Southern Farm Bureau Classic Round Four: Mayhem in the markets - the perils of betting blind

D J Trahan found his bottle at last and it was a Nebuchadnezzar big enough to last him through three tense playoff holes. I don’t know about the players, but I was getting giddy just trying to follow them round and round the 18th to find a winner.

What a roller-coaster finish that was. From a punter’s perspective it was Christmas and New Year thrown into one - providing as you will see later you were a little bit careful. It would have included everyone’s birthday as well if more money had been available.

The game plan worked a treat for once: Brad Faxon and Daniel Chopra layed before they disintegrated, along with good old Mr Reliable Lay, Bo van Pelt as he tilted at the top, and even Ted Purdy as he briefly entered the fray. Then an exciting three-way fight to the finish (well to the 17th anyway) with at various points all three contenders going below evens. As if by magic, all fears of coming a cropper on Trahan were banished.

But it was perilous work at times. Memo to self: must write a blog about the dangers of Tourcast, the PGA Tour’s tournament tracker. For now I’ll just say this: don’t bet on it or your fingers will be smouldering stumps.

It caused mayhem on the 17th, showing Trahan in the water when it was actually leader Lee Janzen who took the stroke penalty. It then took an age to reveal that Trahan had such a bad lie he had to lay up backwards. Prices of the top three flew every which way in a mass of anguished confusion. Many people lumped on Janzen thinking he had all but won, only to find he was all but out of it. That’s when the predictable accusations of cheating and insider dealing started flowing.

It’s caveat emptor guys. I learnt long ago never to bet on the back of TourCast.

Problem is, for many active punters outside America it was the only guide. No tele, not even radio from Mississippi. So most people were effectively betting blind - it’s daft, but what else do you do on a Sunday night?

Even more mayhem at the finish. When Joe Durant finally missed his birdie putt to hand the match to Trahan, Betfair failed to close the market and suddenly Trahan was being quoted - and not surprisingly bought - at up to 1.1 or more, while Durant was being offered at around 6. Then possibly malicious rumours starting spreading in the forum that Trahan had been disqualified for some bunker infringement and you could feel real punter panic setting in. It took an inordinate time for the market to be closed - I would say at least five minutes - during which time tens of thousands of squidollars must have changed hands on a result that was already known.

I can only think Betfair cannot close a market without some official signal that was late in coming from America. But it left a very nasty taste in a lot of mouths and they should look to tightening up their procedures.

Anyway, from a sporting perspective, congratulations to Mr Trahan but a pity Mr Durant couldn’t pull it off because the winner would have been the guy who tops my performance table (instead of the one at No 12). Actually it was someone on the forum who jinxed him by pointing out that he was six birdies for six visits to the 18th hole. Unlucky seven!

Thank goodness that’s the year’s last double-header. I can barely cope. And with the playoff dragging on as it did, Sunday surely qualified as The Longest Day. Da-da-da-boom.