FINAL RESULT: 0-3; -3.00pts

Slattery 22nd
Whitehouse 38th
Moore 53rd

Was expecting a top-5 place finish from Slattery after the finished the first and second rounds in the top-10, but he struggled on the back nine on Saturday and did so again on Sunday, shooting 6-4-7 in a three-hole stretch to end any chance of a return on this event.

Outright plays (total stake per play: 1pt)

Lee Slattery to win 22/1 e.w. @ BetInternet
With Lima and Webster pulling out of this event, Slattery is quickly moving to the top of most bookies' list and with good reason. He already has a 2nd (Madeira Island Open) and 7th (Celtic Manor Wales Open) place finish on the European Tour this year and the step down to a co-sanctioned event with the Challenge Tour highlights how far he has come in the 18 months since he finished top of the Challenge Tour rankings in 2004. He played in two Challenge Tour events that year and finished in the top-5 in each of them and while he has a poor record on this course, the last time he played was back in 2002 when he was a very different player - he was working in a high street clothes shop at the end of that year after being forced to give up golf completely following glandular fever. It has been a very impressive turnaround since then and he deserves favouritism this week.

Tom Whitehouse to win 33/1 e.w. available generally
Whitehouse has also had a couple of top-10 finishes on the European Tour this season and would have added another one at the Irish Open but for a poor final round in a weather-disrupted event. He improved his leaderboard position with every round in the BA-CA Golf Open last week. Like Slattery, he has successfully stepped up a Tour level this season, but unlike Slattery he does have decent course form to draw upon. He was in the top-10 for three rounds on his course debut in 2004 and for two rounds last year, so must certainly fancy his chances this week.

Titch Moore to win 50/1 e.w. @ Expekt
When Joakim Backstrom won last year, he ranked 1st in driving distance that week and 2nd on the European Tour for the season. With previous winners also being noted for length off the tee, it is clear that the short, 6,836-yard Aa Saint Omer course can be overpowered and who better to do that than the top-ranked player on the European Tour in driving distance. Neither Slattery nor Whitehouse are short off the tee, but they are still a long way behind the South African who has improved his finishing position every time around this course and finished 16th last time out in 2004 despite an opening 75. He has shown some good form in Europe recently and has already won on the Challenge Tour.