The Stan James Reno Tahoe Open Preview

The regular US Tour heads to Reno, Nevada for The Reno Tahoe Open. There is no doubt that this event suffers from its placement in the schedule and unfortunately it never gets live coverage. It's a pity because the Montreux Course is set in some fantastic scenery. It is a mixture of desert and pine forest and is very quirky. The 15th, 16th and 17th are quaintly named "The Bear Trap". It is a Par 72 and is 7,473 yards long, but temper this length with the fact that it is played at altitude and hence the ball travels a lot further through the air. The weather, especially on the weekend is set to be fine.Last year Vaughn Taylor won in a play-off from Scott McCarron, Steve Allan and Hunter Mahan, and this collection of players illustrates how wide open this event appears. Dig a little deeper though and there are some players who have very good records in the gambling town. Scott McCarron at 25/1 has finished in the top ten in three out of the past four years. He'll look around him and is certain to see a chance to get back in the winners enclosure. Tim Herron at 20's also has a solid record here and Duffy Waldorf will be out to erase the disappointment of not making the NEC field. At 28/1 he will give you a run for your hard earned cash.There are a lot of journeymen in this event but the winners tend to have something about them. Chris Riley, Scott Verplank, Kirk Triplett and John Cook have all been victorious, along with Vaughn Taylor, in the last five years. Winners here tend to have a good track record in the game and are not out and out newcomers. I have a hunch that Jerry Kelly could be in for a good week. He had a good USPGA and at 20/1 he seems good value. The last time he played here was in 2001 and he came second.The rewards for winning this are great as it is an official tour event with all the exemptions and kickbacks. With the big boys away at Firestone there's a lot up for grabs. It is about separating the wheat from the chaff.