The next stop on the European Tour’s road to the Open Championship is this week’s Alstom Open de France.
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For the 10th year running Le Golf National hosts this tournament, and it was also the venue most used during the 90's, so there's plenty of form to wade through.
Although Miguel Angel Jimenez won here last year, and Martin Kaymer 12 months earlier, recent results have been hard to predict and shock winners are the norm rather than the exception. With water in play on a number of holes, accuracy holds sway over power.
The first player to come in for serious consideration was Kaymer. I managed to catch him in 2009 at the rewarding odds of 34.0 and I was again onboard last year at 20.0 when he led with a round to go but failed to convert. He said last week that he was looking forward to this event and that he liked the course but he's just too short for me. I wanted 13.0 at least so I've reluctantly left him out.
Peter Hanson boasts both course and current form, Francesco Molinari lost in the play-off last year and Matteo Manassero, like his compatriot, has just the right credentials for this track but all three were short enough for my liking.
Given the precision over power theory, backing Alvaro Quiros this week is perhaps more foolish than brave but amongst the market leaders he's the only one that looks generously priced to me.
Since teaming up with caddie Gareth Lord, who had great success with both David Howell and Robert Karlsson, Alvaro's results have improved almost unnoticed. He co-led the US Masters after day one following a stunning 65, finished a remarkably good 6th at the Players Championship on a course I wouldn't have fancied him to fare well on at all. He was bang there at halfway at the PGA at Wentworth, again on a course that wasn't exactly made for him, and he contended well at the US Open until a poor final round saw him slide down the leaderboard. And check out his stats at Congressional. Surprisingly, he was ranked 6th for Driving Accuracy and 10th for Greens in Regulation! He hasn't played at a venue to suit for months, and that's again the case here but I think he's a winner waiting to happen and I felt he was worth chancing at 28.0. If he brings that accuracy to Paris he'll be considerably shorter in no time.
I wouldn't have been remotely interested in backing Robert Rock a month ago but since his win in Italy and his excellent effort at the US Open he now commands respect. He was sitting in 5th place after round one last year so can play the track and he was ten points or so too big at 65.0.
Gary Boyd gets another chance at big odds. He came close to winning in Italy two weeks ago but was disappointing after a great start last week. His long game was in great order all week but he putted poorly. If he can get that department back in order he's miles too big again.
With the Ryder Cup coming here in 2018 it's perhaps a little early for US reconnaissance missions but a few Americans have made the trip this year. Bubba Watson was all over the place last week and makes little appeal with so much water about but I thought his compatriot Brendon Steele was very much over-priced at 160.0. He's already won on the PGA Tour this year, having taken the Texas Open just two months ago.
