Turespana Mallorca Classic

Outright plays (1.5 units):

Robert Karlsson to win 25/1 e.w. @ BlueSq and BetDirect
Disappointed as a selection last week, but with four top-10 finishes in his last eight European Tour starts, he is still a standout player in this field. He can also claim success in mainland Spain as well with two of his five Tour wins in this country - his maiden win in 1995 in the Turespana Open Mediterrania and the 2001 Open de Espana. With top-10 finishes in the last two Volvo Masters, it is clear that he enjoys Spanish golf conditions and this should transfer into a better performance this week.

Gary Murphy to win 50/1 e.w. @ Easybets
Murphy can lay claim to a top-10 in the Challenge de Espana last year, which looks pale next to Karlsson's record, but at least he does come into the event off a 6th place finish which was impressive for the way in which he held on to the leading positions after being the 1st round leader. This will look a big price if he plays as well this week.

Santiago Luna to win 66/1 e.w. @ Tote
While Karlsson has had success on the mainland, Luna can claim some impressive performances on the Islands. He was 6th in the Canarias Open de Espana earlier this year and was also 6th when the Turespana Masters Open Baleares was held on Majorca in 1998. His form has been improving recently and his top-20 finish last week was his best since the Open de France in June. He should raise his game further this week.

Matchup plays (1.5 units):

Markus Brier to beat Robert Coles -132 @ Five Dimes
Opposing Coles who has played very well on the European Challenge Tour recently but has consistently struggled on the main Tour. He has played on the main Tour ten times this season and missed the cut six times with a best finish of 25th (Madeira Island Open). Brier has been finishing well up the leaderboard when he has been making cuts and can boast a very good record on Spanish courses. He was 2nd in the Open de Espana in 2000, 5th in the Open de Madrid in 2001 and 10th in the Canarias Open de Espana earlier this year. Another top-20 finish beckons.

Markus Brier to beat Adam Mednick -111 @ BetandWin
Straightforward to oppose Mednick who has missed five of his last seven cuts and has made only one cut in three Spanish events on this Tour. He does not have to worry about his Tour card for next year because of his win in the 2002 North West of Ireland Open, but he would be really struggling otherwise as he currently ranks 151st in the Volvo Order of Merit. His poor season looks unlikely to be saved this week.

Maarten Lafeber to beat Jose Maria Olazabal -138 @ Bet365
No worries about Tour cards in this match. For all that Ollie has an impressive record on Spanish soil, he has not managed to improve on his 10th place finish in the 2003 Canarias Open de Espana in the last six months. He has even missed the cuts in two of his last three European Tour starts. No such form concerns for Lafeber who has finished 4th and 1st in his last two events and has made the cut in each of his last ten starts.
(also available at SIA and Paddy Power)

Final update:

Matchups: 2-1-0; +0.93 units

Brier/Coles WON (Coles wd)
Brier/Mednick WON by 7
Lafeber/Olazabal LOST by 3

Outrights: 0-2; -3.00 units

Karlsson mc
Luna 33rd
Murphy dns

Small loss on the event which was reduced to 54 holes after the heavy rain and lightning on Friday/Saturday. Luna had been very much in contention after the 1st round, but arguably faced the worst of the weather for the difficult second round and was only five shots from the top-5 at the finish. Poor weather and no television coverage made for a forgettable event.