Home|PGA|European|Champions|LPGA|WGC|Others |
| |
| |
Rhys Davies - 1.5 points each-way @ 40-1 (Bet365) Moritz Lampert now only needs one more win this year to gain automatic entry to the European Tour and judged on the way he finishes his events it may not be long coming. Amongst players that seem unable to go ahead and finish three days of good work, the German's final winning rounds of 65 and 63 are a breath of fresh air and he will be an excellent addition to the main ranks when, not if, he qualifies. Still, that means he is just 16-1 to win at St.Omer and with only a missed-cut in his course form, any of the unpredictable wind and rain that often arrives may just scupper his excellent run. In a tough event that may rely heavily on the draw Welshman Davies stands out at 40-1, especially when compared with unproven players that surround him in the market. Most golf backers will know Davies as the hugely promising player that destroyed Louis Oosthuizen in a final round duel in Morocco (the latter to then go on to win The Open in the same year), but also took Luke Donald to the wire in Madrid before running-up in Wales, all huge form in the context of this tier. A two-feet putt away from defending the Trophee Hassan, things suddenly took a step backwards since and it's been a struggle, but there have been signs over the last year or so that a revival is on the cards. 23rd at the end of 2013 rankings after a top-5 in the finale, the 29-year-old seems to have found much more consistency this year. Although it will be a long way back to the top-50 of the OWGR, encouraging signs include 25th at his beloved Morocco, 12th at the NH Collection, top-25 at Madeira and 17th at last week's Lyoness Open, a class above this weeks event and that after a third round 77 setting him back in the pack from a halfway 5th. Davies doesn't seem too worried about his game at present and given those top-class memories, certainly knows what it takes to win an event under pressure. St.Omer requires a great deal of that calmness, often returning scores much lower than 10-under, rare in golf these days. Last season's 22nd would have been much better but for an opening 77 and his ability in wind will see him oust the majority of this field. In the context of the event, I made him no bigger than 30-1 and he seems very fairly priced.
|