USPGA tips

Well, as always, I have compiled a list of 7 players I think will go well for the final major of 2006. The venue this year for the USPGA is Medinah, which last hosted this tournament back in 1999. It would appear from studying this course that it is a bit of a beast, which has been lengthened since 1999, but also a course where accuracy off the tee will be rewarded. Clearly Woods will go off as very strong favourite, but once again, I won't be tipping him. I get the feeling he won't be using his '2-iron off the tee' tactic as he did in the Open, but will have the driver and 3 wood out a fair bit more due to the different style of course. In 1999, the year he won the USPGA at this very venue, he stood at 49th on the PGA tour for driving accuracy, which is pretty respectable when coupled with his excellent distance off the tee, and that was a big key to his success. This year he currently stands at 150th for driving accuracy, and this is where I fancy he may come unstuck, but it all depends on his tactics. Anyway, enough of Tiger, my 7-man shortlist is as follows:

1. Phil Mickelson - It would be true to say I tip this guy for most major tournaments, and I will do once again, purely because of his excellent record in US major championships. The way Mickelson threw away the US Open will have shocked a number of people, especially after his flawless victory in the Masters this year, but I certainly won't let that put me off backing him this week. I think Phil expected to do considerably better in the Open last month after his intense preparation, but his mediocre finish was no real surprise when you look at his record outside of the states. Either way, he will be looking to get one over on Tiger, and if he drives the ball as well as he did at Augusta, I think he has every chance of doing just that.

2. Jim Furyk - Now, I tipped this guy for the Open this year despite his very poor record in that tournament, and he claimed a very respectable 4th position to get me a bit of each-way money for my efforts. With this marked improvement at this event, I see no reason why he can't go one better in a tournament that he has a better historical record. In 1999, Furyk came 8th, which is pretty decent, and his game is in better shape now than it was back then in my opinion. Obviously he is not the biggest of hitters on tour, but this shouldn't concern him too much given his excellent performances at the US Open and the Open on pretty long courses. He is one of the best in the business at keeping the ball on the fairway, which will be handy, and one stat I think will be particularly important this week is scrambling, which will suit Furyk down to the ground.

3. Trevor Immelman - Has impressed many a tipster this year with some great performances on the PGA tour, including victory at the Cialis where he held off Tiger Woods to claim the win. He didn't play the Open as his wife was about to give birth, so he's had a good 6 weeks away from competitive golf, which could be a good or a bad thing, but I fancy this could work to his advantage as he'll be fresh and ready for the challenge. He has good distance off the tee, hits greens a-plenty, and is a decent scrambler, and if you believe in this sort of thing - he now has the 'nappy-factor' to work to his advantage too. So long as Immelman can keep the ball on the fairways, he could well go close this week.

4. Tim Clark - Another South African who I've been a fan of for a while. Now, I could be accused of over-analysing, but there does seem to be a link with a good record at Loch Lomond (venue for Scottish Open) and good a performance at Medinah. Both Monty and Garcia did well here back in 1999 after finishing 1st and 2nd respectively at Loch Lomond a month previously. Over the last few years, Tim Clark has notched a very respectable record at Loch Lomond, and I fancy him to go well this week. As with Furyk, he is not the longest of hitters, but produced a great performance at the lengthened Augusta course earlier this year, and has a very solid overall game.

5. Stephen Ames - Ames is another player who has a very solid all-round game. He won the Players Championship earlier this year in excellent fashion, and, after a quiet few weeks in June and July he seems to be returning to form with a good 15th place in the strong field of the Buick Open recently. Ames is another player who can be found near the top of the scrambling stats, and I think he has a good chance of adding a major title to his CV in the near future, and this week is as good a chance as any.

6. Brett Wetterich - Wetterich has had a very impressive 2006 campaign on the PGA tour. He notched his maiden victory at the Byron Nelson in May, which I think was an important break-through for him. Since the middle of the season when he notched 4 top tens, his form has dipped a little, but great form is not always a pre-requisite for good performances in majors (ask Chris DiMarco who was in shocking form before finishing 2nd at the Open). Wetterich is one of the best ball-strikers on the PGA tour, and although he doesn't have the scrambling proficiency that I'd like, he can make putts, and could raise a few eyebrows this week.

7. Jerry Kelly - This guy is my real outsider for this week. He notched a respectable 26th place last time the USPGA was held here, so he will have the advantage of some decent course knowledge this week, even though the course may look quite different to how it did 7 years ago. Kelly may not scream out at you as a potential major winner, but he is a seasoned campaigner who grinds out some decent finishes year after year on the PGA tour. In addition to his impressive scrambling standing, another thing I've noted is that Kelly is a rather streaky player, and has small bursts of good form here and there. His last competitive outing was an excellent 2nd place in the US Bank, and one hopes this could be the start of another one of his 'streaks'.

Good luck to everyone having a punt this week.