Mercedes-Benz Championship - Live on Setanta

[FC Basher]

About the players taking part this week
Player
Cameron Beckman Frys.com Open Beckman, who ranked 176th on the money list and 447th in the Official World Golf Ranking, had already filled out his application for q-school when he came to Scottsdale. He started the final round three shots off the pace and was four back when he made the turn. But Beckman birdied five of his next seven holes to get into a playoff that he won with a par on the second extra hole. The 38-year-old didn't make the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup but was 82nd on the money list and earned a two-year exemption for his win.
K.J. Choi Sony Open in Hawaii Choi won his seventh PGA TOUR event despite a 1-over 71 in blustery conditions. He led by four entering the final round and beat Rory Sabbatini by three. Choi, who had five top-10s, went on to finish 10th in the FedExCup.
Daniel Chopra Mercedes-Benz Championship Chopra closed with a 66 and beat Steve Stricker with a 25-foot birdie putt on the fourth extra hole at Kapalua. The victory was the only top-10 of the season for Chopra, who went on to finish 102nd in the FedExCup.
Stewart Cink Travelers Championship Only Tiger Woods was hotter than Cink early in the year as he posted six top-10s in his first nine starts. One of those was a lopsided loss to Woods in the finale of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, though, while Cink was his own worst enemy in closing with a 74 at the PODS Championship to tie for second. Cink got the job done at TPC River Highlands, though, with a final-round 67 that enabled him to hold off Tommy Armour III and Hunter Mahan by a stroke. Cinks win broke a four-year victory drought and he went on to finish 20th in the FedExCup.
Ernie Els The Honda Classic The Big Easy ended a PGA TOUR victory drought of nearly four years as he shot a final-round 67 to come from three strokes off the pace and beat Luke Donald by one shot. The win was one of five top-10s for Els, who was 13th in the FedExCup despite playing just 16 events.
Brian Gay Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun It took 293 starts only 12 champions have needed more as Brian Gay finally picked up his first PGA TOUR win. Gay led by five entering the final round and shot 69 to beat Steve Marino by two. Gay won a career-best $2.2 million and finished 46th in the FedExCup.
J.B. Holmes FBR Open Holmes birdied the 18th hole twice on Sunday --once to force a playoff and secondly to beat Phil Mickelson with an 8-foot putt after a massive 359-yard drive. The victory was the second for Holmes, who was a Captain's Pick for the Ryder Cup and finished 38th in the FedExCup.
Trevor Immelman The Masters Four months earlier, the young South African was having surgery to remove a benign tumor from his ribcage. Immelman played in the final group and persevered, despite a closing 75, to hold off Tiger Woods by three strokes. Immelman nearly picked up another win at the Stanford St. Jude Classic, losing in a playoff, and finished 16th in the FedExCup.
Ryuji Imada AT&T Classic It was payback time for Imada at the AT&T Classic. In 2007 he had put his approach on the first playoff hole in the water and lost to Zach Johnson. Imada made the most of his second chance in 2008, beating Kenny Perry on the first extra hole as Perrys approach ricocheted off a tree and into the water. Imada finished 25th in the FedExCup and his $3 million nearly equaled his three previous years combined.
Dustin Johnson Turning Stone Resort Championship Johnson couldn't get any traction after starting his rookie year with three top-12s in his first four starts. So prior to the start of the Fall Series he sat down with his coach, and the work paid off quickly when Johnson sank an 8-footer for birdie on the 72nd hole to beat Robert Allenby and win for the first time on TOUR. He finished 117th in the FedExCup and 42nd on the money list.
Zach Johnson Valero Texas Open Johnson won the Masters in 2007, but he didnt make the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup last year. He used the time wisely, though, rededicating himself to the game and Johnson was rewarded with a two-stroke victory over Charlie Wi, Mark Wilson and Tim Wilkinson. The win, the fourth of his career, was his first on TOUR outside of Georgia. Johnson finished 131st in the FedExCup and 53rd on the money list.
Richard S. Johnson U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee The slender Swede made birdie on three of his last four holes to shoot 64 on Sunday and win his first PGA TOUR event by a shot over Ken Duke. Johnson, who had started the final round one shot off the pace, entered the tournament ranked 221st in the FedExCup but went on to finish 77th.
Anthony Kim Wachovia Championship, AT&T Championship Kim's first two PGA TOUR victories came in decidedly different fashion. He shot a 69 on Sunday and cruised to a five-stroke victory at the Wachovia Championship, breaking Tiger Woods 72-hole scoring record in the process. Kim trailed by three entering the final round at Congressional Country Club but made up the deficit -- and then some -- with a final-round 65 that gave him a two-shot win over Fredrik Jacobson. Kim, who is the first American since Woods to win twice before turning 25, went on to play in his first Ryder Cup and finished fourth in the FedExCup.
