Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson share favouritism for this 180-runner pro-am played over three courses. The pros, plus their amateur partner, play each of the courses over the first three days after which the field is cut down to 60 pros and 20 'teams', with the final round being played on the host course Pebble Beach.
The Courses:
Pebble Beach (par-72, 6,816 yards) - set in a truly spectacular setting alongside the Pacific Ocean, meaning the wind can be a huge factor. The greens are the smallest on Tour so pinpoint accuracy is required. The par-5’s are the 2nd, 6th, 14th and 18th.
Poppy Hills (par-72, 6,833 yards) - often yields the lowest scores, partly because it has five par-5’s - the 4th, 9th, 10th, 12th and 18th. Poppy Hills' greens are in contrast large and undulating.
Spyglass Hill (72, 6,858 yards) - statistically one of the toughest tracks on Tour, but much depends on weather conditions. It has four par-5’s - the 1st, 7th, 11th and 14th.
Ross’ Top Tip: Mike Weir @ 20/1 Stan James
The Canadian left-hander is a no-brainer for the staking plan playing in one of his favourite events. Form figures of 3-4-2-3-MC-14 (last year) in his last six starts here and a third-place finish in this year's Bob Hope Classic, another pro-am, are compelling enough reasons for a bet. But what really makes him a solid pick this week is the fact that several of the market leaders have doubts over them - see tournament lays below.
Next Best: Davis Love III @ 28/1 Sportingbet
Has failed to build on his second place finish in the Mercedes Benz Championship, but this week's sea air could do him (and our bank balances) the power of good. He must have fond memories of this place having come from seven shots back to win in 2001 and, just for good measure, he went in again two year's later. OK, that was six year's ago but he did finish tied-fourth here as recently as 2007 and finished last season off in style by winning what used to be the Disney Classic, his 20th Tour title, so he's no back number.
Outsider: John Mallinger @ 66/1 Coral
How do you follow last week's outsider pick Nick Watney, who obliged at odds of 66/1? With another 66/1 winner, perhaps? The Southern Californian pro is clearly at home (literally) on the Monterey Peninsula having rewarded each way punters both last year and in 2007, finishing third both times. Of course, that's factored into his price, but course form is paramount in this event so I'm not going to turn my nose up at 66/1, and you can forget his two recent missed cuts as he did almost exactly the same thing going into the last two renewals.
Tournament Lay: Phil Mickelson for a place (currently 4/1 on Betfair)
There's two ways to skin a cat and exchange layers could have a field day laying this week's market leaders, with Mickelson in particular looking an uneasy favourite on the back of two very uninspiring performances on Tour. Vijay Singh (coming back from surgery), Padraig Harrington (still likely to be rusty), Jim Furyk (first start since September) and David Toms (no worthwhile course form) are also candidates for the lay button.
Ross’ 72-Hole Match Bet: Mike Weir to beat Jim Furyk @ Evens bet365
In-play notes:
In the last 30 renewals, only twice has the 54-hole market leader gone on to win, and on both occasions that was Phil Mickelson.
Recommended Bets:
Mike Weir 2pts each way @ 20/1 Stan James
Davis Love III 1pt each way @ 28/1 Sportingbet
John Mallinger 1pt each way @ 66/1 Coral