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English Open
The former home of the English Open, the Forest of Arden golf course hosted the British Masters in 1997 and 1998 so there is at least some course form to consider even though that event was played in September. Like the Kemper Open, the Monday finish to the last Tour event has meant that a sizeable number of the original field has withdrawn, but this tournament still has a lot of European quality names on show and they have goof form on this ball-striker's course. Monty has been 1st, 2nd, 2nd and 1st in his last four visits here, Clarke has been in the top-15 in his last three. The course should play a little tougher than in the past with a great deal of money spent on the course, especially in making the greens harder to read. It just gets better and better for Monty and like last week, it is hard to look past someone who dominates the Euro Tour to the same degree that Tiger does across the Atlantic.
Will have matchup plays later this evening.
72-hole plays:
Peter Baker to beat David Park -125 @ Easybets
Three missed cuts in five for Park and a course he's yet to play - with home
being only 25 miles from the course, Baker should make the weekend and win this
matchup
Retief Goosen to beat Michael Campbell -120 @ SIA
Show traces of early season form, but Campbell has yet to comes to terms with
European greens; he has now moved up a class in matchup opponent and should be
too much this week
Gary Orr to beat Michael Campbell +100 @ Sportingbet
Putting Monty to one side, Orr took over the mantle of most in-form player on
the European Tour after the WGC matchplay. Hard to see anything but another
top-10 finish for the Scot
Paul McGinley to beat Per-Ulrik Johansson -125 @ Easybets
Three consecutive top-20 finishes for McGinley, three consecutive missed cuts
for Johansson. Such mismatches come along all too infrequently. I will eat my
proverbial hat if McGinley does not win this one!
Mid-point update:
Picked a bad week to oppose Michael Campbell! He shot an opening 63 to set a new European Tour record of leading by six after the first round ... and Gary Orr was second!
After 36 holes Campbell is still leading the tournament, now by five shots,
and he leads Gary Orr by nine shots and Retief Goosen by thirteen. Of the other
two plays, Peter Baker and David Park are both tied going into the weekend and
my play of the month - McGinley over Johansson - was voided as McGinley withdrew
from the event before the off 
Johansson
retired after the first round; this really would have been the easiest of wins!
Final update: 1-2 and -1.20 units
Michael Campbell didn't win the tournament, but as our pick, Gary Orr, was only 6th that meant a three-shot loss. Goosen was a rather more distant thirteen shots behind! Definitely had his mind on the US Open after a disappointing opening round. At least Peter Baker provided a winner this week, defeating David Park by five shots.
