FINAL RESULT: 1-2; +27.25pts

McNulty 28th
Kite 1st
Fergus 41th

Easy five-shot win for Kite who was never in any danger in the final round. At last some normality has returned to the Champions Tour after Loren Roberts threatened to spoil it with his early season domination.

Outright plays (total stake per play: 2pts)

Mark McNulty to win 14/1 e.w. @ BetInternet, SkyBet, Ladbrokes and BetDirect
McNulty led after the 1st and 2nd rounds in the last tournament and even though he shot 73 on the Sunday to finish 10th, his underlying form is promising even if there was a great deal of frustration felt two weeks ago when he was a selection. That was in Florida and now the Tour moves to California where McNulty also have a very impressive record. In his last five starts in this State, he has finishes of 1st, 2nd, 8th, 8th and 4th and that includes a runners-up finish on this course last year when he was in contention throughout, but couldn't quite catch Des Smyth who took the lead early on the last day. He needed a 20-foot putt on the last hole to force a playoff last year. He missed, but it all points to another high finish for McNulty this week.

Tom Kite to win 25/1 e.w. @ BetInternet and William Hill
Kite didn't play in this event last year as he was concentrating on the PGA Tour, but he did win this event in 2002 and in terms of records in California, he can certainly match McNulty. In his last 12 Champions Tour starts in this State, he has won three times and finished in the top-3 on seven occasions, including his last appearance in California, the Charles Schwab Cup Championship. This year, he has finished higher up the leaderboard in each subsequent start, culminating in a 5th place position last week and that return to form is just enough for him to get the nod over Bard Bryant this week.

Keith Fergus to finish in the top-five 13/1 @ Expekt
Unlike Kite and McNulty, Fergus had to return to the National Qualifying Tournament last year after finishing 37th on the Money List, but finished 4th to retain his Tour Card. That event was held in California, which means that his six Champions Tour starts in this State have resulted in finishes of 27th, 4th, 6th, 2nd, 18th and 4th which are rather encouraging given the odds for a top-five place. Add in the fact that his three finishes this year have been 7th, 14th and 15th and he should certainly be in contention at some stage of the week for a top-5 finish. And finally, if we turn the clock back twelve months, we will see that Fergus held the sole lead with just one round to play last year. He shot 77 and finished 6th, but without a PGA Tour career, he is a better player for that experience and he has shown that already this season.