Campbell can prove a super bet for Barbasol

Wilkerson's top tip
Chad Campbell 25-1

The cream of the golfing crop is at Royal Birkdale this week, but with five weeks left of FedEx Cup qualification, valuable points are available at the Barbasol Championship and those looking to sneak into the top 125 will be keen to take advantage of the game's leading lights being in Southport.

It can hardly be regarded as an elite field and there is a decent chance that this year's tournament will follow the pattern of the last two years and crown a champion who has been out of the winner's circle for a while.

Scott Piercy's success in 2015 came three years after he won the Canadian Open and Aaron Baddeley's win last July arrived more than five years after his previous US Tour success.

But there is more to fancying Chad Campbell than the fact that he falls into this category having not won for ten years, because he heads to Alabama in fine fettle.

Campbell, who lost in a playoff to Angel Cabrera at the 2009 Masters, has been in solid form since he missed the cut at the Players Championship.

He has finished in the top 15 in four of his last six outings and a major challenge can be expected from a player ranked 20th in driving accuracy and 23rd in greens in regulation.

Other selections
Jim Furyk16-1
Chris Stroud40-1

This week's showpiece at Royal Birkdale is the first Major Jim Furyk has missed for 22 years, but he looks a worthy favourite for this consolation prize.

Finding fairways tends to be key at the Grand National course and despite a disappointing season that has yielded just one top-ten finish – he was sixth in the RSM Classic in November – that should be music to the ears of the player ranked second in driving accuracy.

Furyk's game looks to be heading in the right direction after he missed the cut at the Masters and his following five tournaments.

He bounced back by claiming a tie for 23rd at the US Open and he was 26th at the Travelers Championship, both of which were solid efforts.

Furyk has not claimed a success since the RBC Heritage two years ago, but this tournament looks winnable.

Chris Stroud has had a hit-and-miss campaign, having missed the cut in six tournaments but he has claimed four top-20 finishes.

Two of those came in his last two outings at the Greenbrier Classic and the John Deere Classic, so the player ranked 31st in driving accuracy should be full of confidence at a track where he has shot more than 70 just once in eight rounds.

Others to note
Boo Weekley
Has claimed finishes of sixth and 11th in the two runnings of this tournament and finished fifth at the Travelers Championship, but has struggled with an elbow injury since. Could still prove a factor.

Daniel Summerhays
Is visiting the Grand National for the first time. Slipped out of contention at the Quicken Loans National and finished 12th at Deere Run last week but is still looking for his first win and it difficult to trust.

Andres Romero
Won the BMW International last month and was 25th at Deere Run. Was tenth in this tournament two years ago and could mount a bold bid.

Staking plan
C Campbell
2pts each-way 25-1 Betfair, Hills, Paddy Power
J Furyk
1.5pt each-way 16-1 Coral
C Stroud
1pt each-way 40-1 general

The lowdown

Course RTJ Trail (Grand National), Auburn/Opelika, Alabama
Prize money $3.5m ($630,000 to the winner)
Length 7,302 yards Par 71 Field 131
Course records – 72 holes 265 Scott Piercy (2015)
18 holes 60 Jhonattan Vegas (2016)
When to bet By 1pm on Thursday
Where to watch Live on Sky Sports Mix from 10pm
Time difference Alabama is six hours behind the UK & Ireland
Last week - John Deere Classic 1 B DeChambeau (55-1), 2 P Rodgers (125-1), T3 W Bryan (80-1), R Lamb (350-1), T5 S Stricker (28-1), Z Johnson (28-1), J Byrd (200-1), S Stallings (150-1), D Berger (14-1)

Course overview The Grand National, which is part of a 11-course network of tracks designed by Robert Trent Jones in the state, has hosted the championship for the forerunner of the Web.com tour. That was in 1997 and was won by Steve Flesch, while other courses in the network have been used for LPGA Tour events. It is a picturesque course dominated by the 600-acre Lake Saugahatchee, which runs alongside 12 of the holes and has to be negotiated on the signature hole, the par-three sixth, which requires a 230-yard shot on to an island green. It is an uphill start for the first few holes before the par-five fifth provides a birdie opportunity and the 536-yard 13th should be reachable in two for plenty in the field. The 581-yard 16th could prove more difficult with a green on three levels and players attempting to simply flash a driver and a fairway wood could easily come unstuck. Another unusual feature is that the tenth and 15th share a double green. Undulating putting surfaces should prove a test and any strong winds coming off the lake would be an issue.

Story of last year Aaron Baddeley gained his first victory for more than five years when he beat Si Woo Kim on the fourth playoff hole.
Weather forecast It promises to be a hot and humid week with temperatures in the mid-30s. Tomorrow should be dry but rain is expected to affect play on each of the final three days.
Type of player suited to challenge Straight driving will be key and finding the right section of the greens should boost chances of success. Decent length off the tee can help players avoid some of the more troublesome obstacles.
Key attribute Accuracy