Like the Tampa Bay Classic this week, we have a Tour event on a course that we know relatively little about. It was last used for the Spanish Open in 1996 which Padraig Harrington won comfortably, but the European Tour did compile comprehensive statistics at the time and the event was played in May, so the conditions will be quite different from this week. But taking the top-10 from that event which also included Sam Torrance, Lee Westwood and Robert Allenby, and also Eduardo Romero who went close in 1995 and 1996 and even won on this course in 1991, it is clear that this is a course for players with better greens in regulation and putting stats. Yet four years is a long time in course management and the course has since undergone substantial redesign under the instruction of Manuel Pinero to make the course more difficult.
With the race for the Volvo Order of Merit and a position in the Volvo Masters coming to a close, a good quality field assembles this week, including one Sergio Garcia with whom Jose Maria Olazabal and Miguel Angel Jimenez could hardly contain their anger when he declared that he would not be defending their title with them at the Dunhill Cup last week. He are Darren Clarke are the tournament favorites and head the rankings this week, but are unlikely to be picked as outright plays given the odds currently on offer. Instead Harrington and Bernhard Langer look better players to watch this week.
Harrington won last time in Madrid and was very impressive at St Andrews last week. He has been 3rd in his last two strokeplay events and boasts some of the best greens in regulation and putting average statistics of the current field. Having been rested on Sunday, he may fresher than the likes of Jimenez, Martin, Romero & Cabrera who were involved in extremely close matches on Sunday. They may be tired with Harrington and Langer able to take advantage. Langer is a similar proposition to Harrington, very strong in the greens in regulation and putting average stats and coming off a good run of form - two top-10 finishes in this last three events.
The outsider at this stage looks to be Paul McGinley. At St Andrews he looked to be in great form until he found the greens. That can be said for a lot of people on the Old Course, and he does have excellent putting statistics for the whole year, so I believe he will build on his Dunhill Cup experience and continue his run of finishing highly if not in challenging for the lead. He will be available at at least 40/1 and is very capable of a place finish this week.
Will have final outright plays later today once the tee-times have been announced, though I expect there to be little change from these three initial selections.
With the race for the Volvo Order of Merit and a position in the Volvo Masters coming to a close, a good quality field assembles this week, including one Sergio Garcia with whom Jose Maria Olazabal and Miguel Angel Jimenez could hardly contain their anger when he declared that he would not be defending their title with them at the Dunhill Cup last week. He are Darren Clarke are the tournament favorites and head the rankings this week, but are unlikely to be picked as outright plays given the odds currently on offer. Instead Harrington and Bernhard Langer look better players to watch this week.
Harrington won last time in Madrid and was very impressive at St Andrews last week. He has been 3rd in his last two strokeplay events and boasts some of the best greens in regulation and putting average statistics of the current field. Having been rested on Sunday, he may fresher than the likes of Jimenez, Martin, Romero & Cabrera who were involved in extremely close matches on Sunday. They may be tired with Harrington and Langer able to take advantage. Langer is a similar proposition to Harrington, very strong in the greens in regulation and putting average stats and coming off a good run of form - two top-10 finishes in this last three events.
The outsider at this stage looks to be Paul McGinley. At St Andrews he looked to be in great form until he found the greens. That can be said for a lot of people on the Old Course, and he does have excellent putting statistics for the whole year, so I believe he will build on his Dunhill Cup experience and continue his run of finishing highly if not in challenging for the lead. He will be available at at least 40/1 and is very capable of a place finish this week.
Will have final outright plays later today once the tee-times have been announced, though I expect there to be little change from these three initial selections.
