ShopRite LPGA Classic

Once again this event fails to attract Webb and Sorenstam, though Webb would have withdrawn anyway following the death of her grandfather which was the greatest threat to her taking the US Women's Open title last week. It leaves the door open for Dottie Pepper to finally open her account for the year, but she has not been able to bring her great form at Greate Bay from 1994 to 1997 to the new venue of the Marriott Seaview Resort.

The course itself is the links-style Bay course at the Resort with the sea winds, as the name would suggest, a factor. In their absence, the course yields low scores with the par-fives being reachable in two. Length should be an advantage and as with any links course, so should a deft touch around these large, undulating greens and an early tee-time on the first day before the winds rise with the change of the tides.

The three selections this week are Juli Inkster, Rosie Jones and Catriona Matthew. Inkster won this event twice in the 1980s, the first time on this course, and has done everything but win since the event returned. Her finishes in the past three years have been 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Her form has been solid with seven top-15 finishes in her last eight events, including a win at the Electrolux USA Championship, and with the odds high enough for a place finish (top-5 at Stan James), she will surely at least secure a small profit for a top-5 finish.

Rosie Jones is another with great course form since the event returned to the Bay course. She has finishes of 9th, 4th and 13th in the past three years and has finished in the top-5 in four of her last six events. Again, even a place finish would be profitable, though having won already this year, she cannot be discounted from adding a second.

Catriona Matthew doesn't have quite the course form of the other two picks, but she did have a top-10 finish two years ago. She does have a good recent record of securing place finishes - three in her last six events and a 6th place in the previous tournament - and she showed in the Hawaiian Open earlier this year that she is comfortable playing on seaside courses where wind is a factor.

Outright plays:

Julie Inkster to win 12/1 e.w. @ Stan James [5 places option]

Rosie Jones to win 20/1 e.w. @ Stan James [5 places option]

Catriona Matthew to win 33/1 e.w. @ NetBetSports

54-hole plays:

Mi Hyun Kim to beat Laura Davies -110 @ Surrey
Continuing to oppose Davies at my peril. This time with a similarly in-form Kim who has two top-20 finishes on her two visits to this course. Davies has not fared well here and opens her event in the afternoon winds

Lorie Kane to beat Sophie Gustafson -110 @ Surrey
Kane has a 3rd place finish on this course in 1998 and higher finishes than Gustafson on both the Swede's two visits here, she seems more suited to the conditions this week and is in just as good current form

Update:

Not too bad a start. Kim leads Davies by three and Kane leads Gustafson by six after the first round. Not quite so good with the outrights, with Matthew best-placed in 18th, but still 36 holes yet.

2nd round play:

Lorie Kane to beat Pat Hurst -133 @ Five Dimes [2 units]

2nd round update: 1-0-0 and +2.00 units

Straightforward win opposing the overnight leader. Kane beat Hurst by four shots as Hurst relinquished the lead early in the round and couldn't avoid an over-par round. Both the 54-hole plays are still leading: Kim by two over Davies and Kane by nine over Gustafson. With Jones 6th, Matthew 9th and Inkster 16th, there is a good chance of a return on the outrights as well.

Final update: 2-1-0 and +1.90 units for the week

No 3rd round plays, but the two 54-hole plays did go the full distance. Kane beat Gustafson on her way to finishing 2nd, while Kim was finally overtaken by Davies and lost by one. Still a profitable week overall.

Update on outright plays: 2-1 and +1.56 units

Betsy King and Lorie Kane were some way ahead of 3rd place, but there were six players tied at that mark and they included two of this week's selections. Both Jones and Matthew finished in that position and despite the division of the place wins, still profitable selections. Inkster finished in 17th place, three shots further back.