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BUICK OPEN
WOODY AUSTIN 55 / 1 - Put this pick in the could happen category. It's summer, and Woody's three tour wins have come in the summer when things heat up and he doesn't have to go scuba diving without the gear! He T2nd last year and T7th in 2006 and won the Buick in 1995. He's been at best inconsistent this year missing 4 cuts but does have 2 Top10s (T4th in the Zurich and T5th in the WGC Accenture match play. He missed the cut last week at the Traveler's so he ought to be back with a vengeance this week on a course where he's had success in the past.
JIM FURYK 9 / 1 - Furyk has the best record at Warwick Hills than anyone in the field this week. He's never missed a cut here and has only 1, count 'em, er, it, 1 over-par round in 52 rounds here and has no finish outside of the Top 10 in the last 7 years! He won in 2003, has 8 Top10s in 13 tries and 4 Top6s. Been kind of a downer year for Jimbo but he's still managed 4 Top5 finishes so I'm hoping everybody has overlooked him on their radar screens, but it seems the bookmakers haven't.....even though he is struggling with no wins since the summer of 2007 when he was on a tear.
KENNY PERRY 11 / 1 - Besides Furyk, he's the next best player of record on this course. This WKU Hilltopper has done just that this year, with a win at The Memorial, 2nd by playoff at the AT&T, 3rd at the Bob Hope, and 6th last week at The Travelers. His average finish at The Buick is 24th which ranks him 8th in the field, having won in 2001, and a 10th last season to go along with 11th, 15th, 8th, 29th, 16th and 11th place finishes sandwiched around the victory. Perry is 1st in scoring average (70.32), 1st in scoring average before the cut (69.58) and 2nd in consecutive cuts made with 16.
A small play on FRED FUNK 85 / 1 as well! Fred ranks 6th at The Buick for highest finishes with an average standing of 20.9, and he has 6 Top 10s in 16 starts. Warwick Hills favors straight hitters and the oldest man in the field who splits time on the PGA and Champions tours is 3rd in driving accuracy at 77.02%. He's not long from the tee but also ranks 2nd in GIR from 200 yards at 56%, and 37th in GIR overall at 65.28%, and he's 1st in scrambling from 30 yards in. He missed 4 straight cuts before T37th last week at The Travelers and his ONLY missed cut at The Buick came in his first start in 1989. He's worth a shot at those odds and is dangerous like my 75 year old father-in-law who doesn't hit 'em long but hits 'em down the middle!
WOMEN'S U.S. OPEN
JEONG JANG 16 / 1 - Jang is probably the hottest player on the LPGA Tour right now with 4 Top3 finishes in her last 6 outings...and she only has 5 Top10s on the year! He game fits this "old course" with a traditional country club layout and her 74.4% driving accuracy rating. She's 6th in scoring average at 70.63, and her scorecard from the Wegman's is impressive, with just 2 bogeys all week - both on par 3s - to go with 12 birdies and 1 eagle and she finished in a T3rd.
PAULA CREAMER 25 / 1 - I fully expect Paula to win a major and it very well could be this week. After an opening round of 74 last week at the Wegman's she managed to get her putter under control and finish in a T10th with consecutive rounds in the 60s with 69-68-69 after getting her putter under control. She managed 6 birdies on both the 3rd and 4th rounds after opening with just 1 birdie and 3 bogeys on day one plagued by putting woes. The Wegman's was her 3rd lowest round of the season. She's 5th in scoring average at 70.52, 10th in driving accuracy at 77.9%, 5th in rounds under par, T4th in Birdies, 4th in GIR at 73.6% but putting has been a problem. At times she seems to have Mickelsonitis from 3-5 feet! Keep that in check once again like she did in the latter rounds = her first major win!
WOODY AUSTIN 55 / 1 - Put this pick in the could happen category. It's summer, and Woody's three tour wins have come in the summer when things heat up and he doesn't have to go scuba diving without the gear! He T2nd last year and T7th in 2006 and won the Buick in 1995. He's been at best inconsistent this year missing 4 cuts but does have 2 Top10s (T4th in the Zurich and T5th in the WGC Accenture match play. He missed the cut last week at the Traveler's so he ought to be back with a vengeance this week on a course where he's had success in the past.
JIM FURYK 9 / 1 - Furyk has the best record at Warwick Hills than anyone in the field this week. He's never missed a cut here and has only 1, count 'em, er, it, 1 over-par round in 52 rounds here and has no finish outside of the Top 10 in the last 7 years! He won in 2003, has 8 Top10s in 13 tries and 4 Top6s. Been kind of a downer year for Jimbo but he's still managed 4 Top5 finishes so I'm hoping everybody has overlooked him on their radar screens, but it seems the bookmakers haven't.....even though he is struggling with no wins since the summer of 2007 when he was on a tear.
KENNY PERRY 11 / 1 - Besides Furyk, he's the next best player of record on this course. This WKU Hilltopper has done just that this year, with a win at The Memorial, 2nd by playoff at the AT&T, 3rd at the Bob Hope, and 6th last week at The Travelers. His average finish at The Buick is 24th which ranks him 8th in the field, having won in 2001, and a 10th last season to go along with 11th, 15th, 8th, 29th, 16th and 11th place finishes sandwiched around the victory. Perry is 1st in scoring average (70.32), 1st in scoring average before the cut (69.58) and 2nd in consecutive cuts made with 16.
A small play on FRED FUNK 85 / 1 as well! Fred ranks 6th at The Buick for highest finishes with an average standing of 20.9, and he has 6 Top 10s in 16 starts. Warwick Hills favors straight hitters and the oldest man in the field who splits time on the PGA and Champions tours is 3rd in driving accuracy at 77.02%. He's not long from the tee but also ranks 2nd in GIR from 200 yards at 56%, and 37th in GIR overall at 65.28%, and he's 1st in scrambling from 30 yards in. He missed 4 straight cuts before T37th last week at The Travelers and his ONLY missed cut at The Buick came in his first start in 1989. He's worth a shot at those odds and is dangerous like my 75 year old father-in-law who doesn't hit 'em long but hits 'em down the middle!
WOMEN'S U.S. OPEN
JEONG JANG 16 / 1 - Jang is probably the hottest player on the LPGA Tour right now with 4 Top3 finishes in her last 6 outings...and she only has 5 Top10s on the year! He game fits this "old course" with a traditional country club layout and her 74.4% driving accuracy rating. She's 6th in scoring average at 70.63, and her scorecard from the Wegman's is impressive, with just 2 bogeys all week - both on par 3s - to go with 12 birdies and 1 eagle and she finished in a T3rd.
PAULA CREAMER 25 / 1 - I fully expect Paula to win a major and it very well could be this week. After an opening round of 74 last week at the Wegman's she managed to get her putter under control and finish in a T10th with consecutive rounds in the 60s with 69-68-69 after getting her putter under control. She managed 6 birdies on both the 3rd and 4th rounds after opening with just 1 birdie and 3 bogeys on day one plagued by putting woes. The Wegman's was her 3rd lowest round of the season. She's 5th in scoring average at 70.52, 10th in driving accuracy at 77.9%, 5th in rounds under par, T4th in Birdies, 4th in GIR at 73.6% but putting has been a problem. At times she seems to have Mickelsonitis from 3-5 feet! Keep that in check once again like she did in the latter rounds = her first major win!
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