Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge

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DYLAN FRITTELLI - 0.75 POINTS EACH-WAY @ 40-1 (BET365)

PHILIP ARCHER - 0.50 POINTS EACH-WAY @ 80-1 (BET365/CORALS) 

As an aside to the selctions this week, the Challenge Tour this week sees a trial of a new 'tracker' system, when interested parties can follow a specified group of players over the four days, including the leading groups over the weekend. This should add a touch more reality to a Tour that is generally tough to follow due to the lack of official statistics and just the odd bits of television coverage.

Friday's coverage is due to cover the group containing Dylan Frittelli and that should make it more fun for backers of the main selection of the week.

Forgive me for a repeat of the paragraph from the Karnten Open in Austria but there seems no reason to desert the methods in the madness. This is what was written just a month ago

'Born in South Africa, a country that continually produces Champions, yet at college in Texas Frtitelli clearly has the background for success and his fledgling career produced a win in the Callaway Boys at Torrey Pines in 2007 before a host of top college golf placings. Easily making the cut in the South African Open 2010, his next best result on the main Tour was an excellent 33rd in Danny Willett's BMW victory last season. Qualifying for the CT in 2nd place at one of the schools, Fritelli's results look to have settled down with five top-20s this season and a progressive profile. If the Kenya link is not spurious then his opening 7th is a clue, whilst last weeks 13th could have been so much better but for a poor final round. Having shot 65/68/67 to lie 5th, he will be disappointed not to have made more of that hopeful position, but this is a learning curve for all these youngsters and they can find that extra putt at anytime.'

Of course, Frittelli then went on to produce a tremendously impressive display, gaining a lead with rounds of 67/64/65 before holding on in tough Sunday conditions eventually winning by 4 shots. Since then, he has just not been able to gain consistency in his rounds, but finishing with a low-of-the-day 63 in Switzerlamd propelled him from nowhere to 23rd, whilst last week he bolted from the tee with an opening 65 before fading over the weekend. Currently lying 12th in the rankings, he still needs a few decent results to assure him of a place at the real money events, but whilst Vaudreuil is said to be open to low scores, accuracy is key to making the shots as the greens are small and raised - both aspects that Frittelli has conquered with those results at Kenya and Austria. He was 25-1 last week and has done nothing particularly wrong in one week, seems very confident of his own abiliity and returns to a backable price of 40-1.     

Yet again, a 'home' player won last week, when Italian Marco Crespi came from off the pace to win at Tuscany and the leaderbaord at Le Vaudreuil looks almost destined to be full of French names. The oddsmakers have French players as three of the top four in the market whilst there are a host of others listed at double figures. To choose between them is difficult - Dubois hasn't won this season but is a multi- winner on this Tour in 2011 and plays well every week; Victor Riu won for us a couple of weeks ago, likes courses that need accuracy and knows the course well, living a few miles away whilst the likes of Julien Guerrier and Francois Calmels (already twice winner this year) have huge claims. The last names has definate claims at a big 40-1, and given he is a winner already, looks to be the best value of the home contingent. Nevertheless he is very in-and-out, has never done that much in France on this Tour and, in reality, whilst he doesn't have to win to finish in the top echelon at the end of the year, is probably under more pressure now he looks for his third win and automatic promotion to the big league.

Instead I am taking a chance with near veteran Philip Archer. Winner of three Challenge Tour events including the Allienz Open in Brittany in 2011, the Englishman is clearly not the force that took Brett Rumford to a play-off at the 2007 Omega Masters and subsequently ranked 29th on the Race To Duabi, but equllaly he isn't finished yet as a couple of top-10s and a further two top-15s show. An excellent wind player, he won't baulk at the forecast storms and his form in France is impressive with finishes of 7/7/11 in his last six starts here. Last week saw a quiet return to form when never out of top six throughout the event and he should be on a high now returning to a favoured location. 80-1 in a couple of places looks too big.