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Steve reflects on this weekend's golf results
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Scheffler firms up at head of Masters odds after second-placed finish
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With money coming for the world number one, Scottie Scheffler, who trailed by five with a round to go, the four-stroke leader of the Houston Open, Min Woo Lee, was a little weak in the market throughout the day on Sunday.
The widely tipped up pre-event 40.039/1 chance drifted from 1.51/2 to around 1.584/7 by the time he teed off on Sunday but a birdie at the par five third settled the nerves for the odds-on backers.
Scheffler played his first ten holes in three-under-par and Gary Woodland, Sami Valimaki, Wyndham Clark and Rory McIlroy all made nice moves from off the pace, but Lee looked comfortable.
He put himself under a bit of pressure with a wayward drive at the par five eighth, where he made a par after taking a penalty drop, but back-to-back birdies at 12 and 13 saw him go four clear again.
Lee was backed all the way down to 1.031/33 but long odds-on backers were in for a bumpy ride.
Scheffler kept the pressure on with a run of four birdies in-a-row from the 13th hole and Lee's price drifted back out to around 1.68/13 when he hit an awful drive into the water at the par five 16th, just before Scheffler birdied the hole to get within two.
To Lee's credit, he birdied the hole with his second tee-ball to record a bogey six but leading the world number one by just one shot with two to play, the pressure was on.
Woodland birdied the 18th hole to draw alongside Scheffler in a tie for second, but Lee was able to close out the event in humorous fashion with a pair of pars at 17 and 18.
Scheffler will be disappointed not to have won the title again. He hit a couple of poor approach shots on the last two holes to be beaten by one for the second year in-a-row, having traded at odds-on as early as round two on both occasions but he will be happy with his form ahead of his US Masters defence next week.
Masters money for the defending champ
Given he finished second to Stephan Jaeger here before winning his second Green Jacket last year, last week's performance looks like a great warm up for Scheffler's defence and it's understandable to see he's shortened up from above 7.06/1 to below 6.05/1 in the US Masters market but he's not the only player that will be happy with his prep.
With Scheffler firming up so much, the needle hasn't moved much on Rory McIlroy's price and he's a 7/18.00 chance on the Exchange, but he'll be delighted with his top-five finish at Houston and hopes will be high that he can finally complete the major grand slam when he tees it up in Georgia next week.
Spaniard converts in style after shaky start
Only five players were under-par with a round to go at the Indian Open with pre-event 42.041/1 chance, Eugenio Chacarra, leading by one over the defending champ, Keita Nakajima, and trading at 3/14.00.
The former LIV Golf player started his fourth round poorly, double bogeying the opening hole and bogeying the third and he drifted all the way out to a double-figure price.
He was even matched for a few pounds at as high as 16.531/2 after the scruffy start but a birdie at the sixth calmed his nerves and he soon assumed control with a quite brilliant run of three birdies in four from the ninth.
Course specialist, Joost Luiten emerged as the Spaniard's biggest danger on the back nine and he was matched at a low of 2.26/5, as was the defending champ, Nakajima, but the event was effectively over when Chacarra turned an almost certain bogey into a birdie three at the par four 14th with this incredible stroke of luck.
It was a lucky break to say the least and who knows what would have happened if he hadn't made a three there, but he was very much a worthy winner and he looks like a player on the up.
Odds-on value yet again
If you don't mind taking odds-on, there's very often value to be had with clear leaders on the PGA Tour.
As highlighted above, Lee drifted form 1.51/2 to almost 1.68/13 before the fourth and final round in Houston but the stats suggested he really should have shortened up.
He's the tenth player in-a-row to convert a four-stroke 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour and he's far from the first to represent value with 18 to play.
There aren't many obvious angles in but this is definitely something to look for if you don't mind backing odds-on shots.