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Betfair Picks - European Tour |
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0-14; -14pts Pre-tournament plays: BACK 1pt Alex Noren 12.5 6th
Tommy Fleetwood 14 mc
Bernd Wiesberger 26 mc
Lee Westwood 32 54th
Ross Fisher 32 mc
Tyrell Hatton 36 3rd
Victor Dubuisson 70 mc
Scott Hend 80 2nd - playoff loss
Joost Luiten 85 30th
Mike Lorenzo-Vera 85 30th
Miguel Angel Jimenez 100 70th
Defending champion Noren also won here in 2009 to show that it was not just the change in family life and form that saw him play so well here last year; justifiably heads the market on a course where experience is so important
Fleetwood also ranks inside the top-20 in the World Rankings and he also leads the Race to Dubai with two wins already this season; two previous top-10 finishes here suggest he should be a strong challenger for a third win
Wiesberger also has a top-10 finish here which is important on this very quirky mountain course and could be strong challenger as he kicks off his Ryder Cup compaign
Westwood left himself too much to do last week, but still finished in the top-10 and with a 4th place finish last year, he is another who should contend this week
Another with a top-5 finish on this course is Fisher and at 8th in the Race to Dubai, his quality in this co-sanctioned event warrants a shorter price
Tyrrell's current form a long way short of the level reached up to six months ago, but if it is to return, it looks likely to do so on a course where he has finished in the top-3 in two of the last three years
Dubuisson is another who has finished in the top-3 here and there was plenty of evidence in his last outing that his ball striking is at a level to repeat that feat this week
Another with good course form is Hend who lost out to Noren in a playoff last year; he finished in the top-10 in his last European Tour outing and looks a better quality player than these odds suggest
Far more speculative, as he doesn't have great course form, is Luiten, but the odds take that course history into account and he is a multiple-winner on this Tour
Back to course specialist with Lorenzo-Vera who is 3-for-3 in top-20 finishes here and he comes into this event on the back of a top-10 finish last week
In terms of course specialists there are none better than Jimenez and this is a course on which the Champions Tour can still compete - there are lots of short irons into the greens, but you generally can't go for the pins so course knowledge and patience is key Pre-rd3 plays: BACK 1pt Darren Fichardt 10.5 6th
Thongchai Jaidee 16 9th
Fabriio Zanotti 18.5 3rd
Fichardt is just a shot behind Hend and three shots ahead of the 3rd place players, so this looks a good hedge on the Hend play particularly as Fichardt's play has been so impressive - he came home in 29 today and hasn't dropped a single shot all week
In 3rd place if Jaidee who is the best of players who finished this morning; he already has a couple of top-10 finishes here and has the experience to be a strong challenger over the weekend if Hend falls back
Also in 3rd place is Zanotti and is another who has played very well this week - he ranks 3rd in greens in regulation - and could be another challenger to Hend
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