*#* GOLF *#* HP BYRON NELSON Championship.

Jordan Spieth 13
Matt Kuchar 14
Martin Kaymer 20
Jimmy Walker 22
Charl Schwartzel 25
Keegan Bradley 25
Dustin Johnson 28
Ryan Moore 33
Gary Woodland 35

40's bar

Paddy POOR only 5 places so SHOP AROUND THIS WEEK

Ye Kavvie they are 6 in spain,

Thank God Kaymer got the job done last night,onward and upward to this week,going to start of in America were going for two against the field,
1st selection is Jordan Spieth has been playing some super golf without getting over the finishing line,just think with abit of luck this week wont be too far away come sunday evening,been a local lad aswell will really want to get the win,at 12/1 e/w can not see him been out of the top 5,
2nd selection is Dustin Johnson e/w aswell at 25/1,backed him last week,which looking back was an error on my part,the course didn't suit him and he has had a very poor record here before,but he did play some nice golf but just couldn't buy a putt,will to give him another chance,
Now on to Europe im going for two against the field aswell,
1st selection is Sergio e/w with powers 11/2 6 places,think this is risk free e/w bet,really cant see Sergio not going outside the top 6 and if he really continues in his good form he could win this in a canter,
2nd selection is F Molinari e/w aswell at 14/1,another player playing some brilliant golf the last few weeks so at 14/1 6 places worth another e/w bet,will be shocked if the two selections in Europe arnt in the thick of things come sunday afternoon,

Selections,

Jordan Speith e/w 12/1
Dustin Johnson e/w 25/1

Sergio Garcia e/w 11/2 max bet,
F Molinari e/w 14/1,

Will also do e/w permed doubles aswell,best of luck this week lads,

Thunderstorms, with the potential to bring damaging winds, downpours, damaging hail and an isolated tornado will move through the area on Monday afternoon and into the evening.

Tuesday will be cooler with mostly cloudy skies and highs in the 60s. There will still be a chance for showers and thunderstorms throughout the day.

By Wednesday, things will begin to calm down. Highs will be in the upper 70s with mostly sunny skies.

Highs will move into the 80s Thursday and Friday with plenty of sunshine both days.

Another so called Texas Swing this week's baby is from the TPC Four Seasons Resort in Irving Texas - and not from the DFW Airport (The Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial is next week). The event commemorates 'one of the all-time greats' of the game - Mr Nelson won it in 1944 (then the Dallas Open).

The 7,166 yard course plays to a par 70.
The course very easily could be a Par 71 was the 528 yard 3rd hole would be a Par 5 on many courses, but this adds to difficulty as what would be a relatively straight forward Par 5 is one of the toughest Par 4s on the Tour.

A Jay Morrish design, overhauled by 'Landscape Artists' DA Weibring and Steve Wolford - it is a real test of a player’s tee to green game and provides both a test of a players’ approach play and his scrambling skills once he misses the putting surface. Watch out for their ponds and creeks that come into play.

The course has ranked inside the top 10 in terms of fewest fairways hit - the narrow fairways demand accuracy rather than power from the tee.
Check your players stats this week ffs before you wade into the likes of my nap this week - Mr Hicks - 6th driving accuracy & 4th in GIR but sadly only 128th in scrambling. Form an orderly queue, ladies.

Recent winners like Bradley and Dufner along with Jason Day 2010, Adam Scott 2008, Sergio Garcia 2004 and Vijay Singh in 2003 are/were some of the very best at the game - so we are looking for a player of the highest class to be successful this week.


THIS WEEK'S Number is NINE

9 of the top 25 in the world this week with local Dallas native Jordan Spieth (7), joins recent Nelson winners Jason Dufner (2012) and Keegan Bradley (2011).
Highest ranking is No. 5 Matt Kuchar.

9 of the Byron’s past 14 winners have done it while recording all four rounds in the 60s, including Sang Moon Bae last year.
Bradley was the last to take the crown with a round in the 70s.
S-M Bae’s victory also denied Bradley a chance to become just the third man to win the Nelson wire-to-wire.

© CM iyc

Patrick Cantlay (200/1) is in the field – WHO, you ask ??????

- once the world No. 1 amateur, seeks to end an eight-month layoff - following a stress fracture in his L5 vertebrae
- yes patience will yet be rewarded with more playing time.

