Bear In Mind

Thank goodness for future bets last week as Day saved the… day… and brought us into the black for the tournament. A few quick picks for the Honda Classic:

• Charl Schwartzel (even) over Scott
• Charles Howell III (-140) over Watney
• Keegan Bradley (-105) over Z. Johnson

ETA: My local offshore bookie has conveniently posted top 10 odds for this tournament, so let’s gamble. Lee Westwood (+425) has hit that mark 3 of the past 4 years here and I don’t see that trend changing this week. Want a dark horse? Try Jupiter, FL resident Will MacKenzie (+550) who’s been quietly killing it as of late and has a little bit of a track record here (T5 2009, T12 2010). Also considered Rickie Fowler (+260) and GMac (+205) but the prices aren’t right.

Nicklaus’ Trap

The tour kicks off the Florida Swing this weekend at PGA National. Jack Nicklaus led the redesign in 1990 that added the infamous “Bear Trap” whose holes have a major impact on the tournament. Expect a winning score at or just below 10 under as the players battle the hardest course outside major championships on tour. On to the picks:

Ben Crane (-125) vs. Allenby

Ricky Barnes (-110) vs. Holmes

Justin Rose (-115) vs. McDowell

Entering the Bear Trap

The tour kicks off the Florida Swing this week, and the first stop is PGA National and its infamous Bear Trap for the Honda Classic.  The Nicklaus design was the toughest non-major course for 2010, and the scores probably won’t be going down this time around even with a stacked international field.  Here are some picks for the weekend:

• Singh | 20:1 – Playing his best golf in years and a T4 here last year.
• Allenby | 25:1 – He likes fast boats. Oh, and a he’s had a few top 5s since the move to PGA National.
• Yang | 40:1 – Past winner and showed form last week.
• Jacobson (-135) vs. Wi – Back to back top six finishes here and playing well.  Don’t see him toppling this field, but I want coin on him somehow.