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GOLF: Lesser Lights To Battle for Buick Championship

June 29, 2006
by BetWWTS.com

Hartford deserves better.

Being called "The Insurance Capital of the World" isn't terribly uplifting. Watching the Carolina Hurricanes (nee Hartford Whalers) win the first Stanley Cup in franchise history was a kick in the gut. Now Connecticutters have to endure Year Three of the Buick Championship, formerly the popular Greater Hartford Open.

This event has been sponsored in the past by Canon and the late Sammy Davis Jr., but retained the Greater Hartford part of the name until Buick came along in 2004. Now the event is indistinguishable from the Buick Invitational and the Buick Open. At least St. Paul Travelers has signed on to take over sponsorship in 2007. Meanwhile, this year's version has an unusually weak field. The French Open is attracting the best European Tour golfers, and most of the top names on the PGA Tour are taking a siesta after the grueling U.S. Open at Winged Foot.

The Buick Championship's lower profile in recent years has made the TPC River Highlands in Cromwell a great place for veteran golfers to get their collective groove back. Each of the last three winners - Peter Jacobsen, Woody Austin and defending champion Brad Faxon - ended long Tour droughts with their victories. The older generation gets a big assist from the course. At just 6,820 yards and par-70, River Highlands is one of the shortest courses on the Tour.

Because of the relatively weak lineup, the role of "favorite" is being played by two golfers who are priced at +2000: Stewart Cink and Trevor Immelman. Cink won this event in 1997 as a rookie and is currently ranked 45th on the Tour's money list. That's a considerable dip from his fifth-place finish in 2004. Immelman is ranked 14th in PGA earnings after the South African decided to spend less time on the European Tour. His short game is an excellent fit for River Highlands.

Faxon is well down the odds list at +5000. This is his 23rd trip to River Highlands, and he's only placed in the Top 10 three times. Last year's trip saw Faxon barely make the cut before storming back with a final-round 61 to force a playoff and eventually win his eighth career Tour event. He's yet to crack the Top 10 on the Tour this year, either, missing the cut at five of 15 events including this past week's Booz Allen Classic.

Ben Curtis ended up winning that event, which featured a field so weak, Booz Allen isn't coming back to sponsor next year's festivities. But at least Paddy Harrington was there; he's in France this week. Curtis, meanwhile, is +4000 to double up at River Highlands. He had to wait until Tuesday to finish off the rain-soaked Classic; two others who are making the abbreviated turnaround from Potomac to Cromwell are Nick O'Hern (+2500) and Daniel Chopra (part of the field at +200).

Arguably the biggest name participating at the Buick Championship is Justin Leonard (+4000). The 1997 British Open champion has good accuracy and an outstanding short game, but this hasn't been his year. Leonard is way down at No. 82 in the money standings after missing the cut at the U.S. Open and failing to register a Top 20 finish since February. Still, provided he's of sound mind and body, River Highlands should be to his liking.

Pretty much every golfer competing at Cromwell this week is a value pick, but if you look way down at the bottom of the odds list, you'll see Justin Rose slumming at +6600. It doesn't seem like too long ago that Rose was one of the sport's up-and-coming young golfers, winning four times on the European Tour in 2002 and getting as high as No. 33 in the world rankings. Then he decided to play full-time on the PGA Tour. That hasn't worked out so well, but it should be noted that Rose finished third at the 2005 Buick Championship after leading through three rounds.

Other notable names on the odds list are Kenny Perry (+2500), Scott Verplank (+3300) and Fred Funk (+4000). Selecting the field at +200 will also get you such veterans as Corey Pavin, Joey Sindelar, Kirk Triplett, Bob Tway and Paul Azinger. If the Buick is truly about resurrecting careers, there are plenty of golfers in the field looking for the Lazarus touch. The fun gets underway on Thursday at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time with USA Network handling early-round coverage. ABC will check in on Saturday and Sunday.