The Players Championship at Sawgrass - Stan James oped

It's that time of year again.....park the derriere in the armchair, put your feet up and enjoy the spectacle of a host of pampered golfers quivering in their Footjoys as they tee up on the 17th at Sawgrass. The pleasure is almost perverse but exhilirating nonetheless. All the pain and angst of your average weekend golfer is channeled into warped revenge at the thought that a golfer, despite playing 70 holes of perfect golf, can blow it all with just two holes to go. Quite simply....you're not safe until you get through the 17th and we know it. Welcome to the Players Championship and Stan James have a host of great markets to add to the excitement. They call it the Fifth Major. The prestigious event is the first big tournament of the golfing calendar and it attracts big crowds, blanket television coverage and not surprisingly all of the Top 50 golfers in the world. It also has one of the biggest purses as well. Its popularity with golfing fans is due in part to one particular hole, the 17th. Dubbed the most famous hole in golf by some, it is a par three of just 137 yards. The difference, and the reason it is so intimidating, is that the green juts out from a large lake to form an island. The players have to play from the other side of the lake and land their ball onto this island. Ordinarily it shouldn't be a problem for seasoned professionals, but with a huge baying crowd encircling the lake and a swirling and unpredictable wind, it can become a nightmare. If you arrive at the 17th with a one shot lead on the final day, it can become your worst ever nightmare. The lake looks awful big, the green looks awful small and perversely, you can sense that the crowd just want to see your ball meet a watery grave. It's great theatre, and you don't have to be a golf fan to enjoy it. Holes in One are few and far between here, but when they happen....the whole place goes absolutely mental. This year's event promises to be a real cracker, because the race to be the World's Number One is already brewing up nicely. The Big Four....Vijay Singh, Tiger, Ernie Els and the darling of the US of A, Phil Mickelson, are all performing out of their skin at the moment. Play well here and your chances in The Masters in two weeks time will increase threefold. The Big Guns need no reminding. We love the event at Stan James. We like to think of ourselves as the golfing bookmaker. Invariably first up with prices we pride ourselves in giving the golfing fan plenty to bet on during the four days. In addition to the many betting opportunities below we will be betting In-Running throughout the four days. At any time day or night you'll be able to back who you fancy when it suits you. Outright Market - Win or Each Way at ¼ odds the first FIVE places. Top Ten Finish - Every single player has a price for them to finish in the Top Ten Bismarcks - Enhanced win only prices on a selection of golfersFinishing Positions - We highlight six players and you can bet on where they will finish in the fieldTo Make the Cut - We pick twenty golfers and you can bet on whether or not they survive to the weekend.Limited Handicap - We pick sixteen of the top players and you can bet on players getting shots off the others.Top Nationalities - We bet on Top USA Player, Top European, Top Australasian, and Top Rest of the World Player 72 Hole Match Bets - We pick two players and the highest finisher wins72 Hole Group Bets - We pick groups of five players and the highest finisher winsSpecial Bets - We'll have a host of special bets focusing on players or the famous 17th! Hole In One at the 17th - It's happened alot of times but will it this year?So who do we feel is going to do well this week. Well the Big Four all have obvious chances, but there are 143 other players in the field. Horses For Courses Of the Big Four, Woods easily has the best record in the last five years, and is 33 under par for the combined five starts at Sawgrass. The best of the Europeans has to be Padraig Harrington who has finished runner up in the last two years and is 19 under par in his last four times here. Old Grisly Guts himself, Scott Hoch has a very good record here, but you suspect his form isn't that good at the moment. Kenny Perry, a winner last week also has a great record at Sawgrass. Others who love the course are Davis Love, Jerry Kelly, Tom Lehman, Robert Allenby and Nick Price. Form PlayersCasey could also be a runner here, finishing tenth last year and coming off a win in China, but something tells me the stick he'll get might affect him. It's his first big test in front of a raucous US crowd after his much publicised comments and he'll have to handle the pressure well. Kenny Perry has obvious chances as well as David Toms who is currently 4th in the US Money list. Adam Scott won the event last year and his form this year is also very good. Justin Leonard, M-A Jimenez, Chad Campbell, Stuart Appleby and Craig Parry all have winning form this year, whereas Sergio Garcia, Retief Goosen, Darren Clarke and Mike Weir are all simmering in the background. OutsidersFrom the seasoned Pro's Fred Funk, Jay Haas, Craig Parry, Jeff Sluman and Loren Roberts all have the experience and good course form to put in a good show this week and will get great support from the galleries. Graeme McDowell, Luke Donald and surprisingly Lee Westwood all have chances to put in a good showing this week for Europe, but the Americans will look at outsiders like Zach Johnson, Stewart Cink, Kevin Sutherland and Frank Lickliter. Whatever happens it will be a rollercoaster ride on Sunday. There is just something about this tournament that raises the blood pressure. With water everywhere it adds a touch of excitement and along with the crowds and the sheer quality of the field it promises to be every bit as good as it's cracked up to be. Go to Stan James now and get a free twenty five pound bet!