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Kristoffer Broberg - 3 points each-way @ 14-1 (Bet365)
Absolutely no apology for backing the star of the 2012 season as he still represents value even as joint favourite. Without even going into detail, he disputes favouritism with a maiden (admittedly in from) and takes a massive drop in class having been the fastest ever main Tour qualifier from the Challenge. This week is the final chance for the field to qualify for the lucrative San Domenico finale but the Swede has no worries on that score, having notched up three wins, one third place and a ninth in his first five starts on the Tour. That came as no surprise to his great friend Alex Noren and it is interesting that this high-class putter tees it up after a couple of missed-cuts at higher grade Euro events. That made it four m/c from four events but none were awful rounds and that closing top-30 in Italy is more like his true form. The factor that swings it is location. Broberg was a star on the Nordic Tour but topped all those performances with wins this year in Norway, Switzerland and Sweden. In the middle of that run of three wins, Broberg lost by only a single stroke in the ECCO event in Denmark, a course that proved harder to play than most at this level. This weeks test is expecetd to be as difficult. There seems no negatives against the Swede in this grade and he will be playing without any pressures other than trying to nab the number one position from non-winner Gary Lockerbie. The best putter by far, he can make his class tell over many that will be looking over their shoulders.
Anders Schmidt Hansen - 0.25 points each-way
On a completely opposite spectrum, Hansen alsp plays without pressures this week as his ranking is so low he is a million to make it through to next week! Neverthless, without any course form to go on, it makes sense to look at winners from the Nordic Tour and those that will know local conditions and at a huge 150-1 why not? Hansen hasn't won since 2007 but recent form is respectable enough with two thirty efforts in his last two events. He should have done far better last week, but three excellent rounds were ruined with an unspectacular Saturday effort of 71. That seems to be a real issue with many of these players but it will not take that much improvement on those to have a real chance come Sunday. Rather like the main selection, Hansen has planty of form in his homeland and it cannot be coincidence that his standout effort of 2012 thus far is 5th in the same ECCO event that Broberg was 3rd. He finished strongly that day and it is well worth the point staked to find out if he really plays his best at home.
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