Golf Events / Editor / 07 February 2007 /

Mike Weir will be aiming to make it fourth time lucky when he lines up in a bumper-180-man field to compete for the AT and T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am title this week.

The Canadian has constantly challenged for top honours at the tournament in Northern California over the last three years, only to come up short on each occasion.

Weir finished fourth behind Vijay Singh in 2004, was runner-up to Phil Mickelson in 2005 then came joint third to Arron Oberholser last year having led at the second and third round stages.

The 2003 Masters champion fell away badly on the final day in 2006, slumping to a fourth round 78, and he will be desperate to make up for that disappointment this year. He can be backed at 25 to win and 6 to place in the first five.

Singh heads the market following his good start to the 2007 season and is trading at 10.5 to win ahead of world number two Jim Furyk on 13.5, Luke Donald (14), Phil Mickelson (15.5) and European number one Padraig Harrington (18).

Alongside Singh, Weir has the best record in the tournament which is held over three courses, having finished in the top ten six of the last seven years.

But the 36-year-old has not won for three years and is still coming to terms with a number of swing changes he made last year.

He has finished well down the field on his first two starts this season and it could be best to wait and see how Weir fares in the early stages this week.

Singh, though, is a player who is in good form and he goes into the week knowing that a good showing will lift him back to the top of the FedExCup standings ahead of John Rollins, who is sitting out this week.

The Fijian has followed his success at the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship by finishing joint seventh at last week's FBR Open.

Singh is on good terms with his game and, having won once, finished runner-up twice and managed six top ten finishes in this tournament in the last eight years, looks a good bet to be involved in the finish on Sunday.

He could also be worth following in one of the tournament match bets which has him paired against Mickelson.

Mickelson may be a two-time winner of the event but he has so far struggled in 2007 to produce anything like the sort of form that swept him to his second Masters title last April, as his US Open hangover continues.

The left-hander, 4.2 to finish in the first five this week, followed two lowly finishes by missing the cut at the FBR Open and is out of sorts with his game at the moment. It will be one of the most interesting points of the week to see if one of his favourite tournaments can bring about a change in fortune.

Furyk has not played since finishing tied fourth at the Sony Open nearly a month ago but is certain to be well prepared and will be anxious to get his season going properly with Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Singh all having closed the gap on him in the world standings.

Davis Love III is also a dual winner of the event, in 2001 and 2003, and can be backed at 34 to win and 7 to place in the top five this week but there will be a strong European challenge in California that will be headed by Donald and Harrington.

Like Furyk, Donald has also not played since the Sony Open but his joint-second place in Hawaii suggested he means business this season and is determined to turn more of his top ten finishes into victories.

The Englishman, joint seventh here last year, is available at 4 to come in the first five this week and is favourite at 2.8 to emerge as the top European ahead of Harrington at 3.05.

The Irishman will be making his first appearance in the event and making his PGA Tour debut for 2007 but showed his game is in good order with a fifth-place finish in Abu Dhabi three weeks ago.

Harrington has not finished out of the top six in his last five tournaments and is trading at just longer than Donald to placed in the top five this week.

Rory Sabbatini (60 to win) will be hopeful of repeating his performance last year when he finished runner-up behind Oberholser - who is not playing because of a back injury - while Jonathan Byrd, joint third last year, could spring a surprise at odds of 90.

But more attractive betting prospects could come in the form of Jeff Quinney, Aaron Baddeley and Sweden's Daniel Chopra - the number one putter on the PGA Tour in 2006.

Quinney, 65 to win and 15 to come in the top five, has finished in the top ten in the last three tournaments and should have won the FBR Open.

Baddeley, virtually the same odds as Quinney, took advantage of his rival's late slip to win last week while Chopra, 95 to win and 15 to come top five, finished in the top ten last year and statistics show you have to be a good putter if you are to do well.

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