Emiliano Grillo has the game to make a name for himself at this level in time and rates an extremely solid favourite to beat Fabian Gomez in what's effectively a match for top Argentinian honours. Grillo will be making his debut not just in this event but in any major championship, however that's not much of a concern and his top-grade ball-striking looks well suited to Whistling Straits. In 18 starts this season he's made 16 cuts, failing only in the Valspar and the testing Open de France, and more recently he's finished 10th in the Barbasol and 22nd after an opening 64 in the RBC Canadian Open. His opponent was a shock winner of the FedEx St Jude Classic earlier this summer but has subsequently struggled with finishes of MC-MC-MC-76, much more in keeping with his career in general. Grillo leads the PGA Tour head-to-head 3-0 and can be considered exceptionally good value at 4/6.
Double Grillo with my outright selection Soren Kjeldsen, who is performing at a much higher level than compatriot Thomas Bjorn at present and should therefore land top Dane honours. Kjeldsen arrives on the back of a superb 12th place in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and has a decent record in the PGA, the highlight coming in 2009 when he was sixth behind YE Yang at Hazeltine. Bjorn has of course enjoyed the more fruitful career but has endured a miserable summer, while his PGA record shows four missed cuts in his last six appearances, during which time he's not finished inside the top-40. Bjorn also lacks competitive experience of Whistling Straits whereas Kjeldsen, while missing the cut, played quite well here for two rounds in 2010. At a similar price to Grillo he's equally solid and a double at a shade bigger than 6/4 looks good value.
It's also tempting to take on Rory McIlroy with Shane Lowry and/or Graeme McDowell in the top Irish market. McIlroy claims to be as fit as a fiddle but no golf since June's US Open would be a concern regardless of the state of his ankle and while this is a perfect venue for him to return, it has to be possible that he's some way below the levels we've come to expect. If that's the case, quotes as short as 1/3 - although he's as big as 4/6 in a place - help create an interesting market. The same goes for top GB and Ireland where Justin Rose looks an obvious each-way play at 9/2 despite missing the cut in both visits. After due consideration, however, I'll sit this one out - Rory is dangerous to oppose even when question marks are hanging around him. To Make/Miss The Cut
Not a market I typically spend much time on, but there has to be some mileage in taking 5/4 about 2004 Whistling Straits champion Vijay Singh making the weekend. The Fijian may not be the force of old but he's still competitive and has made the cut in 33 of his last 50 PGA Tour events, and 71 of his last 100. You may not feel that's of any great relevance when it comes to major championships, but Singh's career record in the top events reads 69 cuts made in 87 events. There has been a drop-off in terms of his overall finishing positions, but the 52-year-old made the cut at Augusta in the spring, his sole major this season, and in both major starts last year. In fact he's advanced to the weekend in eight of his most recent 10 majors, while back in 2010 he showed the benefit of being a winner at this course winner by finishing 39th, comfortably inside the cut line after a best-of-the-day 66 in round two. Granted, he's missed three of his last five cuts this summer, but his scoring average from these 14 rounds is 69.86 and only one of those rounds has been worse than 72. Put simply, he's been missing by a shot or two but at a course he knows better than most I can see him making the weekend with a degree of comfort. Singh is fiercely competitive and undeniably proud and I expect him to play all four rounds.
In the 'to miss the cut market', I have to confess that 11/8Tiger Woods tempts me in. Woods has missed the cut in three of his last four majors, the exception being at Augusta where he perhaps played more on instinct. His Whistling Straits record shows two comparitively modest efforts - 24th and 28th - and I expect this to be priced up as a coin toss. Yes, there were some positive signs in his top-20 finish last time out but wasn't that the case at the Greenbrier before he shambled his way to an abysmal week at St Andrews, a course he loves? The golf Woods has produced in the last two majors, if repeated, would see him miss the cut by a distance. It's far from certain that he'll improve enough, especially at a course which will force him to reach for the driver. Posted at 1030 BST on 11/08/15
