Bet for free on the MCI Heritage tournament

It may not quite set the pulse racing in the way that the US Masters invariably does, and did so in wonderful style over the weekend just passed, but the MCI Heritage, this week's PGA Tour event certainly ranks among one of the senior tournaments in the schedule. The fundamental reason for this is a superb golf course, and a course which tests shot making over sheer brawn. This event always ranks as one of the player's favourites, and the idyllic setting at Harbour Town makes it easy to see why. It is the closest thing to a Links course that the competitors have seen this term, slotting perfectly into a largely serene piece of South Carolina coastline, the 18th green famously guarded by the red and white stripes of the Hilton Head lighthouse.It is a course with subtle nuances, and as such it is not surprising that some players tend to frequently do well here. Davis Love is the man who virtually holds the keys to Harbour Town after winning five times, and he also has a further quintet of top tens to his name. However, although still residing well within the world's top 20, Love has not been at his best for most of the last 12 months. The cut was missed at the Masters last week for only the 4th time in his career and we are not especially interested in backing the 42 year old (on Wednesday) at 14/1 This price puts him behind one man in the odds lists, and that is defending champion Stewart Cink. As well as winning last year, Cink also took the tartan jacket in 2000 and so the horses for courses theory looks to be very true, especially when regarding two further top tens since that first title just five years ago.As a fantastic iron player, it is not surprising that the 31 year old fares well approaching the small Harbour Town greens, and he also brings some decent form with him. Four solid rounds left him in 20th at the Masters, and three times this year he has come inside the top five. There is no doubting his suitability to the venue, or his ability to compete to the end, as evidenced by the four PGA titles. The last of these was the most prestigious, the WGC-NEC invitational, and it was a victory which secured involvement in the Ryder Cup for the second time. 12/1 is not a bad price for a favourite, and we are happy to make him our headline selection.Darren Clarke leads the way for Europe and is quoted at 20/1. So much depends on the Ulsterman's mood with putter in hand however, and until we see more consistency in this department we are not going to get involved at this sort of price.One man who would seem to have the perfect game to combat this set up is the ever-steady fairway finding machine that is Fred Funk. As usual, Funk tops the Tour for driving accuracy with jut a touch under 80% being found, and on the tight tree lined holes at Harbour Town this ought to be invaluable.It certainly was at the Players Championship last month which, although on a more generous layout, the ability to put the ball in the right place from the tee substantially eases the challenge when approaching the putting surfaces.He took the title at Sawgrass, undoubtedly the biggest achievement of his career. Not too much should be read into a missed cut at the Masters, especially as the course was very wet for the two days in which he competed, meaning his lack of distance was a massive impediment. Funk has not skipped this tournament since 1991, and only once has missed the cut. Last year for example he arrived in a poor run of form but ended up 6th. With high confidence on his side, we feel that 50/1 is an excellent offering.Zach Johnson may only be in his second season on Tour, as compared to Funk who is in his 17th, but the future looks very bright for the 29 year old. He already has one trophy on his mantelpiece, the 2004 Bellsouth Classic, and appears to be going from strength to strength.A missed cut in his debut at the Masters was no disgrace, and may have been fairly welcome after playing solidly for four weeks in a row. His results in this period were 26th (Bellsouth), 8th (Bay Hill), 8th (Players Champs) and 3rd (Doral). He also fits the mould of being more accurate than powerful and we believe it is only a matter of time before he adds to his title haul. 33/ is available for the man who successfully made the cut in his first appearance 12 months ago and looks ever more composed in high company.Betting Verdict3 pts Stewart Cink to win at 12/1 1 pt Zach Johnson each way at 33/1 1 pt Fred Funk each way at 50/1