Greg Kraft Puerto Rico Open presented by Banco Popular The inaugural tournament in Puerto Rico marked Kraft's first official TOUR victory in 379 starts. (He won the 1993 Deposit Guaranty Classic played opposite the Masters). Kraft, who beat Bo Van Pelt and Jerry Kelly by one, had two other top-10s and finished 125th in the FedExCup.
Justin Leonard Stanford St. Jude Championship Elvis may have left the building, but Leonard has certainly found Memphis to his liking. The Texan closed with a 68 and then make a 19-foot birdie putt on the second extra hole to beat Trevor Immelman and Robert Allenby. The victory was Leonard's second at the TPC Southwind in three years and helped him finish eighth in the FedExCup.
Davis Love III Children's Miracle Network Classic presented by Wal-Mart Love earned a lifetime exemption on the PGA TOUR when he picked up his 20th TOUR victory. He scrambled for clutch pars on the last two holes to close with an 8-under 64 and hold off Tommy Gainey by a stroke. Love, who made 14 birdies and an eagle over his final 36 holes, had started the final round two strokes behind the leaders. Love, who did not qualify for the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, had four finishes among the top 11 during the Fall Series. He finished 48th on the money list.
Steve Lowery AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Lowery came from three strokes off the pace with a 70 to force a playoff with Vijay Singh that he won with a birdie on the first extra hole. Lowery, whose three TOUR wins all have necessitated extra holes, lasted two Playoff events and finished 102nd in the FedExCup.
The last time MacKenzie played in the Mercedes-Benz Championship he mentioned the number of his hotel room on TV and made lots of new friends, as a result. He's married and a father now, and presumably much more savvy as he returns after beating his good friend Marc Turnesa and Brian Gay on the second extra hole. MacKenzie, who did not make the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, went on to finish 114th on the money list and owns a two-year exemption thanks to the win.
Parker McLachlin Legends Reno-Tahoe Open McLachlin made his only birdie Sunday on the 72nd hole on the way to a seven-stroke victory over Brian Davis and John Rollins. There were some anxious moments for the first-time winner, though, when Davis closed to four strokes with seven holes to play. McLachlin, who tied the course record with a 62 in the second round, finished 107th in the FedExCup.
Geoff Ogilvy World Golf Championships-CA Championship Ogilvy didn't think nine pars would do it, but he still came back on Monday and managed to hold off a star-studded field, beating Retief Goosen, Vijay Singh and Jim Furyk by one stroke. The Aussie, who won for the fourth time, finished 32nd in the FedExCup.
Sean O'Hair PODS Championship O'Hair was the only player in the field to break par in all four rounds in windy conditions as he won his second TOUR event. O'Hair closed with a 69 to make up three strokes on Stewart Cink and beat him and five others by two. He topped $2 million for the second time in his career and was 75th in the FedExCup.
Kenny Perry the Memorial Tournament presented by Morgan Stanley, Buick Open, John Deere Classic Perry won three tournaments for the third time in his career. Those victories came in five starts as he made a successful push for the U.S. Ryder Cup Team to play in the matches in his native Kentucky. The first win was at the Memorial, where Perry joined Tiger Woods as the only three-time winners with a closing 69 for a two-stroke edge. He fired a final-round 66 at the Buick Open and then retreated to the range to wait before victory was assured as Woody Austin three-putted the 72nd hole and Bubba Watson was unable to make the tying birdie there. Perry's final victory, the 12th of his workman-like career, came with a tap-in par on the first playoff hole after Brad Adamonis and Jay Williamson had both found the water. Perry finished 15th in the FedExCup.
Ryan Palmer Ginn sur Mer Classic Palmer won his second PGA TOUR event despite having to call a penalty on himself at the 10th hole on Sunday when his ball moved at address. He made bogey there and a double bogey on No. 11, but earned the victory with a 10-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to hold off Michael Letzig, George McNeill, Nicholas Thompson, Ken Duke and Vaughn Taylor. Palmer finished 94th in the FedExCup and 68th on the money list.
Carl Pettersson Wyndham Championship Carl Pettersson went to high school in Greensboro and served on the board of the Wyndham Championship so his win at Sedgefield Country Club was particularly sweet. Pettersson entered the final round with a two-stroke lead over Scott McCarron and maintained it with a closing 68. The victory was Pettersson's third and helped propel him to a No. 21 finish in the FedExCup.
