The Punter / Steven Rawlings / 03 March 2008 /

The punter chisels out a small profit from the Honda and Johnnie Walker Classics

The European Tour returned to Delhi for the Johnnie Walker Classic this weekend. The event travels between venues on the eastern side of the globe and is very hard to get an angle in. The course is also new so there's little form to go on. I again passed over local hero Randhawa because the price is just too short at [22.0]. My selections were in the main big price outsiders for small stakes ranging in price from Jeev Milkha Singh ([38.0]), so nearly a winner for me a fortnight ago, up to Simon Griffiths ([1000.0]).

In the States the Florida Swing started with the Honda Classic. This event changed venues last year so not much course form to go on again. Boo Weekley traded very short in 2007 before three putting the last and then losing in a four man play-off. He's my main pick at [34.0].

Day One

With play starting in the middle of the night I had given myself a bit of a sweat first thing. One or two bets hadn't matched before I'd gone to bed on Wednesday so I left them as 'keep when in-play'. One such bet, Daniel Vanscik ([200.0]), was joint leader when I first glanced at the leaderboard. I quickly logged into Betfair with trepidation but mercifully it had been matched. J M Singh got to -6 with only a few to play but a pair of sloppy bogies left him one behind overnight leaders Vancsik and Indian long-shot Shamim Khan. Favourite Adam Scott ([8.0]) was lurking menacingly on -4.

At the Honda, Englishman Luke Donald ([26.0]) led after a faultless opening 64. Best of mine was Ben Crane ([85.0]) five shots back. Boo Weekley had opened up with a level par 70.

Day Two

Getting that Vanscik bet matched doesn't seem quite as important now. Three late birdies brought some respectability to his round but a 71 had seen him slip to a tie for 13th, four behind outsider Unho Park and local hope Shiv Kapur, both on -10. Jyoti Randhawa's 65 had seen him move to within one and I could be regretting turning my nose up at ([22.0]). Amongst those two back of the lead are Lara (backed at [85.0]) and Adam Scott. Still in with a shout is J M Singh on -6. I had thought long and hard about backing Scott at [8.0] before the off and now very much in contention and trading around [4.3] he's on the radar. I just can't trust him though, so after much deliberation I make no further plays for now.

In Florida overnight leader Donald, starting the second round at around [4.1], had a stinker, he made an eight, known as a snowman, on the 14th hole and ended the day tied 12th on -2, six shots behind leader Brian Davies who had traded at a low of [3.05] prior to a late double bogey. Ben Crane had a great day, shooting -4 to sit three behind Davies, despite playing with wet clubs after a bizarre incident when his golf bag fell in the lake on the 6th hole!

Day Three

Not a great day. I smashed into Vijay Singh at [5.5] after he birdied holes five, six, seven and eight. He subsequently three putted several times and made a couple of visits to the water, finishing the day five back on -9. Vanscik bounced back a bit and got to -10. Whilst a plodding 70 for JM Singh and a poor 73 for Lara left them six and seven shots adrift of new leader Japanese rookie Taichiro Kiyota on -14.

I also backed Mark Brown ([6.0]), who won on the Asian Tour last weekend, after he had finished his round and at the end of play he was tied second with Randhawa on -13. Mercifully I had continued to resist the urge to invest in Adam Scott. For someone with that much talent his 74 was pathetic. I've had grave doubts about his temperament for a while now and he's one I'm going to continue to swerve.

Luke Donald bounced back to the top of the leaderboard in Florida with a bogey free 66 while Ben Crane struggled after hitting the front after seven holes. Two visits to the water and a three putt from twelve feet on the 14th left him two back of Donald. I'm a big Crane fan but was concerned with the way he played in contention - he's usually very solid but not today.

Day Four

Kiyota, ranked 484 in the world and starting the week at [1000.0], played nerveless golf and was three clear after nine holes to hit a low of [1.37]. In stark contrast Randhawa was a wreck to show why I had reservations about him. Still without a Euro Tour win his temperament is questionable to say the least. Vanscik was matched at a low of [5.1] and after he eagled the 9th and had an eight footer for birdie on ten I thought there was a real chance of him winning. Suffice to say he missed that and lost the plot completely, missing fairways, putts and finding water. Oh well. Scot Strange, playing with Vanscik went on a birdie run and also went odds-on, a low of [1.88].

But when Strange and Kiyota started to stutter the stage was set for 33-year-old Kiwi Mark Brown. He birdied four straight holes from the 13th to seal a fairytale victory. The only nervy moment was on the last when he hit a very poor second and cleared the water by feet, 'worse shot since I was 14' he claimed afterwards. His form was so woeful after trawling minor tours in New Zealand and Canada that he took a three year break a few years ago but has now won back-to-back tournaments, quite a story.

I made a play in the US before the fourth round got underway. The weather forecast was for high winds and with a bunched leaderboard loaded with dodgy finishers I backed Matthew Jones at [12.0]. The Nationwide Tour graduate was a bit of an unknown quantity but tied for the lead the price was worth a punt and he battled well. His challenge finally ended when he found water on the 16th.

In-running I also backed Donald at [4.6] but Ernie Els had flown out of the traps, getting to the front and then making solid pars until a lone bogey on the 17th. I waited in vain for the mistakes to come from the 'Big Easy' but when Donald unforgivably left his birdie chip short on 18 Ernie's barren spell was over.

It was nice to make a modest profit after last week's horror show. I'd initially felt a bit miffed that I hadn't backed Els, a big favourite of mine over the years, but he's been poor of late when in contention.

Next week I'll be backing Thongchai Jaidee in the Malaysian Open. It's a different course this time but he's won the event twice and I couldn't let him go un-backed. In the US another great field is assembled for the Pods Championship where I will definitely be having an interest in Chad Campbell who's played well there in the past and seems in fair form.

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