abarrybonds

33-year-old American has enjoyed recent visits to the Lone Star State of Texas. He was a runner-up in the Texas Open in 2024, losing a playoff to eventual winner Akshay Bhatia. He tied for 18th place in 2025. He was also tied for 12th place in the 2026 Houston Open. He seems to be getting his game in good order and is a solid each-way selection at 35/1 this week.

A resident of San Antonio, Texas, Jonny Keefer has shown he shows up in his Lone Star State. He was placed in a tie for third place at last week's Houston Open. One of his two wins on the Korn Ferry Tour en route to his full PGA Tour card was also in Texas. I feel Jonny is well acclimated to the surroundings; he loves it here! 40/1 each way looks good in a weakish field.

I am a big fan of Finnish player Sami Välimäki, who when on his game is a strong contender. I feel his appearances in the Lone Star State of Texas should be seriously noted. Current form is not great, with four missed cuts and a highest finish of 34-37-41 in the three tournaments he completed after winning the RSM Classic last year. But his form in Texas last year reads 4th in the Houston Open and 13th in the Texas Open. Priced at 175/1 each way, he looks to have seriously good upside at a big price.

Thorbjörn Olesen of Denmark seems to enjoy visits to the Lone Star State of Texas. He finished tied for 5th at the Texas Open last year and tied for 14th at this year's Houston Open. Good enough to win and place for Top European. I feel there is good value in this small market at 12/1 each way for a top-four.

In the bottom half of the draw in Germany is Luke Woodhouse, who is one of the highest-priced second-round seeded players in the competition at 50/1. He makes a solid each-way selection despite a potential showdown in the third round with Welsh legend Jonny Clayton, who has been off the boil in recent weeks in the Premier League and Players Championship events. Luke has improved a lot over the past year. He made his breakthrough in the European Darts Grand Prix, reaching his first semi-final, and toward the end of the year made his first European Tour final in the Swiss Darts Trophy, losing to Stephen Bunting 8-3. There is no Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Gerwyn Price, Gary Anderson, or Chris Dobey this weekend. So perhaps a chance for a new champion to reign? Perhaps another Luke wins?

In the European Tour Event Four in Munich, Germany, I feel it's a wide-open tournament with a whole host of Premier League player absentees and other highly rated players. The number nine-seeded German Martin Schindler, "The Wall," is a perfect fit for this week from the top half of the draw. He is fresh and playing at home, where he tends to get a lot of support. A winner three times on the European Tour in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, it looks like he has a better chance than the 40/1 on offer this weekend to win his fourth European Tour.

St. Louis Blues looks like a decent long shot for this season's Stanley Cup. Under new coach Jim Montgomery, he steered them to their first playoff berth since the 2021/22 season with an overall record of 35-8-7. They have added wins to their regular season in each of their last three seasons. They won 19 of their last 26 games. Middle of the pack in both goals for and against. There are pluses such as Jordan Kyrou potentially scoring over 40 goals and increasing his overall production. Also, the goalies duo of Hofer and Binnington were both above-average tenders. I think overall they are capable of a playoff run and good value odds at 50/1 each way.