Chez Reavie RBC Canadian Open Reavie was a wire-to-wire winner at Canada's national championship -- one of four rookies and 12 first-time champs on TOUR in 2008. The accurate Arizona State grad shot 70 in the final round and beat Billy Mayfair by three shots. He finished 57th in the FedExCup and lasted through the first three Playoff events.
Andres Romero Zurich Classic of New Orleans The young Argentine had to wait nearly three hours for his first TOUR win. He finished off a third-round 65 on Sunday morning and shot 68 in the afternoon to finish at 13 under, beating Peter Lonard by one. Romero, who passed the time talking with friends and downloading music, went on to earn PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year honors.
Adam Scott EDS Byron Nelson Championship Yes, he blew a three-stroke lead in the final round. But Scott was tough when it counted -- making birdie the final hole to force a playoff with Ryan Moore and then winning with a 48-footer for birdie on the third extra hole. The win was the sixth for Scott, who went on to place 47th in the FedExCup.
Vijay Singh World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, The Barclays, Deutsche Bank Championship Singh had a very un-Vijay-like year before winning three times in a five-tournament stretch that all-but-staked him to the FedExCup title. Singh overcame some shaky putting at Firestone to shoot 68 and beat Lee Westwood and Stuart Appleby by one to start the streak. After an attitude adjustment of sorts, Singh entered the Playoffs convinced he was the best putter in the world -- and it showed. He birdied the 72nd hole to get into a playoff with Sergio Garcia and Kevin Sutherland at The Barclays, then matched Garcia with a 26-footer on the first extra hole and won with a two-putt birdie on the second. The win at Ridgewood Country Club put Singh on top of the FedExCup standings where he would remain. Singh then rolled in birdie putts of 35, 60 and 35 feet on the back nine Sunday at the Deutsche Bank Championship en route to a 63 that enabled him to overtake Mike Weir and win for the 34th time in his career.
D.J. Trahan Bob Hope Chrysler Classic Trahan made up a four-stroke deficit with a 65 on Sunday to overtake Justin Leonard and win his second PGA TOUR event. Trahan, who also tied for fourth at the U.S. Open, was 24th in the FedExCup and played in THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola for the first time.
Marc Turnesa Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open Turnesa proved that playoff loss at the Viking Classic was no fluke as he took a wire-to-wire victory in Las Vegas a month later. The N.C. State product closed with a 68 to beat Matt Kuchar by one stroke. He didn't make the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup but ended up 81st on the money list.
Camilo Villegas BMW Championship, THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola Villegas picked up the first two TOUR victories of his career in consecutive weeks against top-notch competition. The young Colombian held off Jim Furyk and Anthony Kim at Bellerive Country Club to pick up his first win -- which came in his 86th start, as he beat Dudley Hart -- who birdied the last two holes, by a pair. Villegas second win came after he made up a five-stroke deficit with six birdies in his final 11 holes and beat Sergio Garcia with a par on the first extra hole at THE TOUR Championship. He finished second, by 551 points, to Vijay Singh in the FedExCup.
Johnson Wagner Shell Houston Open Wagner had missed the cut in six of the nine events he had played when he came to Houston. He opened with a 63, then held the second - and third-round leads, on the way to a two-stroke win over Chad Campbell and Geoff Ogilvy. The win was his only top-10 of the season, but Wagner finished 60th in the FedExCup.
Boo Weekley Verizon Heritage This one was easier than the first. Weekley, who chipped in on the last two holes when he won at Harbour Town in 2007, took a three-stroke victory over Anthony Kim and Aaron Baddeley in his title defense. Weekley, who finished 33rd in the FedExCup, also played his way onto the Ryder Cup team.
The Plantation Course at Kapalua Resort
Course Par Value: 73
Course Yardage: 7411
Previous winners
1994 Phil Mickelson 276 Fred Couples 276
1995 Steve Elkington 278 Bruce Lietzke 278
1996 Mark O'Meara 271 Nick Faldo 274
1996 Scott Hoch 274
1997 Tiger Woods 202 Tom Lehman 202
1998 Phil Mickelson 271 Mark O'Meara 272
1998 Tiger Woods 272
1999 David Duval 266 Billy Mayfair 275
1999 Mark O'Meara 275
2000 Tiger Woods 276 Ernie Els 276
2001 Jim Furyk 274 Rory Sabbatini 275
2002 Sergio Garcia 274 David Toms 274
2003 Ernie Els 261 K.J. Choi 269
2003 Rocco Mediate 269
2004 Stuart Appleby 270 Vijay Singh 271
2005 Stuart Appleby 271 Jonathan Kaye 272
2006 Stuart Appleby 284 Vijay Singh 284
2007 Vijay Singh 278 Adam Scott 280
2008 Daniel Chopra 274 Steve Stricker 274
Maket leaders
Vijay Singh 5.50 Bet
Ernie Els 9.00 Bet
Anthony Kim 9.00 Bet
Camilo Villegas 12.00 Bet
Geoff Ogilvy 15.00 Bet
Adam Scott 17.00 Bet
Kenny Perry 21.00 Bet
K.J. Choi 21.00 Bet
Stewart Cink 23.00 Bet
Trevor Immelman 26.00 Bet
Davis Love 26.00 Bet
Justin Leonard 29.00 Bet
Andres Romero 31.00 Bet
Boo Weekley 34.00 Bet
Zach Johnson 34.00 Bet
Sean O'Hair 36.00 Bet
J.B. Holmes 36.00 Bet
Carl Pettersson 41.00 Bet
Ryuji Imada 46.00 Bet
Daniel Chopra 51.00 Bet

