Hoffman - can win again.

By Dave Tindall

Sky Bet's Odds Compare All Prices

BETTING BOX
FIXED ODDS
	1pt e.w. Charley Hoffman at 40/1 (Coral, Stan James 1/4 1,2,3,4,5).	8th here on debut last year (4th at halfway) and in good form again.
	1pt e.w. Harrison Frazar at 75/1 (bet365 1/4 1,2,3,4,5).	Found some form again last week and a threat in his native Texas, especially here.
	1pt e.w. Pat Perez at 40/1 (Coral 1/4 1,2,3,4,5).	Has shot 62 and 63 around here and playing some fine golf in 2007.

Charley Hoffman can bring some welcome colour to the US Tour's Fall Finish by winning this week's Valero Texas Open at LaCantera in San Antonio.

The American is such a cult figure that even Boo Weekley was donning a comedy "Hoffman wig" (an all-in-one baseball cap and shaggy blond hair combo) at last week's Viking Classic in Mississippi.

But while happy to play the role of a rom-com doofus, Hoffman's golf should be taken seriously and his game looks in good enough shape to give him a second win of the season.

Hoffman certainly took to this short par 70 last year when shooting 66-67-67-71 to finish eighth (fourth at halfway).

And another eighth place finish in last year's Byron Nelson Championship and a 65-66 start in the Colonial add to the belief that par 70s in Texas are right up his street.

In fact, a bit more research shows that Hoffman won on the Nationwide Tour in Texas three years ago - also in the month of October - so he has plenty of positive history in the Lone Star State.

He arrives here this year on the back of three successive top 25s, the middle of those a fifth place finish in the Turning Stone Resort Championship in New York.

It suggests that he is capable of winning one of these weak season-ending tournaments and add to the victory he posted at the Bob Hope Classic back in January.

He's not unfancied but the 40/1 is worth snapping up.

Trying to secure a place in the top 125 of the Money List is the continuing sub-plot in the Fall Finish and the current No.121 interests me.

The player in question is a Texan in the shape of Harrison Frazar and he may just have found some form at the perfect time as he bids to shine in one of his home-state events.

Going into last week's Viking Classic, Frazar had missed his last six cuts and eight of his previous nine but something clicked again as he banked some much-needed cash by finishing tied 11th.

That should give him some confidence for an event which has been good to him.

He's made the top 10 here for the last two years (10th 2006, 8th 2005) while a closing 64 gave him another top 20 in 2000.

It may also be significant that his best finish this year also came in Texas when he took seventh place in the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.

Back on familiar territory, this four-time US Tour runner-up may just be able to make the big breakthrough and land his first win. Take the 75s.

With rain and little wind forecast, the course could really be there for the taking and one man capable of shooting low scores is Pat Perez.

Double P has had a fine year, making the top 20 in the final two majors and racking up five top 10s.

He's had six top 20s in his last 12 starts, including a third and a fourth, and is nicely rested since his tied 18th at the BMW Championship in the early part of September.

That fourth place was at Colonial on his last start in Texas while in three starts here he's managed a fifth in 2002 and a 22nd in 2004.

He shot a 62 on the way to that top five and weighed in with a 63 in 2004 which put him tied third going into the final round.

With scoring likely to be low, Perez has the game to cash in and if he gets on a roll he could be hard to stop.

On his favoured Bermuda greens, he's a good each-way punt at 40s.

Finally, keep an eye out for Colt Knost.

Wins at the US Amateur, US Amateur Public Links and Walker Cup this year saw him pick up the Mark H. McCormack Medal, given to the world's top amateur, last week.

He makes his pro debut here on a sponsor's exemption - just as Anthony Kim did last year.

Kim, you may recall, finished runner-up!

Knost is 200/1 to go one better but the 13/1 at Stan James for a top 10 finish would seem a more realistic way of playing him at this stage.

In his favour, the 22-year-old grew up in Texas and admits his strength is hitting fairways rather than bombing it around on long courses.

This shorter track should suit and he carded a second round 64 when being given a start in the Byron Nelson Championship earlier this year.

He could only finish 67th in the end but could make a big improvement on that here.