| Mark 'The Gear' Woolgar: How things can change, with only 5 days to go Mark appeared to be the outwright favourite. With a string of rounds under his handicap and brimming with confidence it looked as though he was the man to beat. Mark has been preparing for this week for several months and a recent fitness campaign has helped him shed a few pounds and also led to an increase in stamina. Aided with the latest technology including a $2,000 Nike driver, Mark is fully kitted out. A recent purchase of the 2 ball putter has seen a dramatic improvement to his short game and the continuous use of internet instruction from an ex-Leadbeter instructor seemed sure to keep his swing smooth throughout the week. However, it seems that the fickle finger of fate has been poking Mark in the back. Whilst Mark was excerising with his Momentus weighted training club he managed to herniate a disk. It appears that the Momentus has done to Mark's game what it did to David Duval's career. This is a serious blow to Mark's chances. His odds have dropped from 4/6 to 40/1 and apparently Ladbookes are offering 3/1 that he doesn't play all the rounds. Bad blow Mark. Odds: 40/1 from 4/6 |
| FORM GUIDE |
| John 'Stogie' Woolgar: John the veteran of the group, is the lowest handicap player with a 12.7. He has been playing frequently in the last month and this may explain the tennis elbow he is now suffering. However, being ex-military and armed with a bottle of Advil and a fist full of cigars, John will no doubt ignore the pain and concentrate on the job in hand. As a seasoned golfer he has the most experience with playing different courses and it is unlikely that he will be fazed by anything Myrtle has to offer. John finds himself as outwright favourite since son Mark herniated his disk. As long as John can overcome the trauma of his sons recent injury a top 3 finish is almost assured. Odds: Evens from 2/1 |
| Rich 'Stinger' Munday: Rich, lasts years rookie, has made a huge improvement in the last year and is now a 24 handicap, and legitimate challenger. He has acquired a Tigeresque stinger tee shot and hits his 3 iron with a low boring flight that splits the middle of the fairway. His ability to keep the ball in play will be a definite advantage around Myrtle's narrow and hazardous tracks. As this is Rich's second season on tour he is also familiar with the courses and knows just what to expect. The only thing that could hamper Rich's progress this week is his lack of touch around the greens and his eminant fear of Gators. Rich's is fear of Gators is only equalled by his fear of spending money, one has to wonder what he will do if his ball ends up near a Gator, will he risk every thing to save his $1 lake ball or will he be forced to abandon the ball. Odds: 2/1from 3/1 |
| Mike 'Blades' Jones: Mike comes into the week struggling with his form and short on confidence. Like John he is also hampered by tennis elbow which may account for his appalling form over the last 2 months. In that time he has broken 90 only once and seen his handicap rise from 11 to 13. In a desperate attempt to regain some kind of game Mike has even resorted to taking advise from Mark "The Gear" Woolgar. Mike who was once a single figure player loves his forged blades, but with his current game and their lack of forgiveness they are doing him no favours. Still he is hoping that a few quick fixes to his swing and a good first round may be sufficient for him to regain his confidence. Known for his streaky play, it is not unusual for him to finish a round with 8 or 9 pars, a couple of bogeys and 7 or 8 doubles or triples. Whether or not he will be challenging on the final day will largely depend on whether he can replace the big numbers with bogeys. Odds: 3/1 from 5/1 |
| Dean 'Cuz' Decosta: Little is known of Dean's form coming into the week as he has rarely been seen or heard. Whether he has been hiding away and practicing hard is not known. However, by all accounts he was seen at the driving range the week before the tournament and rumour has it that he was hitting the ball a mile and straight too. Just think how good he would be if he wasn't playing with 20 year old clubs! With all the skill in the world it will be almost impossible for Dean to win this week as he only playing 4 out of the 6 rounds. This is a serious blow to Dean as it was anticpated that he would be a strong challenger. Odds: 250/1 from 4/1 |
| Nick 'The Governor' Faries: Whether the old adage of "always let the boss win" will hold true this week remains to be seen, but if it does then Nick will have the better of 50% of the field. As a school boy golfing prodigy, Nick never filfilled his true potential, he got distracted by technology, PC games and more recently boats. As he now tries to emulate his form of many years ago, he is struggling to recreate the smooth swing that came so naturally as a wee lad. One skill that has never deserted him, however, is his deft touch around the greens. A long time Nicklaus fan he modelled his short game on his idol, which is sure to be of benefit on Myrtle's slick and tricky greens. Nick's chances as a challenger will greatly depend on his consistency, if he can avoid the big numbers, keep the ball in play and use his scrambling skills, he could surprise everyone with a top 2 finish. Odds: 4/1 from 10/1 |
| Chuck 'The Rook' Morgan: The rookie of the group, Chuck has only been seriously playing for the last 2 months. He has been taking lessons from brother-in-law Nick and is already showing great potential. He has been well coached and has grasped the fundamentals, has a great set-up and smooth and silky tempo. Chucks main problem will be his lack of experience, as he has only played 2 full rounds, that and coupled with the fact that he hits every club in the bag 150 yards. Whether Chuck's 42 handicap will be sufficient to make him competitive is still unkown. However, if he can play his own game, avoid the ubiquitus water hazards and endless wastelands, plus ignore all the advise from everyone else, then he does stand a chance of a top 3 finish. One has to believe that this tournament has come to soon for Chuck, and that next year with another years experience under his belt he will be a serious challenger. Chucks chances of a top 3 finish this year have greatly improved over the last few days as Mark and Dean's chances seem to have slipped away. Odds: 10/1 from 20/1 |
| Last Updated May 8th |