Kazakhstan Open

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Andrew Johnston - 0.5 points Each-way @ 80-1 Bet365

Marco Crespi - 0.5 points Each-Way @ 50-1 Skybet

Lloyd Kennedy - 0.5 points Each-Way @ 40-1 Skybet 

Another tough week on the Challenge Tour as players jostle for their positions. Some will just be trying to secure their top-15 ranking and a position on the European Tour, but many will simply be trying to qualify for the finale by making enough Euros to rank top-45 and then kicking on from there. The next couple of weeks take the Tour on to China and Oman and as they look like being tough betting calls, the Kazakhstan Open is the final one for a few weeks where we have actual form to go on.

A couple of courses have exchanged the hosting of the event and whilst the 2008 running is probably irrelevent today, there is plenty of encouragement for backers from the 2011 running, won by subsequent European Tour winner Tommy Fleetwood.

Runner-up that day, Knut Borsheim, has an obvious chance this week given his liking for the track. He is a former All-American and has that College grounding that often breeds success. I'm not sure just how relevent it is but it may be significant that he has played very well this year in Norway, Tuscany and at the Griesbach in Germany but whilst he currently sits 37th in the rankings, current form is too below form to be considered.  

However, the link between the courses may not be that spurious and as such both Crespi and Kennedy appeal at the prices. 

Marco Crespi isn't one to totally rely on but he has had a cracking season thus far and currently lies inside the top-10 in the table. Crespi found his form halfway through the season with a runner-up in the Griesbach before winning his home event from Borsheim, with four birdies down the stretch. He commented then about how good his long game has been but that he had found 'something'. At a learned guess it would be temperament and keeping a level head, and he has certainly followed on from there with latest form figures of 12/17/25. The long game will certainly suit this track and I am prepared to ignore the 2007 missed-cut as irrelevent this week. He finished the 2012 in decent enough nick to suggest he can keep the run going and at 50-1 makes plenty of appeal to join the small group of players with two wins behind them in 2013.

Lloyd Kennedy is another to have one poor effort around here but he is also in cracking form. Indeed, he is one of half-a-dozen that looks destined to win sooner than later. The Essex player finished very well late in the 2011 season to make the finale but had to qualify for the main Tour through Q-school. Nothing much happened for him there and his results became much more appealing when returned to this level and the 2013 season has seen him return some impressive figures - four top-10s, a further four top-20s and just one m/c from 12. Hopefully that course link is valid as he is another to impress with 17th in Norway, 4th in Tuscany and 5th in Germany. His top-10 last week puts his overall recent form very high in the tables, and whilst the hope was for a few points bigger 40-1 appeals enough, especially as he says that he 'played great this week but making a 7 on a hole that's 119yards will not get the job done'. Keep them off the card and he is a huge runner.

Finally, Anthony Johnston gets the tip-o-the-week prize! The Londoner has always been a top class prospect and was playing with the likes of the afore-mentioned Fleetwood as a Junior. Invited to play five Challenge events in 2010, he made the most of it with three top-30 finishes meaning qualification for the following season, a year that saw him return four top-12 finishes including 11th here, and top-3s at the Karnten and Russian Cup. All that led to a superb 3rd at the finale and a full card for 2012. Results on paper look better than an eventual 163rd on the RTD but again the highlight was back in this grade, an 11th at Lyon. Another connection between some of these is that event at Lyon, played at the same course each year and at which Borsheim, Fleetwood, and Kennedy have form.

Johnston has unfortunately been suffering with injury this year and took seven months off with tendonitis. However, when he does show his form, he is able to compete with any of them and has been very happy with the progress made both physically and with his ball-striking. Top-10 at Le Vaudreill (opened with 64) and Northern Ireland, and top-5 in Finland his game is there and in perfect shape to make a move from a current 66th in the table. He isn't far off, crucially knows he has the game to get to the main Tour and is well worth backing to improve again from his last course visit. 66-1 was about right and should he be fit, 80-1 could look massive by Payday.