The former UCLA standout hasn’t teed it up since taking runner-up at the Web.com Tour Finals opener last August, good enough to earn his PGA TOUR card.
Of course, expectations should remain low for the time being - lets see how his back holds up. (Deserves his own paragraph imho)

Not a great tournament in the States this week, we had the feast the last few weeks, now it's back to the famine. 5 e/w selections for me this week:

Matt Kuchar 14/1
Considering how weak the field is and the great form that Kuchar is in, he is an obvious pick. Finished T6 here in 2010 also and plays well in the wind.

Keegan Bradley 22/1
Has an excellent record here including 1st, 2nd and course record in three appearances.

Charl Schwartzel 28/1
In decent form this year with 5 top 20 finishes and finished 3rd here last year on first appearance here last year.

Harris English 40/1
Has missed cuts @ Sawgrass and Augusta but this offers a much easier opportunity to play well. Finished T17 on first appearance here last year and has played well in windy conditions before.

Ryo Ishikawa 66/1
Back in form last few weeks including T8 @ Bay hill. Was in terrible form last year until finishing T10 here last year and should be coming into this tournament in better form this year.

Good luck all.

Poor old Daly having a horror season,would be nice if he made the cut this week,

Champions Tour (the over 50's) - 2014's First Major !

The 2014 Regions Tradition will include one of the World Golf Hall of Fame’s most recent inductees with Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie committing to the tournament field.

Montgomerie, inducted into the Hall of Fame last year along with fellow Champions Tour professional Fred Couples, will compete in the Regions Tradition for the first time.
Eight World Golf Hall of Fame members are currently scheduled to compete against defending champion David Frost in the Regions Tradition.
Joining Montgomerie are Hale Irwin, Tom Kite, Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle, Larry Nelson, Nick Price and Curtis Strange.

Montgomerie, who missed last year’s Regions Tradition by a mere two weeks as he didn’t turn 50 until June 23, is perhaps best known for his Ryder Cup performances.
To date he has been a member of the European team on eight occasions, and has never lost in a singles match, playing pivotal roles in several of the matches.
He also captained the European team to victory in Wales in 2010.

He won a record eight European Tour Order of Merit titles, including a streak of seven consecutively from 1993 to 1999.
He has 31 European Tour victories, the most of any British player, placing him fourth on the all-time list of players with most European Tour victories.
Although he has not, to date, won a major championship on the PGA TOUR, he has finished runner-up on five occasions.

This year’s Regions Tradition, the first of five Champions Tour majors this season, takes place at Shoal Creek on May 14-18 with a purse of $2.2 million.

The field will comprise 81 players in a 72-hole stroke-play event. As one of the Champions Tour majors, the double Charles Schwab Cup points awarded to the top-10 finishers in the Regions Tradition will be a critical factor in determining the Charles Schwab Cup champion at the end of the season.

Shoal Creek is a proven venue that has previously hosted the 1984 and 1990 PGA Championship, the 1986 U.S. Amateur Championship, the 2008 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, along with the Regions Tradition the past three years. The 7,231-yard, par 72, Jack Nicklaus designed layout provides for an exciting competition as all of the stars on the Champions Tour will compete for the coveted title.

Some of the biggest names in golf, including World Golf Hall of Fame members Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Raymond Floyd, Tom Kite and Tom Watson, are past champions of The Tradition.

Each of the four rounds of the Regions Tradition will be broadcast live on Golf Channel, the exclusive cable provider of the Champions Tour, reaching in excess of 205 countries and territories and more than 145 million households.


SELECTED....

Bernhard Langer 7/2 fav
Fred Couples 5/1 Laddies
Colin Montgomerie 12/1 Spoils......HAVING A GOOD GO at this price ! - Monty to win HIS FIRST MAJOR !
Jeff Maggert 16/1 Spoils
Jay Haas 16/1 Spoils
Duffy Waldorf 22/1 Spoils
Tom Lehman 20/1 Spoils
Kenny Perry 25 Spoils

in Doubles/trixies with Espana/Byron naps.

Justin...Coming off a T17 at THE PLAYERS where he carded his first red number in a final round (68) since the WM Phoenix Open three months ago.
Led the field in greens in regulation (56) and finished second in putting inside 10 feet (62-for-65).
Placed T14 in his debut at Las Colinas in 2011, and then backed it up with a T21 in his return last season.

Miguel Angel Jimenez 22/1 is known for enjoying life and the evergreen golfer now has another reason to celebrate after marrying his long-term girlfriend Susanna Styblo. Not sure how well he'll be this week after his honeymoon - see how Scott did at The Players last week (T38).