[FC Basher]

Ok we know that big and better things are expected by Villegas and Kim,but im going for a couple of players that have played well here,Immelman 3rs in 2007 shooting -9 and Cink who doesnt play this event to often why I dont know shooting -11 in 2001 and -18 in 2005.

Suggested bets
Winner Market
Immelman @ 26 best priced
Cink @ 26 best priced

2pts e/w on each

[TopDog]

Good Luck

Best Match bet is with Coral on Kim to beat Perry @ 8-13

As Perry looked pretty golfed out in Tigers tournament before christmas

[TopDog]

After Round 1

Kim trails Perry by 3 shots

[TopDog]

After Round 2

Kim and Perry are tied

[Beanie]

Merc Benz system picks:

2pts Els @ 4.70
1pt Trahan @ 9.40
1pt Kim @ 9.60

[FC Basher]

Missed all the prices on the live bets,they have all been cut 3.75,7.5 and 9.0. but im on,good luck with yours TopDog.

[TopDog]

After Round 3

Kim and Perry remain tied on - 12

[Beanie]

Well that's that then. Never can seem to get it to work for the PGA(but will keep trying )

[TopDog]

Originally Posted by TopDog

Good Luck

Best Match bet is with Coral on Kim to beat Perry @ 8-13

As Perry looked pretty golfed out in Tigers tournament before christmas

Kim beats Perry by 3 shots

[FC Basher]

Well done TopDog