Outright plays (total stake per play: 1.5pts)
Greg Chalmers to win 20/1 e.w. @ SkyBet and IASbet
As the winner of the last event to be played at Royal Adelaide, the 1998 Australian Open, Chalmers can certainly claim the best course form in this field and should benefit from home advantage at this early stage of the year. A PGA Tour player until last year, he finished 2004 with a 2nd place finish in the MasterCard Masters and closed with a final round 64 last week in New Zealand to display some form. There are no obvious winners from the home contingent, but Chalmers looks to be the best of them.
Vance Veazey to finish in the top-five 16.5/1 e.w. @ IASbet
Australians filled all the places in the top-10 last year, but I don't expect that to be repeated this year. It may be a new venue, but the Nationwide Tour contingent is stronger than ever before and is getting more used to travelling. Veazey played in both Australasian Tour co-sanctioned events last year, finishing 12th in the New Zealand PGA Championship, and started the year in great form by winning the Panama Championship three weeks ago. It will be a tall ask to win two events in a row, so the place-only option looks the best bet here.
Jon Mills to win 80/1 e.w. @ SkyBet
The place-only odds are not as attractive relative to each-way for Mills, so go each-way here. Very similar to Veazey in that he has now has useful experience in this region having finished 12th in New Zealand last year - though he had been 2nd after both the 1st and 2nd rounds - and he is in good form at the moment having finished 2nd behind Veazey in Panama last month.
Greg Chalmers to win 20/1 e.w. @ SkyBet and IASbet
As the winner of the last event to be played at Royal Adelaide, the 1998 Australian Open, Chalmers can certainly claim the best course form in this field and should benefit from home advantage at this early stage of the year. A PGA Tour player until last year, he finished 2004 with a 2nd place finish in the MasterCard Masters and closed with a final round 64 last week in New Zealand to display some form. There are no obvious winners from the home contingent, but Chalmers looks to be the best of them.
Vance Veazey to finish in the top-five 16.5/1 e.w. @ IASbet
Australians filled all the places in the top-10 last year, but I don't expect that to be repeated this year. It may be a new venue, but the Nationwide Tour contingent is stronger than ever before and is getting more used to travelling. Veazey played in both Australasian Tour co-sanctioned events last year, finishing 12th in the New Zealand PGA Championship, and started the year in great form by winning the Panama Championship three weeks ago. It will be a tall ask to win two events in a row, so the place-only option looks the best bet here.
Jon Mills to win 80/1 e.w. @ SkyBet
The place-only odds are not as attractive relative to each-way for Mills, so go each-way here. Very similar to Veazey in that he has now has useful experience in this region having finished 12th in New Zealand last year - though he had been 2nd after both the 1st and 2nd rounds - and he is in good form at the moment having finished 2nd behind Veazey in Panama last month.
