The Punter / Steven Rawlings / 29 October 2008 /

Our golf bettor puts up his early selections for the European Tour's showcase tournament and the Fall Series latest competition stateside.

The 2008 European Tour season draws to a close this week with the Volvo Masters at Valderrama in Spain. We won't have to wait until next year for the 2009 season to start though. The Race For Dubai, as the new season will be known, starts as soon as next week.

The curtain won't just be coming down on the season this week but also on this event, which is a shame as it's a tournament I - and many others - have always enjoyed.

It's a limited field event with no cut and is fought out by the top 60 players on the Order of Merit. It's often been a tricky job to pick the winner and outsiders have a fair record, so if your fancy's a big price don't be put off.

The favourite is last week's winner Sergio Garcia but having dismissed him on his own course at a bigger price I'm not the least bit tempted by El Nino at [6.6], though he has finished runner-up three times in the past.

The next two in the betting are the two that should fight out the Order of Merit title. Robert Karlsson is firmly in the driving seat for the Harry Vardon Trophy but can be caught by Padraig Harrington if the Irishman wins and Karlsson finishes worse than second.

Pod has played well here the last two years and was definitely on my radar but I felt he was a shade too short, whereas Karlsson wasn't considered at all. I think he'll get nervous about what's at stake and his record here isn't so good anyway.

The only other player that could win the Order of Merit is Lee Westwood, but I'm not a fan and he makes little appeal.

My first bet is Ian Poulter, who I've backed here every year since he did me a favour and won the event in 2004 and he's not been far away from a repeat win over the last three years. Quite remarkably I was able to avail myself of some very tasty [34.0] about him on Monday.

Next up is another former winner, the very consistent Jeev Milkha Singh. He's had a great season and was just a shade too big at [38.0].

My third pick is Graeme McDowell, who does appear to have wound down since the Ryder Cup but also has a decent record here and may be less inconvenienced than some by the poor weather forecast for Friday.

The last of my realistic picks is Alvaro Quiros, who I've now backed for the last four weeks. Valderrama is not a venue that favours big hitters as a rule and any inaccuracy from the tee can be severely punished here so Alvaro isn't a natural choice but the fact that he lives in Cadiz, five minutes from the course and is in such good form meant I just couldn't leave him out.

Two daft picks from leftfield to finish off. Jose Manual Lara, whose form is dire at present but has shown a liking for the venue and Markus Brier, who I backed last week when he shot a final round 62 to secure the last spot for this event.

Selections;

Ian Poulter @ [34.0]
JM Singh @ [38.0]
Graeme McDowell @ [46.0]
Alvaro Quiros @ [55.0]
Markus Brier @ [300.0]
Jose Manual Lara @ [340.0]

In stark contrast to the mouth-watering event in Spain, the USPGA tournament needed several attempts with the Clipper to ignite the merest spark of enthusiasm.

It's the second Ginn sur Mer Classic but it's the first time the Conservatory Course, which can stretch up to 7,776 yards, has been used.

The results in the US during the Fall Series have been pretty unpredictable but I've been quite successful in running so I'll keep most of the powder dry for now and see how the event pans out. I will have one selection from the outset though; in a low grade field on a very long course, J B Holmes seemed a fair price at [36.0].

Selection:

J B Holmes @ [36.0]

I'll post an update on Saturday morning at the halfway stage in both events.

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