Shankai Classic

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Byeong-Hun An - 3 points each-way @ 12-1 (Skybet) 

To describe this Challenge Tour season as somewhat of a disappointment would be underestimating the matter but we plough on through the final few events, a trio of tough contests that will determine the top-45 through to the Grand Final.

As they do, the organisers decide to shove a new course in front of us to make matters harder (although I doubt that’s their real aim - to pee off punters), but in fact may have done us a huge favour.

In a large field at least half can be ruled out as lesser Asian players, whilst many of the CT regulars are either out of form or so far off the pace in the rankings that you wonder if this may be just a holiday.

It would be great to think that column favourite Mark Tullo or consistent Eduoard Espana would gain another/first win but priced as they are they are too short whilst certain future R2D top-10 player Matthew Fitzpatrick again looks short in comparison to the favourite.

At almost 7300-yards, the hybrid par-72 takes in two halves of two courses, meaning there are just  three par-5s and three par-3s and a mixture of very long and also driveable holes.  It is hard to think that long-hitters won’t have an advantage and that rules out many of these once again.

The confident selection comes here in fine form having taken time to approach anything like that victory in the US Amateur, when thrashing Ben Martin (considered a certain winner on the PGA Tour and fancied by a few this week) but he is now showing enough consistency to have already gained his main Tour card for 2015.

An came to prominence when runner-up at the Scottish Hydro Links in 2013 and since then his form has taken an upward curve throughout the year, with two runner-up finishes supported with that lucrative win at the Rolex. Crucially, the Korean-born son of Olympic champions will not be fazed or  have any culture shocks having played many times in the Far East, with serious results including 33^rd behind Brett Rumford and Miko Illonen in the China Open, and an excellent 18^th in the Hong Kong Open behind Miguel Angel Jimenez. In context then, the top-25 in this event last year seems to be a disappointment but this course should suit better and he does, of course, now play with freedom and under no pressure to gain one of those end-of-year invitations.   

As an aside, I note that his decent results go in small groups and after a couple of bad ones. So, runs of 13/2/mc/mc, and 26/2/mc/mc should mean that the current run of 4/1/mc/65/3 will be followed by a decent finish – is it any worse than giving Cyril Bouniol a nod due to ‘recent married factor’ or whichever girlfriend/wife happens to be giving birth this month?

Overall, the selection simply looks on another level to the vast majority of these and compared with those around him in the book, he does stand out as value even at a shortish price.