The Punter / Steven Rawlings / 15 April 2009 /

There's another cracking event in the US while The Race To Dubai serves up some uninspiring fare ... again.

After the sleep-deprivation enduced by a classic four days of Masters action it's hard to get motivated for an event like the China Open, where once again the Race to Dubai presents a decidedly weak looking contest.

After sifting through the field I came to the conclusion that favourite Thongchai Jaidee was a perfectly fair price @ [14.0], given his recent form and the strength of opposition.

I've also backed Gareth Maybin, who will hopefully be inspired by recent maiden victories by fellow countrymen, following Michael Hoey's success two weeks ago in Portugal, just a few months after Rory McIlroy's win in Dubai.

Maybin had very nearly gazumped the pair of them in the South African Open before Christmas, where after missing a putt for the win he succumbed to Richard Sterne in a play-off. He wasn't too far away at the Malaysian Open either, the week after Rory's win, where he was matched as low as [4.0] before making a mess of the last hole. Could this be the week for Maybin?

My third and final pick, Markus Brier, won the event two years ago and finished fifth last year at this venue, when he was one of many that simply couldn't cope with the horrendous weather during the final round. Torrential rain pounded the field all day and only Damien McGrane was able to cope with it, romping home by an incredible nine shots. It's fair to say it wasn't the most gripping final rounds I've ever witnessed, so fingers crossed for better this year.

Selections:

Thongchai Jaidee @ [14.0]
Gareth Maybin @ [40.0]
Markus Brier @ [42.0]

It's a much better event in the states, in fact it's one I really enjoy watching. The Verizon Heritage is now in its 41st year and it's always been held at Harbour Town. It's a tough venue, with tight fairways and small greens, so it rewards accuracy over power. Good scrambling, solid GIR stats and a good week with the putter are what you need here.

In contrast to the China Open the problem here was not who I'd pick, but who I'd leave out. Jim Furyk has a great record here but looks short enough given he's likely to suffer some reaction after Augusta and given that he struggles to win nowadays and I've given up on Robert Allenby again, his putting is simply tragic, but both caught the eye.

I also liked the look of McIlroy, but felt he was a few points too short, as were Camilo Villegas and Aaron Baddeley and I also liked Charley Hoffman, Steve Flesch, and Matt Kuchar, but you can't back all of them.

First up then is Boo Weekley, who hasn't been in any sort of form since the Ryder Cup but obviously loves Harbour Town having won the last two renewals in his only two starts here. Logic would suggest there'd be far too much pressure on him to oblige a third time but can you apply logic to Boo? Seriously though, at [34.0], a bigger price than non-winner Na, I just couldn't leave him out.

This place looks tailor-made for Zach Johnson and he finished sixth here the week after he won the Masters when it must have been very hard to stay focused. I've definitely got a soft spot for Zach this year but I'm convinced there are more wins to come from him.

Third up is the 2002 winner, Justin Leonard, who had a couple of top tens last month and finally, I've backed a pair of outsiders that were just too big to resist, Ben Crane and Dustin Johnson.

Selections:

Boo Weekley @ [34.0]
Zach Johnson @ [38.0]
Justin Leonard @ [42.0]
Ben Crane @ [80.0]
Dustin Johnson @ [100.0]

I'll post an update around Saturday lunchtime, after the third round in China and the second round in the US.

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