Preview & outright plays:
The richest event to be played in Asia forms the penultimate event on the 2001 Davidoff Tour schedule and the first event on the 2002 European Tour schedule. It seems rather strange therefore that it is played just three days - less if the time zone differences are taken into account - after the conclusion of the qualifying school for the 2002 European Tour. Arjun Atwal and Peter Fowler tee it up this week after securing their card for next year; Scott Drummond, Anthony Kang and Graeme Storm were also in Spain on Monday but only have the scant consolation of category 14 exemption for next year, while for four others that failed to gain any exemption via the qualifying school, this is an expensive round-trip in the hope of a good week to attract the attention of tournament sponsors for next year.
The event is co-sanctioned by the European and Davidoff Tours, with both Tours providing 60 players in the field. The Ta Shee Golf and Country Club has previously been used for the 1999 Johnnie Walker Classic and the 1997 Ta Shee Open, though it has recently undergone a "complete facelift". The course tends to play shorter than the yardage (7,104 yards) as the fairways tend to be hard, or at least that is how it played in 1999. But the main problem for the Europeans will be acclimatization, it is a long flight and a very different climate from conditions in Spain.
The three selections for this event are Vijay Singh, Charlie Wi and Thongchai Jaidee. Singh is the class player in this field by some margin and his superiority is only enhanced by his record in this part of the world. He won both the co-sanctioned events in Asia at the start of the year and also won the Taiwan Open last year on his last visit to the island. Fresh from the EMC World Cup in Japan and some markedly improved performances on the PGA Tour, it is hard to see him off the leaderboard at any point this week.
The next two selections are the two players who will battle it out for the Davidoff Tour Order of Merit title. Wi currently leads Jaidee, courtesy of three wins this season already, but Jaidee tops the scoring average stats. With Wi having won his last two Davidoff Tour events and finishing a very creditable 21st in the Volvo Masters in Spain as an invited player, he looks to be the best chance for a home Tour victory.
The less fashionable Jaidee didn't get invited to Spain, but he has been in similarly impressive form on the Davidoff Tour. He has finished in the top-10 in his last five starts and top-5 in four of his last five, including the Taiwan Open, and has maybe the greater incentives to fine-tune his game, given that he is trailing Wi in the Order of Merit race. Either way, at this time of the season and in Taiwan, he looks a far better 50/1 shot than many of the more famous Europeans.
Outright plays:
Vijay Singh to win 9/2 @ Sportingbet or Easybets
Charlie Wi to win 40/1 e.w. @ Sportingbet
Thongchai Jaidee to win 50/1 e.w. @ Sportingbet or Victor Chandler
The richest event to be played in Asia forms the penultimate event on the 2001 Davidoff Tour schedule and the first event on the 2002 European Tour schedule. It seems rather strange therefore that it is played just three days - less if the time zone differences are taken into account - after the conclusion of the qualifying school for the 2002 European Tour. Arjun Atwal and Peter Fowler tee it up this week after securing their card for next year; Scott Drummond, Anthony Kang and Graeme Storm were also in Spain on Monday but only have the scant consolation of category 14 exemption for next year, while for four others that failed to gain any exemption via the qualifying school, this is an expensive round-trip in the hope of a good week to attract the attention of tournament sponsors for next year.
The event is co-sanctioned by the European and Davidoff Tours, with both Tours providing 60 players in the field. The Ta Shee Golf and Country Club has previously been used for the 1999 Johnnie Walker Classic and the 1997 Ta Shee Open, though it has recently undergone a "complete facelift". The course tends to play shorter than the yardage (7,104 yards) as the fairways tend to be hard, or at least that is how it played in 1999. But the main problem for the Europeans will be acclimatization, it is a long flight and a very different climate from conditions in Spain.
The three selections for this event are Vijay Singh, Charlie Wi and Thongchai Jaidee. Singh is the class player in this field by some margin and his superiority is only enhanced by his record in this part of the world. He won both the co-sanctioned events in Asia at the start of the year and also won the Taiwan Open last year on his last visit to the island. Fresh from the EMC World Cup in Japan and some markedly improved performances on the PGA Tour, it is hard to see him off the leaderboard at any point this week.
The next two selections are the two players who will battle it out for the Davidoff Tour Order of Merit title. Wi currently leads Jaidee, courtesy of three wins this season already, but Jaidee tops the scoring average stats. With Wi having won his last two Davidoff Tour events and finishing a very creditable 21st in the Volvo Masters in Spain as an invited player, he looks to be the best chance for a home Tour victory.
The less fashionable Jaidee didn't get invited to Spain, but he has been in similarly impressive form on the Davidoff Tour. He has finished in the top-10 in his last five starts and top-5 in four of his last five, including the Taiwan Open, and has maybe the greater incentives to fine-tune his game, given that he is trailing Wi in the Order of Merit race. Either way, at this time of the season and in Taiwan, he looks a far better 50/1 shot than many of the more famous Europeans.
Outright plays:
Vijay Singh to win 9/2 @ Sportingbet or Easybets
Charlie Wi to win 40/1 e.w. @ Sportingbet
Thongchai Jaidee to win 50/1 e.w. @ Sportingbet or Victor Chandler
