PGA TOUR BOB HOPE- CHRYSLER CLASSIC

The PGA tour moves to the California desert this week outside of Palm Springs. If you think scores were low last week in Phoenix wait until this week. 4 easy courses, a perfect weather forecast, and the new ball the guys are using will make for record low scores. There is a good chance that the record round of 59 will be tied or broken here this week. Some things to know about this tournament are:

1. This is a 90 hole, 5 round tournament that starts on WED not on Thurs as usual. Wagers will have to be placed before the players tee off on WED.

2. This is a pro-am tournament the first 4 days. 1 pro will play with 3 amateurs on 4 different courses the first 4 days. The cut will come on Sat night and just the top 70 pros will play at the Palmer course on Sun. This will cause lapses in concentration to players who don't care for this type of format. The advantage will go to players who have done this before and enjoy the company of the celebrity amateurs.

3. These are some of the easiest courses the pro's play all year and this will be a real birdie barrage. Players who hit it long and make lots of birdies will do well here as there are just not that many difficult bogey holes on these 4 courses to offset the birdies.Go for broke type players will do well here as opposed to the steady, par making type players who hit it straight and usually perform well on difficult US Open type courses.

These are the matches I will wager on as soon as the odds are posted.My 2003 golf record to date is 9-4-2 +455.

1. Phil Mickelson over David Toms
This match worked for me last week and I will try it again.Toms is a terrific player but this type of tournament is not his cup of tea. He is a steady player who probly will not shoot the 30+ under par it will take to win this. These 4 courses are perfect for Phil who should shoot way low this week. Oh, Phil won this event last year.

2. David Duval over Davis Love III
This is David's 1st tournament of 2003 and he traditionally plays very well after a long layoff. 2002 was a disaster for Duval and he's looking to get back to form this year.David has 4 top5 finishes here and won this event in 1999 shooting a record tying 59. Although never missing the cut here, Davis has only played here once in the last 8 with a tie for 28th place in 2000.

3. Chas Howell III over Jerry Kelly
This should be a breakout year for Charles as he posseses all of the tools necessary to be a star on tour. He hits the ball huge and his game is perfect for a lights out tourny like this. He has played every week since the Mercedes and should be rounding into mid season form. He was 6th here last year and has played well so far in 2003. Although Kelly is a fine player who had a breakout year in 2002, i will take my chances with Charles here.

4. John Huston over Justin Leonard
John doesn't usually get hot til the tour reaches Fla but he is hot now. When John gets hot he is good to ride for a few weeks and can shoot some really low numbers. He is very aggressive and perfect for these courses. Justin is a terrific player who is going to have a big year but is more suited to difficult courses that require a lot of pars as opposed to a birdie fest like this. I'll ride John Huston this week and probably next week at Pebble depending on the matchup.

Thats it for now. I'm hoping they post some more matchups when they post the odds later. They often do. I'm looking to bet against John Daly and on Joe Durant.Daly is way out of shape for this 5 round tourny and his swing looked terrible in Ariz last week. I think he's more interested in being a singer than a golfer. If anyone finds him listed in a matchup somewhere please let me know as i don't think he will beat anyone this weekend.I will keep everyone posted as to the odds, matchups and daily progress of these matches.

REMINDER : BETS FOR THIS FULL TOURNAMENT NEED TO BE PLACED BEFORE THE FIELD TEES OFF ON WED MORNING.THIS EVENT STARTS A DAY EARLIER THAN USUAL