Ben Coley tips 250/1 Oman Open winner Sami Valimaki and 33/1 Honda Classic winner Sungjae Im

Valimaki claimed four wins on the satellite Pro Golf Tour after turning professional in January last year but was playing just his sixth European Tour event following his step up at the Qualifying School.

He was outside the top 100 after day one in Muscat but climbed the leaderboard over the weekend and was alongside Stone in a six-strong tie for the lead after round three.

The South African holed a gutsy 20-foot putt on the 18th to set the target at 13 under after a 70 and pile the pressure on Valimaki, who was playing in the group behind and needed a birdie of his own to take the contest to extra holes.

The 21-year-old left himself around 20 feet for his closing gain that set up the play-off, and the duo could not be separated as they both made par on the first two trips back up the last.

They both hit perfect drives at the third time of asking but Stone sent his second shot clattering into the stands and could not get up and down, leaving Valimaki to take the trophy with a par.

"It's awesome," Valimaki told europeantour.com. "There are not many words to say, it's unbelievable. After the ninth hole when I made a double I knew that the 10th hole is good and I had to make a birdie on that.

"I didn't make a really good par on 11 and after that bogey I felt like, 'okay this is gone'. But then I just grinded, made three birdies and on the last, an awesome birdie."

In his preview, Coley wrote of Valimaki: "This young Finn won four times on the Pro Golf Tour last year, including on an exposed layout in Morocco, before sailing through Qualifying School. Given that he was among the best amateurs in the world before turning professional, it's fair to say he's highly promising.

"Form figures of MC-64-51-7 are really solid for one so inexperienced, especially as he's been travelling to South Africa and Australia alternately as he gets used to life as a touring pro, and that effort behind Min Woo Lee last time reads really well.

"Only four players scored better than Valimaki on a tough Sunday in the Vic Open, where four of the top five were quality locals, and finishing alongside Sam Horsfield and just behind Rob Sciot-Siegrist represents a good level of form.

"Whether he can build on it remains to be seen, but Valimaki has been a quick learner so far and he barely made a mistake all week Down Under.

"He's made winning appear fairly straightforward already in his young career and, at 250/1, I'm willing to speculate that he can back up his first European Tour top 10 in an event which doesn't look strong behind the front few."

A few hours later, Im took up the mantle in Florida, producing a performance of real maturity from one so young to resist a late charge from Tommy Fleetwood.

When one shot clear with one hole to play, Im looked to have matters firmly in hand but a horror approach to the green saw him land in the bunker, leaving him in a wicked spot with his maiden PGA Tour title on the line.

However, the South Korean recovered brilliantly to chip within a couple of feet of the hole and leave himself with a simple putt for par. When that was sunk, the baton was passed to Fleetwood and after he holed brilliantly on the 17th, a second play-off of the day seemed likely.

Disaster struck moments later, though, as Fleetwood found the water when trying to lay up on the green, handing victory to a jubilant Im who had been watching on in anticipation of a play-off.

In his Honda Classic preview, Coley wrote of Im: "Sungjae Im is another who is expected to benefit from a return to the east coast and I'm excited about his prospects.

"The Korean youngster carded a second-round 64 here a year ago to take the halfway lead, and while the wheels came off on Saturday it was the first step in an excellent run which saw him finish third at Bay Hill and fourth in the Valspar.

"His missed cut at Riviera a fortnight ago might have helped boost the price a little, and it isn't something to dwell on. Im would've made the weekend had he made four instead of five at the last, or had he not missed a couple of very short putts, and he'll be glad to get away from those poa annua greens and onto bermuda.

"Last week he got the chance to put it behind him in Mexico, where his trademark accuracy from the tee was on display as one very bad round with the putter hid an otherwise solid performance. It's one I firmly expect him to leave behind here and he has the temperament to deal with the pressurised environment in a way he failed to over the weekend in 2019.

"Since then, Im has produced a brilliant display in the Presidents Cup, in tough, windy, major-like conditions, and following Viktor Hovland's success in Puerto Rico he could just be the next stud to get off the mark."

Ben will be previewing the PGA and European Tour events on Monday and Tuesday next week.