Aegean Airlines Challenge

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Jordi Garcia -Pinto - 1.5 points ew @ 28-1 (bet365)

Lloyd Kennedy - 0.75 points @ 50-1 (Skybet)  

As the first effort went into cyber space, just a quick few notes.

Moritz lampert is clearly the one to beat here, and is a very short price to go and win his third event of the season before too long. Current form reads 2/1/mc/1/5 and the way he fought back down the back-9 in Scotland demonstrates he still means business - certainly, other players on Tour are full of admiration. That brings it's own pressures however and at 8-1 he is a very short price to gain automatic qualification to the main tour especially as he is playing at home. Given neither Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell or Henrik Stenson could bring home the booty in their home events, it will take quite an effort for the German to do so with so much media attention. I maybe would have played at around 12-1 but given you could back Kris Broberg at 14-1 for his fourth win of the year when on a different level to his field, and that Brooks Koepka was rarely single figures, this is just too short.

The shift of attention away from Jordi Garcia-Pinto to Lampert will do the former the world of good. Playing the best golf of his career, he leads the rankings by some way thanks to a win at the Nejati (ex St Omer for us old blokes) and a runner-up at the lucrative co-sanctioned NH. After a couple of decent opening rounds last week he faded away over the weekend, perhaps no surprise after taking the week off after the win. The Spaniard should come on for that, recognise that he now has a serious challenger for the number one slot and improve on last seasons 21st round here. I felt the two should be marginally closer in the betting and that 28-1 was worth a few quid given the overall moderate standard of the field.

Lloyd Kennedy had a very consistent middle part of 2013 with five top-20s and four top-10s finishing 39th in the table. Already ranking 30th this year, his 42nd at the classy Lyoness Open is sandwiched with a 6th at the Czech and 3rd at the Nejati and the m/c last week was down to the opening 74, the second round 68 a much better indication of his talent. 5th here last year, this is his time of year and about the time when players need to be ensuring their top-45 place for the rush to the finale. Again, given most of these players simply cannot win, 50-1 looked fair.