For golf purists this is the best form of competition to both play and watch. This tournament has the top 64 players in the world in a single elimination match play tournament. There are 4 brackets with 16 players in each bracket that are seeded 1-16. The format is exactly the one that is used for the NCAA Hoops tournament. The tournament will start with 64 players on Wed and will be cut in half each day following. Some things to keep in mind are :
1. A match is only for 1 day. A wager in this format will be decided each day.
2. Match play and stroke play are 2 really different formats and good stroke play players are not necessarily good match play players and vice versa. I will be looking at players that have performed well in premier match play events such as the Ryder Cup and presidents Cup. Players that are entered here that are outstanding match play players would include : Jim Furyk, Craig Parry, Scott Hoch, Tom Lehman ( unfortunately Hoch and Lehman are paired against each other in the first round, the winner will probably be a definite bet ON on Thurs ), Colin Montgomerie, and Shigeki Maruyama. Woods, Els, and Mickelson are also excellent match players but I expect them to have an awful price on them in the first round, probably have to lay over a grand with Tiger to win a hundred, that's pretty risky in this format where anything can happen in a given round. Players with poor records in singles match play would include : Nick Price, Stuart Appleby, John Huston, Jose maria Olazabal ( played great when paired with Seve, but not well playing his own ball ), and Brad Faxon.
2. The lower seeded players or underdogs have ruled in this tournament since its inception.No 1 or 2 seed has ever made it to the finals. Lots of good handicappers expect that to change this year and one can even bet on Woods and Els reaching the finals. istill don't see the logic in laying big wood with a player in this format where the match is only 18 holes as opposed to 72 holes in stroke play. One bad day or one bad stretch of holes in this format and you are gone.
3. The brackets can be found at Olympic and hopefully the odds will be posted soon. I hope to have my plays posted shortly after the odds are posted.
My record in 2003 PGA Tour events posted on this site is 22-14-3 +800.
The odds are up and the bets are in .These are matches that I bet for Wednesday :
1. Niclas Fasth (+140) vs Chas Howell III
Fasth has done well in match play events including this tournament and the 2002 Ryder Cup. Charles may still be thinking about the way he gave the tournament away last week in LA. Niclas is a nice dog here.
2. KJ Choi (-120) vs Fred Funk
Fred has played well this year but does not have a good record in this format or on this course. KJ is a fine young Korean player who will be great some day. He won twice on tour last year and has cashed twice for me this year.
3. Jim Furyk (-150) vs Len Mattiace
Jim is unbeaten in singles match play in 2 Ryder Cups and 2 Presidents Cups. He also has a winning record in matches held in this tournament on this course. That's good enough for me.
4. Davis Love III (-170) vs Paul Casey
A big number to lay here but Davis won at Pebble a few weeks ago and has played well this year and has a good record in match play events including many Ryder Cup and presidents Cup wins. Don't know much about Casey but this could be a big week for Davis.
5. Craig Parry (-105) vs Brad Faxon
Faxon is a great putter, and has a good record here, but in my opinion he just doesn't hit it that good. Parry has been the international team's best singles match player over the years in the Presidents Cup. He also comes up big in big events. I like him here even though most of the golf cappers are on Faxon.
6. Chris Riley (+100) vs Stuart Appleby
As I've said in weeks past,Riley is a strong,young player who I have big plans with this season. He is a west coast kid who has played many rounds on this course. Appleby's record in singles match play is not good.
7. Colin Montgomerie (-165) vs Alex Cejka
Colin is one of the best singles match play golfers ever. Period. We are getting him pretty cheap here over a relatively unknown, but good German player who has played well on the European Tour.
I was surprised that Tiger, Ernie,and Phil were only -400, -375, and -350 respectively. I thought the odds on those guys would be much higher than that. I'm still staying away from the big favorites.
I will post again on Wed with bets for the next round which will be on Thurs. Damn this is exciting ( at least for me )
Hey fingerlakes. I forgot to look at your plays, looks like your off to a good start. I played Furyk, Mediate and Bjorn. I 'll take a 2-1 start.
What time are you going to have tomorrows plays up?
Wednesday results :
Niclas Fasth W +140
KJ Choi W +100
Jim Furyk W +100
Davis Love III W +100
Craig Parry L -105
Chris Riley W +100
Colin Montgomerie L -165
Day 5-2 +270
I hope to have my plays for day 2 done by tonight but there are no odds posted yet, Thurs AM at the latest .
Thanks Fingerlakes! Very solid...
Day 2........Thurs matches
1. Scott Hoch (+145) vs Padraig Harrington
Scott took care of Tom Lehman in the first match pretty handily. He and Tom were 2 players I had earmarked to bet in this tournament so it makes sense to bet Scott here. He has a stellar record in big match play event over the years. Padraig could be the outstanding player in Europe this year, but I will gladly take Hoch as a dog here.
