The Punter's De-Brief: Scheffler wins again to claim top spot

Steven Rawlings
28 March 2022
4 min read

Brand-new world number one, Scottie Scheffler

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Scottie Scheffler has won the WGC Dell World Matchplay, Chad Ramey has won in the Dominican Republic, and Ewen Ferguson has gained revenge for his Kenyan collapse...

"With the US Masters now less than two weeks away, brand-new world number one, Scheffler, is a 20.019/1 chance to win his first major, with the man he deposed, Jon Rahm, still heading the wide-open market at 12.5."

After five long days, pre-event 25.024/1 chance, Scottie Scheffler, beat Dave Tindall's 50/1 each-way fancy, Keven Kisner, 4&3 in the WGC Dell Matchplay final to record his third PGA Tour success in just 42 days.

Scheffler's win also took him to the summit of the Official World Rankings. He's the 25th man to reach the number one spot and he's the sixth to do so before the age of 26.

Over at the Corales Puntacana Championship, pre-event 85.084/1 chance, Chad Ramey, who was matched at a high of 110.0109/1 before the off, birdied four holes in-a-row on the back nine to catch and pass Ben Martin, who had led from day one.

Chad Ramey wins Corales.jpg

This was only Ramey's 16th start on the PGA Tour and he's the eighth first time winner on Tour this season. He's also the first rookie to win on Tour since Garrick Higgo claimed the 2021 Palmetto Championship at Congaree.

Having led after rounds one and two and by two strokes after round three, my 19.018/1 in-play pick, Ben Martin, opened the door to the rest with a double bogey at the first in round four but he reassumed command with four birdies in five from the third hole.

Martin was matched at a low of 2.1211/10 after that but he played the remaining 11 holes in level-par and he missed a six-footer for birdie on the 18th which would have seen him tie Ramey.

Alex Smalley, who had earlier posted a seven-under-par 65 to set a clubhouse target of 16-under-par (one shy of Ramey), was matched at a low of 1.21/5 in error but he was also matched for plenty at 1.9210/11 as punters took the opinion that it might be enough.

Over on the DP World Tour, strong weekend winds created mayhem at the Qatar Masters and as many as five players traded at 2.89/5 and below although only one, the winner, Ewen Ferguson, traded at odds-on.

ewen ferguson wins Qatar.jpg

The first man to trade at less than 2/1 was my pre-event pick, Pablo Larrazabal, who hit a low of 2.6613/8 after ten holes in round three, but following him after he made the turn on Saturday was painful to say the least.

Larrazabal stood on the 11th tee on Saturday on ten-under-par but he three-putted that hole for bogey, dropped shots at the next two, three-putted 17 and 18 in round three to drop two more strokes and struggled all day on Sunday, eventually firing a disappointing two-over-par 74.

The Spaniard finished the week in a tie for fifth on four-under-par - three behind the winner and four shots worse than he'd finished the first day.

The co-third round leaders, Matthew Jordan and Adrian Meronk, were matched at 2.01/1 and 2.1211/10 respectively as they started their fourth rounds nicely enough, but Jordan lost a ball on the 10th and that destabilised him completely and both men found water off the tee on the par three 13th.

America's Chase Hanna looked the most likely winner after that (matched at a low of 2.89/5) but then pre-event 300.0299/1 chance, Ferguson, holed his second shot on the par four 16th to jump into the lead for the first time all week.

The Scotsman, who had led the Kenya Open by four strokes with a round to go at that start of the month, before a eventually finishing tied for eighth, parred the 17th before holing this birdie putt at the 72nd hole to take the title.

The biggest putt of @EwboF's career #CBQMasters pic.twitter.com/5924eY9C2Z
? DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) March 27, 2022

Incredibly, Ferguson was matched at a high of 880.0879/1 in-running, despite never being too far off the pace. His winning score of 281 (-7) is the lowest ever winning score at the Qatar Masters and it was just rewards for just how well he handled his defeat in Kenya.

Scheffler in to 20 to win The Masters

With the US Masters now less than two weeks away, brand-new world number one, Scheffler, is a 20.019/1 chance to win his first major, with the man he deposed, Jon Rahm, still heading the wide-open market at 12.5.

Rory McIlroy, who needs to don a Green Jacket to complete the career Grand Slam of majors, is alongside Scheffler at 20.019/1 and he joins the defending US Masters champ, Hideki Matsuyama, in the Valero Texas Open line-up on Thursday, along with the defending champ, Jordan Spieth.

With attention very much turning to Augusta, there's no event on the DP World Tour this week so I'll be back later today or tomorrow with my Texas Open preview.

*You can follow me on Twitter @SteveThePunter