Bite on Appleby at tasty 40-1

Stuart Appleby rates a solid, each-way alternative to hot-pot Tiger Woods in this week’s US PGA Tour event, the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The Aussie, an eight-time winner on the tour, is a general 40-1 chance with the layers, with most bookmakers paying one-quarter the odds the first five places.

Appleby is a two-time runner-up at the host, Bay Hill Club, in 1997 and 2004, and has started the season in impressive form, posting five successive top-ten finishes, including in the World Match Play when his victims included world No.2 Phil Mickelson. His winning turn should not be far away.

Woods and Mickelson head the opposition, the former chasing a ninth title in ten tournament appearances worldwide. The world No.1, winner of four successive renewals at Bay Hill from 2000, has not played since landing last month’s World Match Play Championship but is again the man everyone has to beat. However, that is reflected in general odds of 5-4.

Mickelson is a general 12-1 chance.