Oh yes it’s Reno. On its return, the PGA Tour comes back to its least paraded and least traditional event this week at Montreux Country Club for the Reno Tahoe Open. Vaughn Taylor, in the previous year held on to the four-man playoff to triumph in his first victory of the PG Tour. ‘1-iron’ concludes that this start off is only the beginning for the PGA Tour participant holding the lucky cards.

The players have to be long if they wish to return home with a victory form their initial PGA Tour. The Montreux course at Reno is played just a little under seven thousand five hundred yards and Vaughn Taylor’s win is a score of ten under par last year could set the edition for 2005. ‘1-iron’, just a week ago, had a delightful talk on the ‘Too Much Show’ on WFIN in Findlay, Ohio being the subject of ‘Tiger proofing’ the current courses was debated. ‘1-iron’ explained it in the following way:

The supporters would prefer to see a competition such as the MCI Heritage classic, in which the every shot the course makes the players consider. At just below 6,900 yards Harbor Town plays and continuously demands from the players shot-making premiums. By going to 7,400 yards, Augusta plays in ‘Tiger-proofing’s entire opposite manner.’ As players such as Freddie Funk will not to compete successfully on an even playing field, it really begins with something called ‘Funk-proofing’. On Tour, sheer length need not be the sole multiplier, one has to inspect the entire package, and it seems that’s the look of the Tour.        

18 Selections: Odds and Picks 2005 Tahoe Open Odds

1. Daniel Chopra 28/1: A column couldn’t want a better friend. You shouldn’t raise any eyebrows if this week the ‘Big Lamb Chopra’ wins the Reno Tahoe for his first victory at the PGA Tour. Milwaukee at T29, Buick at T12 and International at T15 have been his recent three starts. ‘1-iron’ provided him with a tip regarding Par 3’s at the Colonial and immediately left and missed four or five cuts, nevertheless it’s been easy going the moment he didn’t recall the tip. If he focuses on beginning with the ‘1-iron’ he might keep away from Caesar’s Palace this week.   

2. Todd Hamilton 50/1: In a possible unusual field he is the best participant. At Baltusrol last week he reached T47 after having missed cuts in a row at Castle Pines and at St. Andrews. Against a less heavier field, Ham feels really at home, and is likely to be the one Chopra should be worried about. This could have been a real fight to keep his card so it’s good that Ham maintains his five year British Open exemption.     

3. Craig Barlow 33/1: otherwise known as ‘sweet swinging Craig Barlow’ he’ll be on the course at Reno this week. Following a superb T8 against a wonderful field at the Buick, and a similar fantastic field of T15 at Castle Pines, Bines comes to Reno for his opening visit, and ‘1-iron’ has full faith.

4. Scott McCarron 25/1: At the PGA, Scotty’s gained his last four cuts as well as a T59. At Colorado the week before, he made at the International a T10. In a playoff to ‘Vodka Tonic Vaughn Taylor’ which he lost, he is the runner-up at the 2004 event.

5. Jerry Kelly 22/1: Following a Friday dash at the PGA Championship, the 2001 runner-up comes back. Sadly, the competition closed on Monday and during the weekend the single interesting event was the high-fiver Tiger Woods who at holed at seven. We got a T34 from Kelly after moving into the weekend in second going. To his standards, with more than $780,000 in income and only one Top 10 he’s had a simple year. Nevertheless, this week the B-teamers will be against him.

6. John Rollins 33/1: The Tour’s bright rising star. Playing guitar is one of Rollin’s hobbies. Musical instruments aren’t particular a favorite of ‘1-iron’, however this columnist hopes that Reno will have some of Rollin’s sugary music. Rollins has been pretty regular following the T2 at the BC, but this rising star could at Tahoe make an impression. At Montreaux the previous year it was T14. 

7. Hank Kuehne 50/1: At Tahoe, the 7,400 yard Montreaux Country Club is the location on which the Bomber is focusing his aim. In recent weeks, this Texas big guy is improving nicely. Two weeks ago he got a solo fourth at the International, and at John Deere he got T2, so that’s put him way ahead for next year tournaments. The ‘1-iron’ is waiting for his aim at this one although in the previous year he missed the cut.

8. Justin Rose 28/1: This is an example of wasting game power with such credentials. This English guy cannot get his act together. Considered once as the new Faldo, he’s been put down to play minor league Tours at Montreaux for minor prizes. Without one big win this year he has six Top twenty fives. Ranking 173^rd on tour his putting average is 1.81, and for next year’s Asian Tour that’s his playing formula. To get really going this could be what he really requires. 

9. Andrew Magee 150/1: With two Top tens at Hawaii and the Hope, he’s begun this year heading for ‘Mag’s’ with a lot of promise. Lately, however things have gone down hill. Four missed cuts and W/D did badly all this prior to his seventy fifth at Buick and T57 at International. He should do well as he’s going to put up a fight at the field this week.  

10. Dean Wilson (80/1): His game is keeping up with the best thanks to Annika who gave him fame. This year at Barclays and Milwaukee he had two Top tens. The previous year he tied here for fourteenth.

11. Tim Herron (20/1): A weird show up Lumpy’s making this week at a tournament not being held in Akron. With a super year, Lumps has four Top tens, however in the preceding week he missed the cut at the PGA and this might affect his assurance at the Reno playing. Last year he missed the event but was in 2003 was runner-up.   

12. Vaughn Taylor 40/1: Vodka Tonic Vaughn Taylor you must agree with me is definitely coming back to keep his title and stay champion. At the PGA Championship he attained a T28 but at the previous tournament he fought two MCs. Although ‘1-iron’ doesn’t predict repeat events continue to take him into account.

 13. Mario Tiziani 200/1: The ‘Tiz-manian Devil’ has seen a really terrible year. He’s missed more cuts than the eighty five thousand dollars he won in prize money. This week I can’t see him doing a lot although you can never rule him out completely. 

14. Wes Short Jr. 150/1: At the John Deere he attained a T4 at a great run, but this year on the Big Tour and the Nationwide he wasting time. You can’t take him too seriously as though he’s playing nicely he’s too risky.  

15. Roland Thatcher 65/1: Thatchy has put in his pocket a great three Top thirties prior to missing the cut at the International. However, for purposes of competing his putting is much to be desired although he pulled a T5 in the previous year. This week is a wait to see what he can do one. 

16. Bill Glasson 250/1: Although he’s won fifty two thousand dollars officially, this year he’ missed nine Cuts. The celebrity’s shine of seven Tour triumphs from 1985 to 1997 has begun to lose its luster. This week there are more preferential choices than the old Billy G.  

17. Notah Begay 250/1: This week there’s no chance at all for him. He’s missed five cuts and has played five times. And that’s all I’ve got to say about the matter. Hang on, one more thing, gee whiz, last year he missed the cut at this tournament. 

18. Paul Azinger 150/1: At the British Open, when he was quite publicly encouraging Tiger Woods, he really annoyed me and that’s why I’m placing him here. Can you really deal with the truth of the matter, for here it is: this year, unless he improves, he won’t get a card and he’s missed his previous three cuts. Fantastic, this is going to get him more regularly on television.