With no European event on Sky Sports this week, golf punters will prefer to concentrate on the States, where a strong field line-ups for the Transitions Championship at Copperhead, Westin Innisbrook Resort, Florida.
This event used to be played in the autumn but was switched to March in 2007 to become the second (now third) leg of the Florida Swing. Mark Calcavecchia's winning score that year of 10-under-par is as low as anyone has taken it, which is why it was the second-most difficult par-71 last year - 2009 winner Retief Goosen shot 8-under . With smaller than average greens, the emphasis is on hitting greens in regulation, while Florida-based players have enjoyed an advantage due to being comfortable on the Bermuda greens.
Ross' Three Off The Tee:-
Vijay Singh @ 25/1 Coral
A former winner here in 2004 and runner-up 12 months earlier, Singh makes plenty of appeal now that he's found some consistency again. Tied-fourth at the Honda, he would have finished better than a share of 11th at Doral last week but for missing some small putts and, more relevant to this week, he's finished tied-2nd in greens in regulation for the last two weeks. Granted, his putting is still a concern but the smallish greens should help in that respect and the 25/1 is simply too big to resist (20's generally)
Charles Howell III @ 40/1 bet365
On tough courses which require long game accuracy, Howell is one of the first players that come to mind and he has already shown himself to be comfortable with the course set-up having finished co-runner-up a year ago (tied-7th in GIR). This season, he's played well - finished no worse than 26th in six of his seven starts, including a pair of top-five finishes - but not well enough to guarantee his place in the Masters field (currently ranked 94th in the WGR). As an Augusta resident, he'll want to play in that tournament more than any other and that could be the impetus he needs to get across the line in front this week.
J.B. Holmes @ 50/1 Boylesports
I'm convinced JB is going to pop up one of these weeks after a great start to 2010. Third at Riviera and second at Pebble, he has begun the Florida Swing with 12th place at the Honda and 18th last week at Doral, despite not being a fan of the course. He was eighth here in 2007 and will be hoping to improve on that this year as he too needs to book his ticket for Augusta.
Bubbling Under: Mathew Goggin (100/1 Ladbrokes)
Finished tied-4th here last year when he was ranked 1st in GIR and has been playing some nice golf this year with a tied-4th at TPC Scottsdale his best effort, which makes his 100/1 quote a little perplexing.
Punters Beware: Steve Stricker
Made the frame here last year but two forgettable finishes in the latest WGC events makes him a favourite to swerve.
Recommended Bets:-
Vijay Singh 2pts each-way @ 25/1 Coral
Charles Howell 1.5pt each-way @ 40/1 bet365
J.B. Holmes 1pt each-way @ 50/1 Boylesports