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Betfair Picks - European Tour |
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4-2; +25.44pts No pre-tournament plays. Pre-rd3 plays: BACK to win 20pts Sergio Garcia 3.1 1st
An extremely impressive record on this course and the best player by some margin - in terms of World Rankings at least - at the top of the leaderboard, Garcia is a worthy favourite heading into the weekend one shot behind Luiten. He was the sole leader before the 11th hole today and I don't think that it will take long for him to regani that position tomorrow.
Scott Jamieson 17.5 6th
A score of 68 in the breezy conditions this afternoon was very impressive and he certainly sounded very positive about his game after today's round. Alongside Garcia in 2nd place, I would price him a little lower to be the player to take advantage if Garcia finds the added burden of hosting the event too much over the weekend LAY 20pts liability Joost Luiten 4.1 2nd
Luiten is 1-for-4 when leading after two rounds and that win was over four years ago in against a much weaker field - the 2013 Lyoness Open. He was trailing Garcia until he holed out from 227 yards on the 11th hole for an albatross and held a three-shot lead after 12 holes, but he would be two-over-par for the next six holes so he only has a one-shot lead heading into the weekend. The conditions were difficult but that play when leading was that of a player who has only one top-10 finish in the last 12 months so he is a player to oppose tomorrow. Pre-rd4 plays: BACK to win 20pts Joost Luiten 6.6 2nd
Luiten quickly lost the lead today, but managed to stay within close distance of the lead and a birdie at the 17th hole meant that he will play in the final grouping tomorrow. I still think that this is Garcia's tournament to lose, but looking to minimise the potential losses if Luiten does manage to put some pressure on the host player. LAY 20pts liability Daniel Brooks 9.2 3rd
It was quite a round by Brooks - not only was it the low round of the day, but he was in 16th position and knew that he needed at least a top-8 finish for a chance of keeping his Tour Card for next season. It is always tough to follow up such a low score, but it will be made even more difficult by playing in the final group with Garcia in front of his home crowd. A much more realistic target will be to make sure that he finishes inside the top-8 and keeps his Tour Card, but that still means a lot of pressure.
Jamie Donaldson 16 4th
It's a similar situation for Donaldson who starts the final round in 4th place and three shots off the lead. He needs a top-8 finish tomorrow else he will have to go to Qualifying School or use his Career Money List exemption next season. Given that he has had just one top-8 finish in the last two years on the European Tour (2017 Nordea Masters; 7th), he will also be playing under a lot of pressure tomorrow and the priority must be to ensure his Tour Card for next season.
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