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Cannes Open
Rearranged just two weeks ago following the cancellation of the Estoril Open, the European Tour sees the return of one of the former leading season-opening events of the Tour. Monty and Woosnam, for example, regularly opened their European campaign at Cannes Mougins. Woosie won here in 1994 and Monty finished in the top-3 twice, but didn't win. However, after a year at a new venue, Royal Mougins, and with the event moved forward four weeks to a March slot, the 'name' players didn't return and the event started to struggle. The event's future is unknown, but this is a fine replacement for the Estoril Open.
The course is not long, just 6,860 yards, and being a par-72 it will probably be seen to struggle with the improvements in technology since it last staged this event in 1994. In that year, Woosnam won with a total of 271 and that will surely be bettered this year. The rough is thick and with the recent wet weather will be quite demanding, but the fairways are wide for a Tour course. This is a course that can be attacked.
The three selections this week are Ricardo Gonzalez, Jean van de Velde and Steven O'Hara. Gonzalez has been in great form this summer. He has four top-10 finishes in his last eight events and won the European Masters at Crans-sur-Sierre which is another course that rewards attacking play. Deserves his favourite's odds in this weak field and will surely go close.
It is unlikely that Van de Velde had scheduled himself for the Estoril Open, but given his current precarious position on the money lists on both the European and PGA Tours, 138th and 156th respectively, he will be very glad of the substitute event. He had been told to expect no preferential treatment by Ken Schofield if he failed to retain his Tour card so Q-school was looming. But now he returns to a course on which he finished 3rd behind Monty and Woosnam in 1994 and he followed that with 2nd a year later at Royal Mougins. Against a weak field and on a course and event in which he has had success, van de Velde should play much better this week and may even retain his card.
The final selection is a speculative punt on one of the Walker Cup players who turned professional soon afterwards. He finished 16th in the European Masters in his 2nd event as a pro last month and followed that with 3rd in the Challenge Tour's PGA of Austria Masters when he finished just two shots behind the winner, Iain Pyman. He has shown he is capable of competing at this level and at odds of 80/1 when others go half those odds, he makes the shortlist.
Outright plays:
Ricardo Gonzalez to win 14/1 e.w. @ Surrey
Jean van de Velde to win 28/1 e.w. @ Victor Chandler
Steven O'Hara to win 80/1 e.w. @ Sporting Odds or Bet365
72-hole plays:
Fredrik
Andersson to beat Dennis Edlund -111 @ Simon Bold
[2 units]
Huge difference in form between these two players. Andersson has been making the
cuts in the past month on the main Tour, Edlund has missed the cut in four of
his last five events and these have been on the Challenge Tour
Van
Phillips to beat David Dixon -111 @ Simon Bold
[3 units]
Some respectable finishes in the past month from Phillips, including 25th last
week. Should easily be good enough to beat Dixon who shot to fame when finishing
the leading amateur in the Open Championship, but has missed the cut (Wales
Open) and finished 81st (North West of Ireland Open) in his two main Tour events
since. Hasn't even had much success on the Challenge Tour and missed the cut in
Italy last week
Scott Gardiner to
beat Peter Hanson -125 @ Bet365
The Hanson bubble appears to have
burst. Three successive top-10 finishes on the main Tour in August have been
followed by missed cuts and a best of 49th in the Trophee Lancome. He was a
lowly 57th in the Challenge Tour event in Italy last week and the young Gardiner
looks set to win this one with another top-20 finish
Jean
van de Velde to beat Nick O'Hern -115 @ Intertops
After playing the PGA Tour in August
and missing all three cuts, O'Hern returned to Europe last week and missed the
cut again. Good enough player to turn it around, but in France and on this
course, he should be no match for van de Velde
Graham
Rankin to beat Hennie Walters -111 @ Simon Bold
Walters has missed the cut in his last three events on the main Tour, by
contrast, Rankin has made the cut in his last four and finished in the top-20 in
two of them. The experienced Rankin should beat Walters who plays most of his
golf on the Challenge Tour
Mid-point update:
Walters didn't tee off, so just four matchups remain and two of these are decided at the cut. Both are winners. Andersson beat Edlund by eight shots and van de Velde beat O'Hern by the same margin. Could be a good week as both the remaining plays are ahead at the halfway stage. Phillips leads Dixon by two shots and Gardiner leads Hanson by four. In the outrights, Gonzalez missed the cut, but both van de Velde and O'Hara lie 12th, just three shots out of the lead.
Final update: 4-0-0 and +7.00 units
Made up for a disappointing matchplay event with a sweep in the Cannes Open and almost an outright winner. Andersson and van de Velde won at the cut, while Phillips and Gardiner finished the job with two-shot and three-shot victories respectively.
Update on outright plays: 1-2 and +1.00 units
Van de Velde should have secured his Tour card for next year, but he came within a whisker of gaining a better exemption. He shot a final round 65 to finish just one shot shy of Jorge Berendt in 2nd place. O'Hara fell back over the weekend, but still finished a creditable 18th, while Gonzalez missed the cut
