Aa St. Omer Open

Outright plays (1.5 units):

Philip Golding to win 50/1 e.w. @ BetInternet
Did look closely at including the impressive French youngster, Gregory Bourdy, but being last out was discouraging and have decided to opt for players who have experience of playing on the main and the Challenge Tour. Golding certainly has plenty of experience of this - he holds the record for the most visits to the Tour School (16). He performed well when he was relegated to the Challenge Tour - 3rd in the Challenge Tour  Order of Merit in 2001 and 13th in 1999 - and his form has been particularly impressive since the end of last season. His finishes of 31st and 16th in the last two European Tour events better anyone else in this field and he ahs shown that he can play under pressure should he get close to winning and securing the all-important two-year exemption on the main Tour.

Jose Manuel Carriles to win 66/1 e.w. @ BetInternet
Carriles is just as experienced on the main Tour and in the Tour School (10 visits) and has spent this year on the Challenge Tour having lost his main Tour card in 2001. Of his only four starts this year, he opened with a rusty missed cut in the Spanish Open on the main Tour and has then finished 2nd, 5th and 36th on the Challenge Tour. With the experience necessary and having shown that he is competitive in this company, he could be a contender this week.

Peter Hanson to win 80/1 e.w. @ UKBetting
Hanson has alternated between the Challenge and the main Tour in the last few years and shot to prominence particularly in 2001 when he followed his victory in the Challenge Tour's Hamburg Classic with successive main Tour finishes of 32nd (Dutch Open), 9th (Scandinavian Masters), 6th (North-West of Ireland Open) and 7th (Scottish PGA Championship). He did struggle on the main Tour last year, but has bounced back to form in the past month with top-10 finishes in each of his last three Challenge Tour events, including 2nd in the Challenge de Espana. A very big price for an experienced player in this form.

Final update: 1-2; +3.38 units

Golding 27th
Carriles mc
Hanson 4th

Profitable event and Hanson was always close to the top-5, if never close to the wire-to-wire winner, Brett Rumford. Rather frustrating that he bogeyed the last three holes and so shared 4th place with three other players. It cost eight units, so it was certainly costly, but still a very long way to go to turn this Tour into profit this season.