The Punter's De-Brief: Wire-to-wire Lefty wins with ease

Phil Mickelson after his win at the WM Phoenix Open

Steve's favourite player wins in Phoenix, but he didn't have a bean on, and Stephen Gallacher, taken on in Dubai, recovers from a tardy start to take the Dubai Desert Classic. It's not been a good week for our man. Read his weekly review of the week's golf action here...

By Saturday lunchtime, we were presented with two odds-on shots to ponder. Stephen Gallacher had gone three clear at the Dubai Desert Classic with a round to go and Phil Mickelson had taken firm control of the WM Phoenix Open after just two rounds. Both obliged and both hurt yours truly.

My Bets
So, Tiger Woods has won at Torrey Pines, yet again, and Phil Mickelson has won an early season event, yet again. Four or five years ago they'd have done so at prices of around 3.55/2 and 6.05/1 respectfully and I'd have been nicely in front, with two no-brainer straight-forward wins in the bag nice and early.

This year they've achieved the feat, having been matched at around 9.08/1 and 28.027/1 and yet I'm behind the black ball! It's a funny ole game.

Mercifully I scrambled onboard Woods at the Farmers Insurance Open in-running last week but missing Lefty hurts. If you want to be bored to tears with my whining then see my second entry on the In-Play Blog, otherwise I suggest we all just move on. I think I'll be over it by May!

After missing Phil, apart from a futile tiny bet on Ryan Moore, I left the WM Phoenix Open alone, so it wasn't a disaster financially as I just lost a few quid on my pre-event picks but the Dubai Desert Classic turned out rather sour...

As detailed in the In-Play Blog, I wanted to be against third round leader, Stephen Gallacher and when he bogeyed the first two holes and my in-running play, Richard Sterne birdied the 2nd, his 54 hole three stroke lead had gone and it looked as though I'd been right to be against him.

I spent the morning snapping up big prices about anyone with the remotest chance of victory and by the time Gallacher bogeyed the 8th to fall behind, I had all bases covered. The Scot then hit appalling drives on both the 9th and 10th holes but somehow played them in one under! He looked all over the shop and it appeared I'd done the right thing anyway, despite the miracle birdie on the 9th and the hard-to-believe par on the 10th (after taking a drop after a wild tee-shot) but he'd only toyed at messing it all up. My man Sterne showed him how to do it properly!

With the tournament at his mercy and with his player partner and only plausible rival flapping, Sterne bogeyed four holes in six on the back nine and although Gallacher produced a miracle eagle two on the 16th hole to put it to bed, he was already back in front and was looking by far the most composed.

I could have layed Sterne back (he hit a low of 1.4840/85) but I didn't see the wobble coming, so in the end it was a poor result but I've no complaints. I played it as I saw it and it just didn't go my way.

What you might have missed this week
There have been a few things worth looking back on this week, starting with Phil's ridiculously close shave with a 59 on Thursday. I've watched this clip of his penultimate putt of the day a couple of times and I still don't know how it didn't drop! And Bones' (Phil's caddy) reaction seems to get more desperate and entertaining every time too.

Then there was his tee-shot on the notorious par 3 16th on Saturday, which finished just inches from the cup. The caddy races on the 16th were entertaining - how none of them have been injured yet is a bit of a mystery, and we also got to see a bit of Gangham Style tomfoolery, courtesy of James Hahn, but the most bizarre incident was possibly Sergio Garcia's reaction to a poor bunker shot in Dubai. Temper, temper Sergio.

What have we learnt for next year?
The link between Ocenico Victoria, home of the Portugal Masters, and the Emirates was strengthened further by Gallacher's win - he finished 6th in Portugal last year, but the main thing to take out of the event was the importance of a quick start.

Had Sterne not gone walkabout on the back nine, not only would I have been writing about a profitable week, I'd have also been spouting that five of the last nine first round leaders had gone on to win. As it transpired, the man in second after 18 holes collected the trophy. Concentrating on the early leaders, as it so often is with desert golf, looks the way to go here.

It's been a week to forget but that's not going to be easy, as I now have to ponder whether Mickelson's a good thing to defend his AT & T Pebble Beach National Trophy, starting on Thursday.

The week's other event is the Joburg Open and I'll be back tomorrow with previews for both.