The Punter / Steven Rawlings / 11 October 2011 / 1

Steve's looking forward to two quality events this week and he's picked out half a dozen selections at each. Find out who's on the menu here...

With two high-quality events for this time of year, I'm looking forward to this week. It's the second leg of the Iberian Swing on the Race to Dubai, the Portugal Masters, and the third leg of the Falls Series in the States, the McGladrey Classic and both tournaments have attracted pretty strong fields.

This is the fifth staging of the Portugal Masters and once again the Oceânico Victoria Golf Course hosts. Initially an outright bombers paradise, as the course matures, it may well be starting to reward the more accurate players. One thing is for sure though, birdies and yet more birdies are what will get the job done. Expect a winning total of around 20 under par.

Alex Noren has already won two events this year but he could just be ready to go in again and this venue's right up his street. He' appeared in each of the first four stagings and has fair form figures of 12-16-6-36 but he's a better player now. He's been preparing for the week down at Valderrama and according to his blog, his game has improved while he's been there. He's a very solid selection at [30.0].

Alvaro Quiros is an infuriating character to back at times, always capable of dropping shots and ruining a decent round but he won this event three years ago and he loves a birdiefest. I'll be surprised if he doesn't figure on the leaderboard at some stage and it makes sense to get him onside from the start.

Freddie Andersson-Hed has two top-ten finishes from just three starts here already and he's shown up a couple of times in recent weeks. At [85.0] he looked reasonable value.

Brand new pro Tom Lewis hasn't started his pro career brilliantly but [160.0] is too much of an overreaction to a poor effort at the Dunhill Links, where James Morrison once again caught my eye. I've also backed him at the same price.

Finally, Pablo Martin is a regular pick at monster odds. He traded at just [1.28] in this event last year when he had the tournament at his mercy with just six holes to play before messing up. Hopefully he can contend as well this time around.

Selections:

Alex Noren @ [30.0]
Alvaro Quiros @ [34.0]
George Coetzee @ an average of [90.0] - See comment below
Freddie Andersson-Hed @ [90.0]
Tom Lewis @ [160.0]
James Morrison @ [160.0]
Pablo Martin @ an average of [230.0]

In just its second year, the McGladrey Classic has attracted a very strong field for a Fall Series event and I'm not surprised - great players like to play great courses and the Sea Island Golf Club was very well received 12 months ago.

Originally made up of two separate nine hole courses - a 1929 Colt and Alison classic and a Joe Lee 1973 creation called the Marchside Nine, the Seaside Course was created in 1999 when Tom Fazio combined the two. Positioned right on the southern tip of St.Simons Island this sea-side links style Bermudagrass course is susceptible to very windy conditions.

Think windy coastal course with Bermuda greens and you have to think Sony Open, Hawaii. Zach Johnson won the Sony in 2009 and he was a very straight forward selection here. He's a Sea Island resident and McGladrey are also one of his personal sponsors. Zach's overdue another win and after finishing in the top-12 last year, despite a slow start, at [32.0] he looked a very fair price.

Chris Kirk's another local who'll know the venue well and he went on my shortlist for this way back in March when I found out that his coach is Davis Love's brother Mark. Davis is the tournament host this week and he and Mark were instrumental in getting the tournament off the ground. Kirk will have played this course many, many times and he finished 15th here last year when he was Chris Who? He's a PGA Tour winner now, having won the Viking Classic in July - an event that defending champion Heath Slocum won back in 2005. Is that an omen? I hope so.

Mark Wilson is looking for his third title in 2011 and, given his first was the Sony Open, this place should suit. He was right in the thick of things at the recent BMW Championship before a disappointing weekend but he can bounce back here at a decent price.

Hosting a tournament isn't a plus, it's a huge distraction, but Davis Love was just about a value price at [120.00]. He's been in fine form this year, finishing in the top-12 at the Players Championship, the US Open and the Open Championship. If there's to be one last swansong for Davis, why not have it at home?

Arjun Atwal caught my eye last week for the first time in a very long time. He was third here last year and could just be running into form. And finally, I'm giving Matt Bettencourt one last final chance. He faded badly after a great first round last week but he wasn't on my radar until I noticed his top five finish at the Sony Open.

I've had to put the brakes on there because I could easily have backed another six or seven. I also liked David Toms, Robert Allenby, Jerry Kelly, Chad Campbell and last year's winner Slocum but you have to stop somewhere!

Selections:

Zach Johnson @ [32.0]
Chris Kirk @ [70.0]
Mark Wilson @ [80.0]
Davis love @ [120.0]
Arjun Atwal @ [140.0]
Matt Bettencourt @ [360.0]

I'll be back with my In-Play Blog on Friday.

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1. Steve Rawlings | 12 October 2011

   I’ve had to add one more pick in Portugal.

   George Coetzee was omitted from most lists up until he was assigned a tee-time yesterday. He’ll love the venue and he’s a best price of [56.0] on the High Street, so I’ve no idea why he’s been layed at as big as [100.0] on Betfair. I’m now onboard at average of [90.0].

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