2. Niclas Fasth (+125) vs Nick Price
Niclas cashed for us as a dog on day 1 to continue his excellence in match play events. He can draw on his pressure packed match vs Azinger in the 2002 Ryder Cup to play well here against Nick. Nick's record in match play events is not good.
3. Justin Rose (-130) vs Kevin Sutherland
I think Kevin's magical ride in this event will come to an end here. Jusin looked really solid in his first match and should prevail here.
4. Davis Love III (-135) vs Darren Clarke
Davis was my pick to win this event as he is swinging better than I've seen in several years. He drew a tough customer here in Darren but I feel Davis will prevail here.
5. Jim Furyk (-155) vs Steve Lowery
Have to lay a pretty good number here but Jim's match play record in big events is as good as anybody in this tournment. He also has a real chance to win this tournament. Steve looked pretty shaky in his first round win over Rich Beem.
6. Chris Riley ( +115) vs David Toms
Chris is playing well, on the course he grew up playing, and may be the best putter on tour. Match play is all about draining puts at the right moment. He will need all of these factors working in his favor as he takes on one of the worlds finest players in David. i should mention here that David's wife looked really hot in the S.I. swimsuit issue.
That's it for day2. Hope we enjoy as much success as day 1.
Thurs was a tough day as I lost 2 matches with the last stroke on the 18th green. Both players who lost were up at one point on the back nine. Day 2 results :
Hoch W +135
Fasth L -100
Rose L -130 ( 18th hole )
Love III L -135 ( he got smoked )
Furyk W +100
Riley L -100 ( lost to a chip in on the 18th )
Thurs 2-4 -230
Event 7-6 +40
Even after a tough day with tough losses we're still up a bit. Unfortunately my 2 bet on guys for today ( Furyk and Clarke ) are paired against each other, so we will look at the winner of this match for Sat. I'm also tempted to bet against Kevin Sutherland as he keeps winning matches as an underdog, but how can you go against a guy who has won 8 in a row in this event. Only 2 for Friday :
Scott Hoch (-130 ) vs Toshi Izawa
We said early on we would ride the winner of the Hoch- Lehman match and I've seen nothing to change my mind as Scott beat one of the worlds top 10 yesterday in harrington.Izawa looks like a gritty competitor as most of the Asian players are, but I really like Scott in this format. He has kind of a wise ass attitude that seems to get under his opponents skin.
Tiger Woods (-360 ) vs Stephen Leaney
I'm going to lay the big number today as I'm tired of watching Tiger demolish guys and not profiting from it. He easily beat one of the worlds fine young players yesterday in KJ Choi. I just don't see any chinks in Tiger's armour, he's playing like a machine and has yet to make a bogey on this tough course in terrible weather conditions. That's remarkable and doesn't give an opponent many chances to steal a hole. I've followed golf closely for many years and Tiger is even better than all the hype that surrounds him. Stephen won easily over Justin Leonard yesterday, but Justin ( not like him) played very,very poorly.
.
love your two plays today...actually played em last night... man was that an a$$whooping Love took yesterday...OOOH!!!!
Hoch and Woods both easy winners on Fri.
Fri 2-0 +200
Event 9-6 +240
Sat plays posted later tonight.
There will be 2 sets of matches on Sat. The quarterfinals ( 4 matches will be held in the morning P.S.T. ) and the semifinals( 2 matches will be held in the afternoon P.S.T. )
FL,
I like
Hoch +280
Kelly +110
Clarke -120
Sat AM quarterfinal match :
Darren Clarke ( -120 ) vs Peter Lonard
With his win over Jim Furyk yesterday Darren has to be a bet on guy this morning. Ha has been dusting some really good players in this event. He obviously likes this course and set up as he won this event in 2000. Peter is a big,tough Aussie who will be a imposing opponent but I don't see him beating Darren here. A nice price also.
I will be on the road following our local girls and boys hoops teams in th NY St class C tournament today so i will not be able to post again. If Clarke and Woods both win this morning i will phone in a bet on Woods in the afternon semifinals. Clarke beat Woods in the finals here in 2000 and I definitely don't see that happening twice in a row. Tiger is a proud guy with a long memory. If it works out that way take Tiger this afternoon regardless of the price.
Sat matches :
Morning :
Clarke L -120
Afternoon :
Woods W +100
event 10-7 +220
I have decided to pass on Sundays final 2 matches. I'm not going to lay the -370 against a player of David Tom's caliber, and I'm absolutely not going to bet against Tiger. In the other match i have Lonard and Scott rated just about dead even ( so do the oddsmakers ), betting on this match would be like flipping a coin. I,m going to take my winnings from this event and be happy and prepare for next week as the tour moves to Florida.
Accenture match Play 10-7 +220
2003 PGA Tour to date 32-21-3 +1020