -7. Tiger Woods was two back and trading at [1.75].

Day Two

The high winds that often afflict the Madeira Open arrived and play is suspended very early on. On resumption the short fused South African Hennie Otto, famed for once throwing all his clubs off a bridge, takes control and leads by four. Much of the second round is yet to be completed and best of mine is still Eliason who has only played eight holes but is seven shots behind Otto, who has already traded as short as [2.0].

In Puerto Rico both my original picks have missed the cut. Bo Van Pelt still leads on -12 with Jerry Kelly one shot back in second. I'm not a fan of either of the leaders but can't really see an angle in so do nothing.

At the CA Championship Tiger's in cruise control shooting a 65 to add to his first round 66. Trading at [1.47] he still hasn't got to the lead. Now one shot back from Ogilvy on -12 ([4.9]) and two clear of Scott [12.5], there is a further three shot gap to fourth placed Robert Karlsson [150.0]. It looks at this stage like a three horse race. Bad weather is forecasted so play will resume early.

Day Three

In Madeira Hennie Otto still has the pedal to the metal and scoots clear after his third consecutive 67. Five clear of his nearest challenger he looks highly likely to convert and trades at [1.33]. But I make a small play on John Bickerton at [60.0]. He's all of eight shots behind Otto but can go very low and if the South African does lose the plot Bickerton would be my idea of a likely benefactor.

The Puerto Rico Open plods on almost ignored but when I do take a look midway through the third round I see what looks a good bet. Only three behind leader Bo Van Pelt and two behind the dodgiest finisher in the game, Briny Baird, was South African Brendon Pappas @ [17.0]. It looked a very good play when half an hour later he was down to [5.0] and one shot of the lead but a late bogey saw him end the day two off the lead and trading @ [12.5] on what was a congested leaderboard.

The big event was becoming an intriguing affair. Woods three putted both the first two holes. His play didn't improve much and the three horse race turned in to a five or six horse race by the time thunderstorms stopped play for the day. With the last group still having seven to play Ogilvy on -14 led by two from Scott and by three from Woods, Singh, and Clark. Woods now traded at [2.5] and I admit to believing that the marvellous run looked like it could end.

Day Four

Otto picked up where he'd left off birdying both the 2nd and 3rd holes and he traded as short as [1.1]. But he then bogeyed the next two holes and I laid him @ [1.3]. A few holes later, with few challengers emerging, no live coverage and an erratic market I backed him back @ [1.56], giving me a neutral book. Then when Otto's only challenger Alastair Forsyth closed the gap to just one at the turn I took [2.5] about the Scotsman who went on to win in a play off. So a small win in the first of the three events to finish. That was as good as it got.

In Puerto Rico I was daft enough to increase my stake on Pappas by taking the extremely generous [10.0] on offer when the leaderboard showed him making a birdie on the 12th to tie the lead. Minutes later I watched in horror as the highlights on Setanta showed my man playing his second shot on the 12th from behind a tree in to a lake! A look back at the leaderboard and his score had been changed from a three to a six! Greg Kraft went on to win the event, comfortably overhauling the overnight leaders. A bit frustrating as I hadn't fancied the leaders and though not the most famous golfer on the planet Kraft is a player I have backed before and I had considered him.

My day then went from calamitous to disastrous. I recklessly topped up on Woods at [3.7] and then [4.7] but he just never got going at all and while others were shooting 63's and 64's in their third rounds Tiger limped round in a level par 72. When round four gets under way he birdies the first two holes and I just wonder could he? But a bogey at the 3rd stops him in his tracks and then the hooter goes yet again and they're all hauled off for a few more hours as yet another storm hits. Another bogey at the 4th when they resume just about seals my fate.

It's turning in to a very interesting event now and when play is suspended Ogilvy is hanging on but Singh, Furyk, and Goosen, three major winners that have all traded as high as [1000.0] are breathing right down his neck. I look at the leaderboard in a fresh light and think there's a small bit of value in Furyk @ [9.2].

Day Five

When play resumed rather comically around 50% of the field seemed to be adorning red shirts a la Mr Woods. It was if the whole field felt rejuvenated by the master's temporary demise. Ogilvy had drifted to about [1.82] and didn't sprint away from the field. Indeed he was starting to look a little jittery when the pivotal point of the day came on the par three 13th hole. Singh had closed to within one and was almost vying for favouritism when both players missed the green with their tee shots. Ogilvy duffed his chip and left it in the rough, whilst Singh made the green but left a lengthy putt. Then Ogilvy amazingly chipped in. The ball was travelling at pace and would have gone a good 12 feet past the hole but it hit the flag and disappeared underground. This must have crushed Singh who missed his par putt and then bogeyed the next. Ogilvy held his nerve well after that and a par at the last secured a one stoke victory over Goosen, Furyk and Singh. Woods, despite putting hideously all week, finished just two behind.

Extremely poor timing, Woods had to get beat eventually, just wish it hadn't been this week. Onwards and upwards though, initial thoughts for next week see me siding with Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano & Francesco Molinari in Europe and I like the look of Woody Austin in the US.

'.$sign_up['title'].'

'; } } ?>

:

:

:

?

: