Outright Picks - European Tour |
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Madeira Island Open |
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FINAL RESULT: 0-3; -3.00pts Dredge 28th
Molinari 15th
Foster 28th Could have been a decent event with Dredge sitting in 3rd
place at the start of the weekend and at odds of just 3/1 to win, but a
3rd round 77 ended any hopes in this event.
Outright plays (total stake per play: 1pt) Bradley Dredge to win 12/1
e.w. available generally
Did also consider David Lynn (18/1 Coral & Boyles), but Dredge looks the
best player amongst the favourites. His two finishes of 24th in the
Qatar Masters and 13th in the Dubai Desert Classic cannot quite match
Lynn's recent form, but it is still far better than anyone else in this
field and he should also benefit from not having gone on the tiring
Asian leg of the Tour schedule. And if his 2006 form is very much in his
favour, his course form is even moreso. He has played in this event
three times, winning once (2003) and finishing 7th and 14th. When he won
he shot the lowest-ever round on this course with a 60 and even though
it doesn't count as a course record because of the preferred lies, it is
enough evidence that Dredge should go very close to winning this week.
It is hard to see him not being in contention this week. Francisco
Molinari to win 40/1 e.w. @
BetInternet,
Sportingbet,
Sporting Odds,
Victor
Chandler and
BetFred
It has been quite a six months for the Molinari family. Brother Edoardo
won the U.S. Amateur Championship in August, the same month that
Francisco earned his first top-10 on the Tour with a 6th place finish in
the Johnnie Walker Championship and it enabled him to retain his Tour
Card for this season. And it has been this season that he has moved up
at least one level with three top-10 finishes in six starts. That is
impressive form for this field and at these odds and given that his 22nd
place finish on his debut last year was at a time when he was out of
form (missed cuts in the week before and after this event) and it
represented his best finish on the Tour up that point outside Italy,
there is plenty of reason to expect him to finish in the top-10 again
this week. Mark Foster to win 66/1 e.w. available generally
Has struggled in previous seasons with injury and prolonged illness, but
looks to be back to his best this season. Even when he won the Dunhill
Championship after a six-man playoff in 2003, he only finished 67th in
the Order of Merit, but now ranks 52nd this season after a 12th place
finish in the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship and 4th in the Malaysian Open
in his last outing with a final round 63. That was a month ago, so there
should be no fatigue worries after the Asian leg of the Tour schedule
and on his return to this course last year, having not played in the
previous three years, he finished alongside Molinari in 22nd place. That
is a decent effort when not in the form that he is in now and that means
there should be plenty of value at these odds. |