The #1 Golf Search Engine. Home | Previous Weeks Picks What The Golfinggods Say.. Welcome to another year of Golf appraisal and tips from the world leader in Golf gambling . Golfinggods.com. I feel the season of 2006 may be a defining year for a number of individuals and teams. For instance will Tiger move further away from the pack or will 2006 be the year of the Big Easy, Goosen or even Garcia? Will America bind together appropriately to win the Ryder Cup on Irish soil? Will up and coming players like David Howell, Sean Ohair, Jason Gore and Michelle Wie turn obvious potential into more victories? Only time will tell but 2006 is shaping up very nicely indeed. Of course the season in the USA is already two tournaments old with the Hawaii swing completing last week with the Sony Open. Congratulations go to David Toms who showed true grit to win only months after a post-season heart operation. I hope this is the start of better things from Toms as he ahs the game to add to his Major tally. Finally congratulations must also go to Stuart Appleby for a magnificent victory at the Mercedes tournament on the first week of January. Any victory is worth savouring but to win the tournament for the third time in a row is a real achievement. Lets hope the talented Aussie does not rest now he has won and starts to really compete for the bigger events during the rest of the season. This week sees the US tour head to La Quinta, California for the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. This tournament offers the chance for movie stars, sports stars, celebrities and captains of industry to play with their favourite golfers in a pro-am format. The tournament uses four courses in rotation with the final day being played over the PGA West course. The key to this tournament is player.s ability to cope with the demands of pro-am or .giggle golf. with some rounds lasting up to six hours. Selections: Phil Mickelson: it seems that Phil loves pro-am golf as he has won this event in 2002 and 2004. With some of the rust cleaned of his game last week at the Buick look for Lefty to contend this week. He must go close. Jonathan Kaye: has started 2005 in fine form and is proven around this tournament with a 4th in 2004 and an 8th in 2003. If Jonathon can keep his form this week and make his share of putts he could be the champion on Sunday. Kirk Triplett: a regular at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic Kirk has eight top 20 finishes in the past nine years. His ability to be patient with his pro-am partners is evident and he will be on the leader board Sunday afternoon. Peter Lonard: the Australian fell away last week during the final round of the Buick however his form in his native Australia over the New Year period was outstanding. A proven ball striker his ability to putt will be the variable this week to his success. A moderate performance on the greens will see Lonard go very close this week. Others Worth Mentioning: JL Lewis, Jesper Parnevik, Kenny Perry and Tim Clark. This week also sees the start of the European Tour with the Abu Dhabi Championship being played in the little known Arabic state. Such is the diversity of the modern European Tour that this Emirate state will become the 36th destination to host an event. However this tournament has attracted the likes of Singh, Garcia, DiMarco and Montgomerie. Played over the 7348 yard Abu Dhabi Golf Club this tournament should see low scores if the desert winds do not blow. Relatively open fairways are met with generous greens with marginal slope. In benign conditions this should produce good scoring, however strong desert winds will see scores soar. Selections: Paul Casey: 2006 will need to be a great year for Casey if he is to elevate his stature in the game and make the Ryder Cup. I expect him to challenge a lot this year and this desert course will suit his power game. Putting will be his key this week but expect him to go close. Chris DiMarco: lost two play-offs for Major.s in the last two years but has not won since 2001. That said this feisty American has the game to challenge this week at a nice each way price. If the .claw. putting grip works then he must be a chance. Vijay Singh: fairly obvious choice but his form is hard to fault. Already lost a playoff this year at the Mercedes Championship in Hawaii the Fijian just does not know when to slow down. At 42 he is still the man to beat this week. Others Worth Mentioning: Steve Webster, Thomas Bjorn and Nick Dougherty. For all your Golf Betting requirements log onto www.golfinggods.com.