Tipster: Stanley

SBC Classic

Outright plays (2pts):

Peter Jacobsen to win 9/1 @ Stan James
After a virtual stalemate on this Tour in the last few years, there is an exciting season in store as the new crop of 50-year-olds join the Champions Tour. Stadler joined last June, McNulty at the start of the year and Jacobsen this week. Hopefully Jay Haas will join in the near future as he has already turned 50. These players are still competitive on the main Tours as Jacobsen showed by finishing 14th in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last month and by winning the Greater Hartford Open last year. I would put him at much lower odds of emulating McNulty and winning on his Champions Tour debut.

Gil Morgan to win 20/1 e.w. @ Bet365 and BetInternet
The next two selections are certainly Tour veterans now and another positive consequence of the new arrivals is much better odds for these players whose odds have been woefully low for the past couple of years. This price looks more than fair for a player who has finished in the top-10 in every event he as started this season and who as finished in the top-3 here in each of the last two seasons.

Larry Nelson to win 33/1 e.w. Bet365 and SIA
And these odds also look very generous compared to previous odds for Nelson. It is not as though he is out of form as he has finished 4th and 2nd in his last two starts and nor does he ave a poor record at Valencia as he finished 3rd in 2001. Long may the new recruits create these types of odds as place finishes on this Tour once again entail a decent profit.

Final update: 2-1; +30.25pts

Jacobsen 3rd
Morgan 1st
Nelson 2nd

Second great week in a row on this Tour! Also achieved my second trifecta on the Champions Tour with the only downside being that Jacobsen was a loser as a win-only play. With the new faces on the Tour, this really is a season of anticipation.