Golf Matchups: Janzen a shell of former self

Lee Janzen has seen better days, but he is still competing. Not many players on Tour have won two major championships, and Janzen brings a touch of class in that way to this week's Phoenix Open. It also helps with the crowd that he has won the event before. Can he reach back and find at least some of the form that made him a winner?

Let's take a look at the betting matchup he's involved in, as well as a couple of others, including the return of a hometown kid, as they are posted at BetUS Sportsbook:

LEE JANZEN    -130        
DEREK LAMELY    EVEN

Once upon a time, Lee Janzen won this tournament shooting a 273 in 1993, which was actually tied for the highest score for a winner since 1977. Janzen, who has won the U.S, Open twice, hasn't won a tournament since that second Open win in 1998. In fact, that was the last time he had finished in the top five in any major championship. This year his results haven't been stellar; he was tied for 57th at the Bob Hope Classic and then, after a second-round 67, he shot 78 and 74 in the final two rounds of the Farmers Insurance Open to tie for 71st.

 He missed the cut in his last two tournaments. He also missed the cut in a lot of tournaments last year, ten to be exact (43.4% of the time), but found enough form to tie for fourth at the Verizon Heritage and fifth at the Canadian Open. He didn't play in this event last year. He tied for fourth at the 2002 Phoenix Open, but missed the cut three times in the last decade. At the age of 45, obviously his best days are behind him.

Lamely, a graduate of Florida Gulf Coast University, flashed some potential with a tie for 18th at the Bob Hope. He is a rookie on the Tour, having played only a handful of events previous to this. Last year he was fourth on the Nationwide Tour money list. In 2008 he was on the Tarheel Tour (a mini-tour). Lamely is the type of player who may have a chance to score well at this TPC Scottsdale course, because he's a monster off the tee; his 292.4-yard average is tied for seventh on the tour. It's problems with accuracy here and there that have given him problems, although one would hardly classify him as a "wild" player.

EDGE: LAMELY (Even)

TED PURDY     -125                   
TROY MERRITT -105   

Maybe we've got a little hometown advantage going in this one. Purdy is a native of Phoenix who matriculated at the University of Arizona and has played this course many times. Not that it has meant very much for him. He tied for 35th last year, 50th the year before, 23rd in 2007. He also missed the cut in 2004 and 2006.

Last season he had just one Top 10 finish, and he's already been in six events this year and missed the cut in three of them. Troy Merritt, a 24-year-old, ranked 39th on the Nationwide Tour money list last year and caught fire at the Q-School, holding at least a share of the lead for each of the six rounds on his way to winning the event and his card.

In five events he has had Top 20 finishes at the Sony Open and the Farmers Insurance Open, and has missed the last two cuts. He doesn't drive the ball particularly far or particularly accurate, and in a loud atmosphere like this one, Purdy is likely to have the advantage of some vocal support.