The 50-year-old Spaniard is almost as well known for his love of red wine, cigars and fast cars (not to mention his extraordinary warm-up routine) as he is for playing - but he can still mix it with the best of them on the course.

Jimenez finished fourth at the Masters last month and is targeting a spot on Paul McGinley's Ryder Cup team at Gleneagles in September.
Daily Mail

A few big names missing this week, leaving it to the Mr. Consistencies Kuchar & Spieth to head the market. Both can be passed over at the prices in my opinion.

I was waiting til Martin Kaymer drifted until finalising my bets, and Betvictor went 25s This morning, so that completed the team.

Its very difficult to go back to back, and hence punters tend to steer clear of last weeks winner when searching for the next one, and this can lead to them being overpriced. Someone who played less well throught the first 3 rounds, can finish well and be thought a more likely winner, and bet accordingly. Kaymer is no ordinary animal, he has gone back to back before, will be full of confidence and adrenalin, played superbly here last year when very much out of form, and if he was level with Spieth or Kuchar with 9 to play, i would again make him fav. 25s is too big.

Mark Leishman and Charl Scwartzel were the first two that jumped out at the prices. Both can be infuriating on the greens, but should revel with the Bermuda grass this week.

Leishman has an enviable record around here for someone who would not be considered a top player, and his closing 65 at Sawgrass on Sunday will send him here expecting big things.

Scwartzel showed glimmers of his best last week, amidst a few silly errors. Hopefully they have been ironed out, and he comes to a venue were he thrived last year, and can be expected to go very close again.

Jimmy Walker finished with a rare rattle on Sunday. That, combined with his excellent showing at Augusta suggest he is approaching his peak again. Depending on the weather, plenty of birdies may be needed to win this week, and when Walker hits form his flat stick can be electric. With 3 recent wins, he wont shirk at the lollipop.

Morgan Hoffman looks a cracking bet at 80-1. Finished tied 5th with Kaymer here last year, and comes here in slightly better overall form this time around. If he can find his putting boots, i think he really could upsatge some bigger names, and leave with the trophy. A final round 78 in the Arnold Palmer seemed to knock the stuffing from him for a few weeks, but last week at Sawgrass he showed definite signs that he was recovering his touch. He missed a few short ones on Sunday, but his long game was excellent, and finishing birdie birdie on the treacherous 17th and 18th will have done wonders for his confidence. I expect a rally good showing.

Ryuji Imada is a rag, but a rag who may surprise. 500-1 available in shops, but 850 on here, he is worth a small investment. I have had a samll dabble, but my main bets on him are for Top Asian at 8-1 and Top 20 at 14-1. He has made 4 of his last 5 cuts, and been top 10 in 2 of his last 6 appearances here. When not playing aswell. The top Asian market is a weak heat. Ryo Ishikawaw certainly deserves to be fav, but i would have doubts about Sang Moon Bae this week, and Charli Wi is in awful form. Its certainly worth a few quid.

1.4pt e.w Jimmy Walker 22-1
1pt e.w Charl Scwartzel 28-1
1.2pt e.w Martin Kaymer 25-1
.4pt e.w Morgan Hoffamn 80-1
.6pt e.w Mark Leishman 50-1
.1pt e.e Ryuji Amada 500-1
3pts Hoffman Top 20 3-1
1pt Imada Top 20 14-1
1.5pt Imada Top ASian 8-1


In Europe, Sergio Garcia may seem short. He isn't. Bookies have to put these players in at a price they believe someone will back them at. Most punters wont touch 5-1 shots in a 156 man field, so cant go any shorter, or they wont have them in the book. Like the end of season events, one of which Serg won, the cream tend to really dominate against these calibre of opponents, yet remain overpriced. Garcia is, like Westwood, a flat track bully, and he will have no qualms or problems beating this lot up. With PP going 6 places, its a bet to nothing, as the way he is playing, he cant be out of the 6. His mindset and temperamnet seem better than evenr, and he will enjoy a home win.

4pts e.w Sergio Garcia 11-2(6 Places)


Running Total +51.85

think j.dufner looks like a bet this week,ok he hasn't got much recent form but played this track well before 38/1
few quid on outsider chad campbell also
in europe,im going with molinari at 14/1 w+p,also ross fisher at 65

Bjorn in my Trixs too

ESPANA

Good start from Sergio -3 and bad from Bjorn +3.

*players

Leishman has a solid record in Texas (T8, T12, cut, T3, T12) - clubhouse leader after early 66.

Did you know 8 players in Regions Tradition field (Seniors Tour 1st Major) have won the Byron N.