The Punter / Steven Rawlings / 06 March 2011 /

It's agony for Steve as [55.0] shot Y E Yang runs Sabbatini close in Florida but not quite close enough.....

Rory Sabbatini started the final round with a five shot lead and agonizingly for yours truly, he managed to scrape home by a solitary shot from pre-event pick Y E Yang, after yet another brilliant putting performance. He made a number of lengthy par saves yesterday and just when Yang had gotten to within one shot he drained in a 16 footer for birdie on the 16th hole. Ouch!

My Bets

With just the one event, it's been a quiet week, with very little in-running activity. Matt Bettencourt was added to my pre-event picks on day one and that was it until yesterday. I'd written in my Live Blog that I felt there was a chance Sabbatini could throw away what was a golden opportunity and when he shortened up early in round four I made the decision to take him on - laying him at [1.22] after he'd played just two holes. Given that I'd backed Yang at [55.0] anyway it probably wasn't the greatest idea ever but in the end it saved the weeks stakes.

It's never easy to defend such a large lead but Sabbatini was pretty solid all day, making some quality clutch putts. A three-putt bogey on the 9th reduced his lead to four but he still looked in command and pretty calm. Then from the 13th hole on it all changed....

Yang birdied 13 and the gap was three. A Sabbatini bogey on 14 reduced it to two and then a miraculous tee-shot on the tough par three 15th by Yang, to within two feet, saw my man get within a shot and trade at a low of [3.2]. Rather than lay Yang, I backed Sabbatini at that point at [1.5] - covering the earlier lay at [1.22] and recouping all the week's stakes.

I really fancied Yang to go on and get to Sabbatini but to the diminutive South African's credit he played the 16th hole immaculately to make birdie and effectively seal the victory. It was a frustrating outcome but I don't regret anything. I could have layed Yang but one behind with three to play and closing in fast, I was happy to cover stakes and hope for the best.

Players to watch

Chad Campbell quietly put some woeful form behind him this week, finishing inside the top-30 after four straight missed cuts and with a couple of top-four finishes at Copperhead, he could be worth a speculative few pounds at a big price in two weeks time at the Transitions Championship.

Gary Woodland boarded the bogey bus on the 8th in the final round yesterday, making four in-a-row to give up any remote chance he had of victory, but his tied 6th finish here is not to be sneezed at and follows a tied 5th in Phoenix and a play-off defeat at the Bob Hope Classic. It would be no surprise to see this big-hitter get off the mark this season and he's definitely one to keep an eye on.

And Matt Bettencourt is going back on the shopping list. He's played some great golf in spasms this year and as he's usually a very big price. He couldn't get to grips with the 'Bear Trap' and the tough finish took its toll, but other than that he played great. He managed to play the last four holes in level par in round four but he'd played them in three over par on each of the first three rounds and yet still finished tied 6th.

What have we learnt for next year?

The two nines contrast considerably at the PGA National and over the first two days, with a two tee start, when players tee-off on the 10th on alternate days, opportunities in-running may arise. A good start teeing off conventionally at the first is not unusual with the players enjoying five of the seven easiest holes on the course from the get-go but the finish to the course is brutal, as Bettencourt can testify!

Named after Jack Nicklaus, who oversaw course changes back in 1990, holes 15, 16 and 17 are known as the Bear Trap. The tough par four 16th is sandwiched between two nasty par threes over water and the three ranked, in hole order, 3rd, 4th and 1st toughest this week. And the final hole, though a par five, is no cakewalk either, particularly if the wind's blowing.

The first three players home this week are all renowned wind players and the tough conditions encountered again this year weren't a rarity. It's pretty safe to assume at some point over the four days that the breeze will get up so check any selection made will cope with it.

A tip-top short game gets it done here. Not only did Sabbatini putt like a man inspired, he also topped the scrambling and sand saves stats this week. Look for a Luke Donald type with an exceptionally tidy game around the greens.

I'll be back again on Tuesday night or on Wednesday morning with a preview of this week's two events, the WGC Cadillac Championship and the Puerto Rico Open.

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