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Singh has forgotten how to win while Woods just can't stop

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Jeev Milkha is turning into a player The Punter just can't trust

With golf not top of the list of priorities this week homework was almost non existent. The Ballantines Championship in South Korea debuted on the European Tour and so again no course form to go on so I make just two selections, home hero KJ Choi @ [7.0] and in-form J M Singh @ [50.0]. In the States a more established event, the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Florida, and I back several outsiders ranging from Jim Furyk @ [60.0] to Frank Lickliter @ [660.0].

Day One

With play in Korea starting here at 10.00pm Wednesday the first round was nearly all over by Thursday morning. Singh had shot a respectable -4 and Choi shot -1. Fin Mikko Illonen led on -5.

Tiger Woods, who went off at around [2.4], has an interesting record in the Arnold Palmer Invitational (formerly the Bay Hill Invitational). He won it four times between 2000 and 2003 but hasn't finished in the top 20 since. Work that one out? He started slowly again this year and because he did I took [13.0] about Mickelson before he teed off. Mickelson then shot a mediocre two over 72, two shots worse than Woods and seven worse than leaders Fred Couples & JJ Henry. My best selection was Furyk who finished four back on -3.

Day Two

On Thursdays and Fridays Sky have been showing at least two hours of recorded play of late, which I find very frustrating but a weather delay meant coverage was live when I switched on at around 7.00am. JM Singh seemed to be playing well, missing a few putts but playing nicely from tee to green. I was happy to top up @ [28.0] when he was no bigger than [17.0] with the books. He ended up on -10, two behind leader Graeme McDowell, and trading @ around [10.0]. Choi had a better round, shooting 69 but was now eight off the lead.

The early starters set the scene in Florida, particularly last year's winner Vijay who shot -5, taking him to -9 for the tournament. A less than impressive Woods shot -2 and was now seven off the lead but still only [6.6]. My best was still Furyk, hanging on to Singh's coat-tails on -6 and trading @ [9.2]. Singh looks a generous price @ [2.9] but after his in contention efforts of late I decide to leave it alone and wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Day Three

Up at 4.30 to watch the other Singh do battle and just about the first thing we see live is overnight leader Graeme McDowell make eagle on the 4th to momentarily take a six-shot lead. As the round develops my man Singh plays some very solid stuff and makes five straight birdies between the 7th and 11th. A three putt bogey at the 12th is followed by two further birdies but he's still two behind the Ulsterman. It all changes at the last when McDowell makes a double bogey and they end the day tied on -18 and clear by four from weak finisher Paul McGinley. It really looks a two-horse race and McDowell has been very poor in contention of late so I'm very confident.

I must confess I got caught out with the US golf, my wife was kind enough to take me out to look at tiles all afternoon and by the time I looked at the scoreboard Singh had lost the plot and was on a bogey rampage and Woods was powering through the field with ease. Tired and emotional I let it be and had an early night.

Day Four

Sunday morning started for me at 3.30. I got up at such a silly hour because I felt that Singh's price of [2.6] was just too big to lay any back but I didn't want to get caught out completely before live coverage started at 4.30. I sat sipping tea in the dark and refreshing the European Tour website waiting for score changes. If Singh went behind I wanted to get in and lay as fast as possible. As it was I was pleased to see Singh make a birdie on the 2nd and decided to lay some back @ [1.91].

Things looked very good when the Indian birdied the next two and McDowell followed a birdie at the 3rd with a bogey at the 4th. A three shot lead for Singh and he traded at [1.3] but not for a fortune and I'd got [1.25] in my head as my next lay off price so I didn't lay any more.

It wasn't long before I went from counting chickens to monitoring eggs again.

McDowell birdied the 6th while Singh bogied the 7th and the lead was now only one. [1.3] was now only a memory and the stress levels increased. I still fancied Singh but McDowell was starting to strut about very confidently, there was no doubt in my mind that going behind early had in fact aided McDowell. He'd seen a six-shot lead 24 hours earlier turn into deficit of three but taking two shots back seemed to completely rejuvenated him. Singh birdied the 8th and the gap was back to two. But that closed to only one again when Singh's excellent brace of birdies on the two par fives at nine and ten were bettered by a birdie, eagle combination from McDowell.

It was clear he wasn't going to lie down. McDowell drew level on the 13th and then Singh went one clear again on the 14th so I layed off some more @ [1.51]. Then when he took the lead again on the 16th a further lay was made @ [1.3]. With a one shot lead on the par three 17th tee Singh was still in the driving seat but a very loose tee shot led to a bogey and they went up the 18th tied and trading at about [2.0] the pair.

It took three play-off holes to separate them. Playing the hardest hole on the course, the 18th, Singh put his approach to about six feet and I felt he'd finally done it, all over at last, surely. And then McDowell stiffs it to 18 inches! Singh misses his tidler and I'm left hearing Shirley Bassey booming in my head: 'It's all just a little bit of history repeating'.

And it was. Singh had cost me when he'd been mugged on the line by Aguilar three weeks ago. Mercifully I'd laid off plenty again but it still tasted sour. Thank God for the pink button again!

There was a five-man tie at the head of the US scoreboard and one of them was Woods. After much deliberation I lumped on the great man @ [1.91]. He was a lot shorter on the High St and I felt they were more in line. My book now showed a small win on Woods and a big loss on the field. He started fairly well but did miss a few putts he'd normally make and given the earlier result and the fact that Woods didn't get away I took the stress off by laying back @ [1.24] when he birdied the 9th.

I also put a small bet on Bart Bryant @ [13.5] he seemed the biggest danger to me and he was within one of Woods. This left me level if Woods won and up a few bob on the field. It transpired to be great timing as Woods inexplicably three putted from about eight feet on the very next green and it was tight all the way after that. Bart Bryant posted -9 and a play-off looked likely. Woods level with Bryant playing the last and hardest hole on the course hit his approach to 24 feet. Surprisingly he hadn't made a putt over 20 feet all week but that soon changed, a masterful putt just dropped in the hole, reminiscent of his chip in on 16 in the Masters a few years back. You had to feel for Bryant, for once someone had stood up to Woods but it still wasn't quite enough.

A good week though, I could have made a bit more had I held on to my Tiger bet but I was happy enough.

* * *

Three tournaments next week, in Europe it's the non- televised Madeira Island Open and a couple at prices with decent records there are Simon Wakefield and Tom Whitehouse.

On the US Tour it's the inaugural Puerto Rico Open, also a non- televised event and no course form either so stakes will be low there. Top of the bill of course is the second World Golf Championship of the year, the CA Championship at Doral, also known as the Blue Monster. This run of Woods is incredible and has to come to an end soon but maybe not yet. I haven't decided whether to back him or not yet but given the fact he's going for his fourth straight win in the event anything over [2.0] may seem very generous come Sunday night.