Big Apple Classic

Outright plays (1.5 units):

Laura Diaz to win 25/1 e.w. @ Centrebet and Stan James
Avoiding players who played last week as this event would be the middle leg of five 4-round events in a five-week stretch involving two majors and a trans-Atlantic crossing. Diaz has been very consistent all year, finishing in the top-30 in her last events, and was in contention for the U.S. Women's Open two weeks ago. She faded over the weekend, but that has not been a problem in this event, particularly when she finished 2nd in 2001. Against three very short-priced favourites, she looks good value on her return to her native home State.

Michele Redman to win 28/1 e.w. @ Paddy Power
Redman has been just as consistent this year and has an even better course history than Diaz. Apart from finishing 4th and 6th in the last two years, she won this title in 1997. She has only won one other time (2000 Betsy King Classic), but she can certainly become a two-time winner of this event with a lot of the big names skipping this event. She should, at least, feature at some stage this week.

Angela Stanford to win 50/1 e.w. @ Centrebet
Huge price on possibly the most in-form player on the LPGA Tour at the moment. Not only did she win the ShopRite LPGA Classic, but she showed great composure to force her way into the playoff for the U.S. Open the following week and then was only just edged out by Hilary Lunke on the Monday. She would have been worth opposing had she played last week, but she is now rested and should have no qualms that she can beat anyone in this field. Her missed cut in her rookie year when she was struggling can be ignored, she is quite a different player now!

Matchup plays (1.5 units):

Angela Stanford to beat Donna Andrews -118 @ Expekt
Siding with the most in-form player on the Tour against one who is playing well, but played in each of the last two week's gruelling four-round events. Andrews has also skipped this event every year since 1996 when she missed the cut so she may not be too confident of maintaining her good scoring this week.

Candie Kung to beat Beth Bauer -110 @ SkyBet
Bauer is another who has played the last two weeks and is opposed. She is also opposable on form as apart from a 5th place finish in the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic last month, she has not been able to improve on her 30th place finish in the season-opening Welch's/Fry Championship. She was also outside that mark last year while Kung finished in the top-10.

Michele Redman to beat Candie Kung -125 @ Expekt
Opposing Kung with outright selection, Redman, though. Despite Bauer's top-10 finish last year, she still finished behind Redman who is a former winner of this event and she has also failed to finish ahead of Redman in any of Redman's last three events. Kung is also opposed by having also played in each of the last two weeks, though she did have the weekend off in U.S. Women's Open.

No 1st round plays.

2nd round plays (1.5 units):

Tracy Hanson to beat Betsy King -126 @ Five Dimes
Michele Redman to beat Candie Kung -130 @ Five Dimes

2nd round update: 2-0-0; +3.00 units

Hanson/King WON by 3
Redman/Kung WON by 1

Mid-point update:

Stanford/Andrews WON (Andrews withdrew)
Kung/Bauer Trails by 1
Redman/Kung Leads by 1

Diaz 11th
Redman 18th
Stanford 26th

Nice win in the second round plays and with Andrews withdrawing during the first round, but otherwise very close in the matchups and the outrights still have a chance of a top-5 finish. Plenty to be decided over the final 36 holes.

3rd round plays (1.5 units):

Grace Park to beat Rachel Teske -115 @ Five Dimes
Kelli Kuehne to beat Kate Golden -102 @ Five Dimes

3rd round update: 1-1-0; -0.03 units

Park/Teske WON by 1
Kuehne/Golden LOST by 2

4th round plays (1.5 units):

Kristal Parker-Manzo to beat Kim Williams -118 @ Five Dimes
Kelli Kuehne to beat Gloria Park -115 @ Five Dimes
Tracy Hanson to beat Silvia Cavalleri -128 @ Five Dimes

4th round update: 3-0-0; +4.50 units

Parker-Manzo/Williams WON by 4
Kuehne/Park WON by 6
Hanson/Cavalleri WON by 4

Final update:

Matchups: 3-0-0; +4.50 units

Kung/Bauer WON by 7
Redman/Kung WON by 2

18-holes: 6-1-0; +7.47 units

Outrights: 0-3; -4.50 units

Diaz 16th
Redman 5th
Stanford 42nd

Great week with the matchups and 18-hole plays to make it a profitable event. Pity Redman had the late bogey to take her out of 3rd place and mean no return on the outrights.