Open de Madrid

FINAL UPDATE: 0-3; -4.50pts

Gonzalez 19th
Broadhurst mc
Khan 52nd

No chance of catching the runaway winner, Jacquelin, but Gonzalez was well-placed to earn a top-5 payout, but opened the final round with a bogey and it didn't get much better thereafter!

Outright plays (total stake per play: 1.5pts)

Ricardo Gonzalez to win 40/1 e.w. available generally
It's a long way back from San Francisco, so I really don't see the WGC players being as motivated as those players who stayed in Europe last week. And even though Gonzalez disappointed last week, he had opened well to be inside the top-10 after the first round and it was only after some untidy play on the second day that he coasted for the rest of the event. The motivation remains from a high finish earning him another visit to Valderrama and he had been in very good form beforehand: 11th, 23rd, 10th and 7th in his previous four starts. And if that were not enough, he is a former winner of this event (2003) and has had a further win (2004 Open de Seville) and a runners-up finish (2004 Canarias Open de Espana) in this country in the meantime. Surely these odds are far too large.

Paul Broadhurst to win 40/1 e.w. @ BetInternet, William Hill and Victor Chandler
Broadhurst has already won on the Iberian Peninsula this year (Estoril Open de Portugal) and his form in Spain is almost as good: he finished 7th, 4th and 11th in the three Spanish events that closed last season and the 4th place finish was on this course. So with four top-16 finishes in his last six starts, he looks well-placed to repeat last year's last season flourish.

Simon Khan to win 40/1 e.w. @ BetInternet, BlueSq and BetDirect
Compared to the other selections' form on this course, Khan is making his debut this week, but he is another who can boast particularly good form in Spain. He has yet to miss the cut in his seven starts in this country since the start of the 2003 season and of those seven starts, he has finished in the top-10 four times. In a good vein of form at the moment - four successive top-25 finishes - he should continue his fine play on Spanish courses this week.