Golf Events / Editor / 15 August 2007 /

It could be a week for long-shots on the two main tours says Betfair's golf betting expert Tareq Quiroz

With the Wanamaker trophy safely on its way back to Florida with the Woods family, the PGA Tour roadshow heads off to North Carolina this week for the Wyndham Championship. Without its number one player, and for that matter, the top 42 players in the world, this tournament is a totally different proposition for both viewer and punter.

Tiger was just too hot to handle in Tulsa in what proved to be another masterclass. The difficult conditions were no obstacle as he marched serenely through the final round to his 13th major title, despite spirited charges from a rejuvenated Els and a fired up Woody Austin. At the conclusion of the tournament, many looked drained, and with the inaugural Fed Ex Cup playoffs imminent, it comes as no surprise to see that the main protagonists are not in action this week. Such respite can't be afforded by most players and with the aim of securing a Fed Ex place, the battle will be well and truly on.

This regular tour event requires a different betting strategy to that of last week's PGA. As with any sport, where the quality of the competitors is high, the form line is truer and more likely to go to plan. Any expert can pick Tiger to win (as I so handsomely proved last week) but the Wyndham Championships is a completely different bag. Don't get involved pre-tournament with the top four in the betting. In a low quality field the market will not move as dramatically as it does in a major, so the chances to lay the bet off for a tidy profit can be limited in the early stages. Either have a punt on a long shot and take your chances or adopt a watching brief.

Put your feet up and watch the first two rounds unfold before making your move. In that time there will have been plenty of chopping and changing at the head of the market, and once the cut has been made, we will start to see some stability. Good putting is paramount at Forest Oaks, it will pay to get on anyone who is in the top five of both the putting stats and the tournament at the end of round two. On moving day those putts need to drop, and you could see your player coming through the field, making that pre thirrd round price seem like great value.

For those of you who just can't resist a pre-tournament wager, I suggest Charles Warren and Nathan Green. It's imperative on this course that you make use of the easy par fives, and Warren and Green both feature in the top five for 2007 in the par five performance category. Take a chance on these guys and I'm sure they will put in a good show at attractive odds. It could also pay to get involved with the three ball betting. As a first round selection, Durant should be far too strong for rivals Taylor and Triplett, who are both hopelessly out of form.

In this week's European Tour event the same early watching brief strategy is advised. The tour heads off to Sweden for the Scandinavian Masters, and with a new venue being used, it makes pre-tournament selections tricky. Watch how the course plays and then make your move, but be wary of taking a lower than fair price on a Swedish player. There is a tendency for the market to overreact to a tournament home-based player, in the belief they will be inspired to victory by the home support. I don't hold with this theory.

At only 6,800 yards, it will be a course that rewards accuracy rather than power play. With this in mind, pin-point iron players such as Corey Pavin could do well on this track at around 90, and it's also worth giving John Bickerton a consideration at twice those odds.

There may be no big guns on show this week, but both tournaments offer entertainment and value. It takes a certain amount of restraint not to dive in before they tee it up on Thursday, but if you do hold off, a profit could be showing on your scorecard. Watching for the play to unfold and timing your move is order of the day.

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