The Humana Challenge, formerly know as the Bob Hope Classic, is the third event in the 2012 PGA tour calendar, and the first pro-am tournament of the year.

Unlike previous years where this tournament has been a 90-hole bonanza, the event has been brought back to normality and will comprise four rounds like all other stroke-play events. The casualty in all this is the SilverRock Resort which no longer makes up part of the course rotation.

As ever, the Palmer course at PGA West is the host course where all players will play 36 holes (including the final round), and La Quinta CC and the PGA West Nicklaus course complete the circuit.

In terms of trends, those making their first tournament starts of 2012 might be at a slight disadvantage, as only two of the last nine winners here have won from fresh. What recent winners (and near-winners) do have in common here is distance off the tee, most notably evident last year where Haas, Woodland & Vegas all battled it out in a playoff before the latter prevailed.

Unlike other events where course experience and tournament form are vital, the Humana Challenge is comparatively kind to debutates, and not all recent winners here have a great record in this event.

One stat worth looking at, however, is Par 5 Birdie or Better Leaders. All three courses on the circuit are par 72 tracks, and contain 13 par 5 holes between them, so it’s no coincidence that previous winners and contenders here have fared well in this area.

With the above in mind, here are my 7 selections for this week:

Martin Laird – With two wins to his name over four seasons on the PGA tour, Martin Laird is one of the best British exports in golf. As a resident of Arizona and previous winner of the JT Shriners Open, it’s clear that Laird has an affinity for desert golf. In this event, his form may not be spectacular, but his tied 22nd finish last year doesn’t quite do justice to his performance. The scot entered the final round in 3rd place before enduring a horrible Sunday. His current form looks rather handy too having narrowly missed out to Steve Stricker at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions where he was tied 3rd in GIR and led the field in Putts per GIR.

3.5pts each way 25/1 Ladbrokes, Sportsbet, BetXchange, Hollywood, *Voltbet (*win only)

Anthony Kim – Although Kim doesn’t conform to the first-start-of-the-season stat, he looks a very good prospect to me this week. As a resident of La Quinta, this really is his home tournament, and what better place to get back on the winner’s podium after a year in the doldrums? In his last tournament start back in October, Anthony Kim lost out to Rory McIlroy in a playoff at the Shanghai Masters which certainly hints at a return to form. The last time he teed it up in the Humana Challenge (or Bob Hope Classic at it was then), Kim finished in a tie for 3rd.

2.5pts each way 35/1 World Sports Betting, Sportsbet, BetXchange, Hollywood

Harrison Frazar – If we want to find a man in form to invest in this week, then you don’t get much better than Harrison Frazar who has opened his 2012 account with a tied 5th and tied 2nd finish. Undoubtedly Frazar’s best weapon is his distance off the tee. Last season, Frazar ranked 17th on tour in driving distance, and he really has the power to dominate the courses on the Humana circuit. One of the things which has held Frazar back in his quest for more tournament wins is his putting, but having led the field in Putts per GIR last week, maybe he’s turned that side of his game around. In this event, Frazar has posted top-10 finishes in three of his last eight starts, and he’s worth an investment this week.

2pts each way 50/1 widely available

Kevin Na – Against my best judgement, I’m giving Kevin Na another chance after the disappointment of his missed cut last week. Encouragingly, Na’s one and only PGA tour win (at last year’s JT Shriners Open) came after two missed cuts, so he’s clearly able to put bad weeks behind him. As his aforementioned win shows us, Na is certainly comfortable in the desert. Indeed, as a Las Vegas resident, he certainly gets plenty of practice on desert tracks, and top-10 finishes in each of his last two starts here do a lot for the confidence. Although distance off the tee may not be Na’s strong suit, he always ranks favourably in the Par 5 Birdie or Better Leaders stat, and his excellent putting means he is capable of shooting very low numbers.

1.5pts each way 55/1 Hollywood

Bud Cauley – Last year’s winner here was a rookie making his tournament debut, so we shouldn’t ignore the threat of similar players, which is why Bud Cauley catches my eye. The 21 year-old has really made a name for himself in the last 6 months. After making the cut in the US Open, Cauley posted top-5 finishes at both the Viking Classic and the Frys.com Open (the latter in the desert). These performances particular catch my eye as they came in low-scoring events, just like this week, so easier courses would seem to be where Cauley excels. Although Cauley didn’t play a full season of events last year, he has a great set of scoring stats which tick all the boxes for a good performance this week.

1.5pts each way 66/1 *Voltbet (*win only), 60/1 World Sports Betting, Sportsbet, BetXchange, Hollywood

Kyle Stanley – As with Cauley, Kyle Stanley seems to post his best finishes in low-scoring events. Last year, Stanley was runner up to Steve Stricker in the John Deere Classic with a final score of -21, and he also posted a top-10 finish in the desert at the JT Shriners Open with a total of -16. All in all, 2011 was a very solid rookie year for Kyle Stanley, and a top-30 finish in this event is something he can build on this week. Stanley ranked 9th in Driving Distance, 11th in Birdie Average, and 10th in Par 5 Birdie of Better Leaders last year, so he ticks all the right boxes this week.

1.5pt each way 90/1 World Sports Betting

Jason Kokrak – My rank outsider for this week comes in the form of rookie Jason Kokrak. Kokrak led the Nationwide Tour in both driving distance and Par 5 Birdie or Better Leaders last year and bagged two tournament wins in the space of a month which shows he’s not scared of winning. It’s early days for Kokrak in terms of his PGA tour career, but there’s no reason why he can’t follow in the footsteps of fellow big-hitter Jhonattan Vegas and grab an early win.

0.5pts each way 200/1 Ladbrokes, 200/1 *Voltbet (*win only)

You are most welcome to add your own picks on our discussion forum

Sam Harrop has been a golfing enthusiast most of his life and has developed an in depth knowledge of the players, tournaments and stats on the PGA Tour. He has launched a website www.golfpuntersguide.com and he has kindly made his preview available to Goodforthegame.

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