Outright plays (total stake per play: 1pt)
Lorena Ochoa to win 16/1 e.w. @ BetDirect
Ochoa has done everything but win this year, finishing 2nd in the SBS Open after a playoff loss and then 4th in the Fields Open after holding the 1st round lead. There have been two tournaments so far this year and so has set a new tournament record in each of them. And now she returns to Mexico, so expectations levels are incredibly high and she is full of anticipation for this week. Last year, she was saddled with not only being the home player in the first LPGA Tour event in Mexico for 20 years, but was also paired with Annika Sorenstam for the opening two rounds. This time she is not even in the same half of the draw as Annika and that can only be a good thing. Should certainly gain another top-5 finish here.
Natalie Gulbis to win 28/1 e.w. @ BetInternet
Gulbis is the only other LPGA Tour player to have recorded top-5 finishes in the first two events and while she still continues to convert her chances for victory, she has become one of the most consistent players on the f LPGA Tour with 12 top-10 finishes last year. She was in the top-10 with one round to play last year, but eventually finished 27th when not in particularly good form at the start of 2005. That is very different this year and a repeat of her top-5 finish in her last event in Mexico is much more likely.
Julieta Granada to win 50/1 e.w. available generally
Course form should be important on this hilly course, but Granada has successfully done without that for the last two events and finished 13th and 4th, so there is no reason to expect her not to be competitive this week as well. And the fact that this is a course played at altitude as well as being one of the hilliest courses on the Tour should negate some of her lack of lack off the tee. She has finished so highly on two courses over 6500 yards this year and that is not short by LPGA Tour standards, so these are decent odds with the Tour rookies showing such promise already this season.
Lorena Ochoa to win 16/1 e.w. @ BetDirect
Ochoa has done everything but win this year, finishing 2nd in the SBS Open after a playoff loss and then 4th in the Fields Open after holding the 1st round lead. There have been two tournaments so far this year and so has set a new tournament record in each of them. And now she returns to Mexico, so expectations levels are incredibly high and she is full of anticipation for this week. Last year, she was saddled with not only being the home player in the first LPGA Tour event in Mexico for 20 years, but was also paired with Annika Sorenstam for the opening two rounds. This time she is not even in the same half of the draw as Annika and that can only be a good thing. Should certainly gain another top-5 finish here.
Natalie Gulbis to win 28/1 e.w. @ BetInternet
Gulbis is the only other LPGA Tour player to have recorded top-5 finishes in the first two events and while she still continues to convert her chances for victory, she has become one of the most consistent players on the f LPGA Tour with 12 top-10 finishes last year. She was in the top-10 with one round to play last year, but eventually finished 27th when not in particularly good form at the start of 2005. That is very different this year and a repeat of her top-5 finish in her last event in Mexico is much more likely.
Julieta Granada to win 50/1 e.w. available generally
Course form should be important on this hilly course, but Granada has successfully done without that for the last two events and finished 13th and 4th, so there is no reason to expect her not to be competitive this week as well. And the fact that this is a course played at altitude as well as being one of the hilliest courses on the Tour should negate some of her lack of lack off the tee. She has finished so highly on two courses over 6500 yards this year and that is not short by LPGA Tour standards, so these are decent odds with the Tour rookies showing such promise already this season.
