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Pep Angles - 1.5 points each-way @ 30-1 (Sportingbet) 28-1 (General) Dominic Foos - 1 point each-way @ 100-1 (Corals) 80-1/90-1 fine Toby Tree - 0.50 points each-way @ 100-1 (Sportingbet) 90-1 (365) Smith disputes favouritism with Romain Langasque who still remains the player with the highest class potential in the field. We've seen it plenty of times before but he does look the real deal even if he remains a maiden. The Frenchman admirably turned down an invite to Memorial this week to play here and commit to this level, and following a complete week off golf aims to continue an impressive form run. He is preferred to his market rival in terms of finishing position but has no appeal at the prices. If picking one from the top, multiple winner on the Alps tour Matthieu Pavon just misses out. The wins are somewhat relevant given this weeks location, and he is sparkling form with a run of 2/2/4/17, giving Clemet Sordet no chance to rest on a lead in Turkey (eagled final hole) before making Gary King have to birdie from off the green to win in Italy. Both he and the selection, fellow Alps winner Pep Angles, were always high up on the list and it is only the price that was the deciding factor. The 23-year-old Spaniard broke the record for the lowest score at the University of Arkansas and has come on from his brief spell on the Alps tour with a very eye-caching top-20 at Valderrama in the top league (if you can play well there, you can play well anywhere - ask Frank Sinatra) before a 3rd in Madrid at this level. The last two results may not have been as impressive but certainly do not detract and this venue should suit a player that ranked top-12 in driving accuracy and approach play at one of the hardest courses on the main Tour. Repeat that, or any of his form in just a handful of events, and he must go close. Dominic Foos isn't 20-years-old yet but has made an impression on the tour. A stunning amateur, he made the top-40 at the shortened Nelson Mandela in 2013 played in tough conditions before four rounds of 70 and under led to a top-20 in the 2015 Qatar Masters. These efforts point to a future winner and he finished mid-30s at the end of the 2015 rankings courtesy of a maiden win at the Gant in Finland (rough was up there too) and, crucially, a 3rd place finish over this week's course. Rising from 14th to 3rd throughout Payday was even more meritorious given he was the only one of the top 36 or so to have no dropped shots and his five-birdie 66 must give him plenty of positive thoughts for this week. Although form figures are average rather than stunning, he isn't doing anything particularly wrong, putting up plenty of red and yellow figures during mid-30 finishes in Turkey and Italy. I'll be happy enough to take positives from his m/c in Czech as he started very well, going 5-under through his first seven holes before unravelling, and he is young enough and clearly talented enough to leave that behind. I had the improving German at around 45-1 this week and am very happy to see the prices available. Regular readers will be sick of the sight of the tip on Toby Tree but I have said he will be backed every week at 50+ and here we go again. Absolutely nothing to add to previous weeks other than those finishes at Tshwane and Dimension Data put him right there, and the putts are just not dropping. Okay, there were silly errors and crucial dropped shots on scoreable holes in the Czech last time but again I am forgiving that on overall form and he was another that played well here on Sunday in 2015, going on a birdie run before a last-hole bogey cost him a 65. It does look as though he will be taking me on a roller-coaster ride for the rest of the year but there we are - he remains one that will contend soon. |
