Jack Nicklaus designed Sherwood Country Club © Kevin Murray
Hunter Mahan © Keith Allison
Designed by Jack Nicklaus the Sherwood Country Club is an imaginative use of land. The 7,052 yards uses all the elevations and valleys, waterfalls, running streams and unique rock formations. The course echoes the aesthetically rich natural environment of Sherwood Valley and its tranquil Lake.
Breathtaking views are to be had from all the tees, while the fairways are lined with groves of magnificent oaks, willows and sycamore trees.
The front nine rises into the Santa Monica mountains and offers stunning views, while the back nine dips towards Lake Sherwood before rising back into the hills for a dramatic finish.
Like the ancient oaks that enhance the community, Sherwood’s deep historical and cultural roots are equally fascinating. Sherwood already had many historic landmarks before Jack built his course. Lake Sherwood was originally named Potrero Lake and is the oldest man-made lake in California. Built in 1904 it is approximately 165 acres. The reason it was changed to Lake Sherwood was because the surrounding areas were used for the filming of “Robin Hood” in 1921, which starred Douglas Fairbanks Snr. From then on it became known as “Sherwood Forest” and “Maid Marian Park.”
Only eighteen players qualify for the Chevron World Challenge, so I will pick three. I do think in a field of this size Tiger Woods 3/1 will do well and has a great chance of winning after playing well in Australia, but at those odds I will leave him out of my three.
Matt Kuchar © Steven Newton
My picks are:
Hunter Mahan 14/1 has been in great form of late winning four out of five of his presidents cup matches, while taken seventh place at the WGC HSBC Champions event.
Matt Kuchar 16/1 didn’t do so well at the Presidents cup winning only 1 .5 points from a possible five, but he did make up for that with some great golf at the Omega World Cup with Gary Woodland 16/1 shooting a -24 to win for the US.
The longest odds you will get for this tournament is Martin Laird 33/1 but with such a small field he still has a great chance. He played well with Stephan Gallacher to finish the Omega World Cup in forth place, three shots off the pace and with six Top 10 finishes this year he is worth a punt.
