The real golf season starts here?

The expat romantic in me can't get over years of watching the PGA Championship from Wentworth. It's the start proper of the UK sporting summer, usually followed by the first Lords test and then before you know it, we're into the Open championship, the greatest tournament in golf. Wentworth is almost as famous as Augusta to the Brits and has the same telegenic qualities, beautiful, challenging and best of all, with two par fives to finish.

This year's field boasts eight (count em) major winners, although that does include Ben Curtis and Paul Lawrie and this year the course has been tweaked (is nothing sacred?) by none other than Theodore Ernest Els. Which is why it's a shame that they are having a terrible spell of bad weather at the moment and this week looks no better. Starting on a Friday, the tournament organisers are hoping that the clouds will at least have cleared by the weekend.

All our tips this week are people who have been brought up playing golf in really crap conditions. Step forward the massed ranks of Celtic golfers!

We really like Darren Clarke's chances this week. After his much publicised honesty (and a six at the last that cost him a home win), it would be instant karma if the golfing gods let hin win here. Of course he's got the game, he knows the course as he's got a house there (as have half the field), and whilst he's not a generous price, he'll be there on the last day.

You'll get much bigger odds on a US Tour player who grew up in one of the world's rainiest towns. Recently back on the European circuit, Philip Price is from Pontypridd, famous for being the birthplace of Tom Jones and goal kicking machine Neil Jenkins and easily the wettest place I have ever lived. Pricey had a tough time in the USA after doing brilliantly at tour school and he's ridiculous value at 300/1 with Betfair. He's very solid and might have his eye on a late run towards Ryder Cup points following his singles win over Amy's husband last time round.

We'll not be taking prices on some of the people who have blown winning positions over the last few weeks, especially Scott and Immelman, who are both being tipped by some of our competitors, but we might have a few bob on old favourite Monty if we can get three figure odds. We'll be looking to back all three to finish in the first ten. Friday start, don't forget. Hope it blows a gale!

Show me the money (at last)

Well it's been a while since we tipped JB at 190/1 and whilst the money won't run out for many, many weeks, it was great to collect on Nathan Green finishing in the top 10 last week. Betfair offered a very generous 20/1 in a poor field and whilst we were disappointed not to collect on the 370/1 bet we laid for him to win, a win is indeed "a win".

After seeing another huge outsider end up as last man standing whilst all around him chucked the tournament away, this week we'll be focusing on the beautiful West Course at Wentworth, rather than try to pick a winner from the worst field of the US Tour for years. Stay tuned for an update and news from the course.

The loneliness of the long price punter?

Winless again. Just like the so called favourites of the last few weeks (months!) we're struggling to find any form lines in this crazy world of $6MILLION purses for tournaments where none of the worl'd top five bother to turn up. Whilst Weitterich, Couch et al help themselves to the gazillions of dollars on offer, our list of people who "can't win" continues to grow. What's Adam Scott's excuse? Immelman? They're both off our list for a while...

This week we go to Texas. The Colonial has one weird formline, in that it's often won by what we could call ahem "older players". Kenny Perry has won here twice in the last three years, last year winning by seven shots. He must be backed, even though it might seem like a bit of a pyrrhic victory (down the stretch he was battling against Billy Mayfair and Joe Durant) as a seven shot win over course and distance is not to be sniffed at.

Fred Couples missed the cut last week but he shot 72, 70, so that's hardly a tragic two days at the office. He always plays well in Texas and we can't resist him in a field like this.

It was good to see Brian Davis shoot 65 on the last day at the Byron Nelson, but he's not here this week. Still think he'll be our next J B Holmes!

The rest of the field is a lottery so we're going to change tack and start playing with Betfair's fabulous offer of paying out on a top ten finish. (Ideal for when you want to back Adam Scott next time after 54 holes). We've taken odds of between 8 and 10 to 1 about Fred Couples (old) and Camillo Villegas (not old) and huge odds about three of our favourites, Nathan Green (winner), Rich Beem (the new John Daly) and best of all, last year's tied sixth, Scott Hend. He's 530/1 to win with betfair, so we couldn't help ourselves.

Three weeks till the US Open. Promise we'll take it all more seriously by then...Go Hendy!

Jim Furyk favourite?

Gritty, Gutsy, other words starting with "G", all being used by journo's all over the world to describe Jim Furyk's 11th tour win at the Wachovia (it's a bank!) last week. We're never surprised to see Jim Furyk win but we're definitely a little taken aback to see that he is favourite to back up at this week at the Byron Nelson. Favourite? With that swing?...

We've been away but we're back (back!) and shedding few tears about missing Chris Couch (who he) and his maiden win on tour. Well done Chris. Goodness knows how much dosh we would have wasted assuming you'd blow it down the stretch. Phew.

This week we're on familiar territory at the Byron Nelson, one of the tour's most regular venues. Unlike previous years this years field hasn't attracted the top five in the money list (hence Furyk being favourite) but despite stellar fields every year, this is a tournament with more than a smattering of surprise winners. From Ted Purdy's maiden win last year (1 from 172) to Robert Damron gifting the 2004 prize to Sergio in a play off, this tournament has also seen Shigeiki Maruyama's finest hour, so I guess we'll be ripping the form book up. Again.

If there is one thing you can say about winners of this tournament, they're probably hitting it straighter than average and they'd need to shoot 15 under or better to win. Stuart Appleby flew out of the gates last year with an opening 63, proving that low scores are out there and both Singh and Purdy, the eventual winner shot 65 on the final afternoon.

Whenever someone asks for straight, we always lean to Luke Donald. A proven winner on tour, he's an obvious pick and has had the benefit of a few weeks away from the tour. It's a Ryder Cup year and he'll be keen to cement his position in the team, presumably as a captains pick. Currently available at 28/1, good value and we'll be having a few dollars on.

As we will on JB. For 150 good reasons. Yes, we know he's gone off a little since his first win, but again, this is a relatively poor field and he's just so long, any course that rewards length and he has to come into consideration. Go J.B.Holmes. We need the money...