Outright plays (total stake per play: 2pts)
Brad Bryant to win 16/1 e.w. @ William Hill
Generally siding with players who didn't play in the Senior British Open. The weather wasn't too bad compared to the previous year, but together with the travelling involved and the age of the competitors, there should be some hangover effects. Bryant was one such absentee and has been in great form for the last five months. He did only finish 16th last year, but that was coming off a missed cut and there are clearly no such form concerns this year. This price is certainly fair.
Craig Stadler to win 18/1 e.w. @ GolfingGods
Stadler did play in Scotland, but his performance there should be a boost to him rather than a drain. He held the lead early on and finished 4th to earn his third top-5 finish of the year and his first since May. Together with a course history that reads 2nd-2nd in the last two visits, he should be able to carry some momentum over from last week.
Bruce Lietzke to win 28/1 e.w. @ BetInternet, SkyBet, Bet365 and GolfingGods
Lietzke was another player who didn't travel last week and he should be full focussed on this event. "It's probably my favourite courses in tour", said Lietzke at last year's event, "I just have a great feeling here, and usually a great feeling turns into good scores ... When I've had a good feeling, it hasn't mattered how I've been playing, I've talked myself into good finishes." Lietzke, Purtzer and Stadler are all proof that the 'horses for courses' adage is very strong here: he won in 2001 and finished 6th and 8th in the last two years, though he was duelling with Purtzer throughout the event last year. Now, having shown some form with a 3rd place finish in the U.S. Senior Open, where he was very unlucky to find a perfect shot finish in a divot on the penultimate hole, he looks set to return to talking himself into another high finish in the 3M Championship.
