The Punter / Steven Rawlings / 27 September 2008 /

Following his Ryder Cup heroics, Anthony Kim is threatening to turn the Tour Championship into a procession.

It's not easy to give an accurate synopsis of events at the Belfry this morning as it's an ever changing picture. With the course shrouded in fog yesterday play was delayed for over three hours and the second round is being finished off this morning.

I haven't had the greatest of starts, main picks Nick Dougherty and Niclas Fasth are slowly slipping out of contention along with long shot selection Paul Broadhurst but Marc Warren provides some solace, currently in a tie for second.

I've had a few other bets, backing both Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Marcus Brier on Thursday and Michael Campbell yesterday.

I took [20.0] about Cambo when he found the water on the 4th hole yesterday, his 13th hole of the day. He'd been about [11.0] before his approach shot went for a swim and I felt [20.0] was an overreaction. Unfortunately he failed to get up and down after taking a drop and drifted out a bit further but a birdie on the sixth steadied the ship.

Campbell had been on my shortlist before the event started but I'd felt he was a bit too short at below [20.0]. After a decent start and bobbling around just behind the leaders I was waiting for a chance to get on at a value price. Not sure how much good it will do but I think I achieved that anyway.

Overnight leader and defending Champion Lee Westwood has said he's pretty tired, and understandably so. I always look to oppose the 'Worksop Wonder' but I have to commend his efforts so far after last weeks draining schedule. I do fancy he'll gradually slip away from now on in though.

In the States the curtain is slowly coming down on the Fed-ex Cup, which has turned into a pretty damp squib. It's hard to imagine watching Vijay Singh shuffling around East Lake a dozen or so shots off the lead before collecting his prize was exactly what the formats engineers had envisaged.

The Tour Championship itself is building up nicely though. Anthony Kim has carried forward his form from last week and at times threatened to turn the event into a procession. He's been matched as short as [1.56].

Both my original picks, Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry have no chance but I have had a couple of other bets.

On Thursday I looked to back Phil Mickelson throughout the early part of his round a few times but every time I went to back him he played a hideously poor shot and I ducked out of it, by the time he'd birdied the 9th hole, somehow reached four under and traded as low as [4.20] I thought I'd missed the boat. But I hadn't, he bogeyed the next two holes and drifted out again but he was playing so badly that every time the boat came close to shore I waved it away.

I did have one bet at the close of play on Thursday though, on KJ Choi [18.5]. He'd ended the day five back of clear leader Kim and I felt he was a decent price but a lacklustre level par yesterday has seen him slip further back and drift to around [40.0].

My second bet was better timed than I could have imagined when I eventually took the plunge on Lefty last night. He'd struggled for eleven-and-a-half holes and then on the 12th he made a miraculous birdie following a terrible drive and when he drained a monster putt on the 13th I backed him at an average of [23.0]. Knowing he had the par five 15th to play I thought there was a bit of value in the price. I hadn't expected him to birdie the next three holes though, so as it turned out it was a very good bet.

The tantalising final pairing tonight is a repeat of last week's singles pairing of Anthony Kim and Sergio Garcia and with the two split by just two shots. It's sure to make compelling viewing. I'm hoping the two will get so wrapped up in their new found rivalry that they leave a gap up the rails for Mickelson or maybe even Choi!

If Garcia falters we could see Kim go from playing alongside his new found rival tonight to his new found best mate on Sunday, here's hoping anyway.

Whatever the outcomes, as usual, I'll review both events on Monday.

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