Outright plays (total stake per play: 1.5pts)
Maarten Lafeber to win 22/1 e.w. @ Sportingbet and Sporting Odds
Erratic form both recently and in front of his home crowd, but given the weakness of this field, these odds will surely fall. His form has been good with a top-10 finish in the prestigious Dunlop Masters last month and a top-10 position until the final round in the Italian Open the previous week and he will receive a great deal of support should he be in contention again on this course. He was 5th in 1999, won two visits later in 2003 and can certainly win here again.
Soren Hansen to win 33/1 e.w. available generally
Lafeber won the title in 2003 from Hansen in 2nd place, thought it had been the Dane who had been in the lead heading into the final round. A repeat result would be nice! Rather like Lafeber, his form recently and in the Netherlands has been erratic, but this is a field lacking the quality of a typical European Tour event - next week's U.S. Open being to blame - and so such ability to win events and finish in the top-10 against better fields is a rare quality this week. He achieved two top-10 finishes last month - in China and at the Forest of Arden - and played well on Monday to finish alongside Lafeber in 14th place in the U.S. Open Sectional Qualifier. Enough of an indication of good form and being one shot too many for an alternate's spot, both Lafeber and Hansen should now head into this event with renewed optimism of a good performance.
Oliver Wilson to win 66/1 e.w. @ Stan James, Bet365, Sportingbet, Sporting Odds and BetFred
No such course experience from Wilson, but a great prospect nonetheless. Like Luke Donald and Paul Casey before him, he had a successful American collegiate career and Walker Cup success before turning professional. He did so last year, earning his Tour Card via the European Challenge Tour on his first attempt and can now count top-10 finishes in his last two events. He has faltered on a couple of occasions this year when faced with a strong chance of winning - he lead the New Zealand Open with one round to play in February and was 2nd with one round to play in the Irish Open - but the odds more than compensate.
Maarten Lafeber to win 22/1 e.w. @ Sportingbet and Sporting Odds
Erratic form both recently and in front of his home crowd, but given the weakness of this field, these odds will surely fall. His form has been good with a top-10 finish in the prestigious Dunlop Masters last month and a top-10 position until the final round in the Italian Open the previous week and he will receive a great deal of support should he be in contention again on this course. He was 5th in 1999, won two visits later in 2003 and can certainly win here again.
Soren Hansen to win 33/1 e.w. available generally
Lafeber won the title in 2003 from Hansen in 2nd place, thought it had been the Dane who had been in the lead heading into the final round. A repeat result would be nice! Rather like Lafeber, his form recently and in the Netherlands has been erratic, but this is a field lacking the quality of a typical European Tour event - next week's U.S. Open being to blame - and so such ability to win events and finish in the top-10 against better fields is a rare quality this week. He achieved two top-10 finishes last month - in China and at the Forest of Arden - and played well on Monday to finish alongside Lafeber in 14th place in the U.S. Open Sectional Qualifier. Enough of an indication of good form and being one shot too many for an alternate's spot, both Lafeber and Hansen should now head into this event with renewed optimism of a good performance.
Oliver Wilson to win 66/1 e.w. @ Stan James, Bet365, Sportingbet, Sporting Odds and BetFred
No such course experience from Wilson, but a great prospect nonetheless. Like Luke Donald and Paul Casey before him, he had a successful American collegiate career and Walker Cup success before turning professional. He did so last year, earning his Tour Card via the European Challenge Tour on his first attempt and can now count top-10 finishes in his last two events. He has faltered on a couple of occasions this year when faced with a strong chance of winning - he lead the New Zealand Open with one round to play in February and was 2nd with one round to play in the Irish Open - but the odds more than compensate.
