Sergio Garcia returns to his home course, Club de Campo del Mediterraneo, to defend his Castello Masters title.
The Course: Club de Campo del Mediterraneo, Castellon, Spain (par-71, 7,111 yards)
This tree-lined course is hosting this event for the second time and scoring is again expected to be low - Sergio won with a 20-under total last year. Although the course is relatively short by modern standards and the fairways pretty tight, the long hitters still seemed to enjoy an advantage in 2008. There are just three par-5's, the 4th (the longest at 634 yards), 8th and 13th.
Ross' Top Tip: Sergio Garcia @ 6/1 Blue Square
"Boring" - I hear you cry. Well, I'd much rather be with the Spaniard this week than against him. Last year, he cruised to a three-shot victory and, while he failed to build on his first-round 64 in the Madrid Masters last time (finished tied-17th), there was enough to like about his golf to suggest he will make a bold defence in front of his family (his dad is the pro here) and friends. I don't like taking single-figure odds but with question marks over several of his rivals (see below), the 6/1 is fair.
At bigger odds, he's also worth backing to win the Race To Dubai at 33/1 (Paddy Power). Victory this week and a nice fat cheque at next week's World Matchplay (played down the road in Casares), would bring him right back into the hunt, and give him huge momentum heading into the Sheshan International in Shanghai, where he's defending champion. After that, it's the season-closing Dubai World Championship with $7.5 on the table and I doubt he will be 33/1 going into that. The current favourite Lee Westwood is odds-on but with so much money up for grabs, he's hardly home and hosed.
Next Best: Justin Rose @ 18/1 Stan James
The Englishman can give Sergio most to do this week. Granted, he has been inconsistent this season but his talent remains unquestioned and his last win came in Spain two years ago at the Volvo Masters against a much better field than this. This season, he's posted some decent efforts in the States - fifth place in the Wyndham Championship and 15th at the recent Turning Stone Championship - and last week's sixth place at last week's Portugal Masters was another solid effort
Outsider: Robert Rock @ 100/1 bet365
Finished runner-up three times earlier this season, including at the prestigious Irish Open which he lost in a play-off. His form tailed off after that but he played well at the recent Vivendi Trophy, winning three of his matches, and closed out last week in Portugal with 64 shots on his way to finishing 19th. Averaging just under 300 yards off the tee, his game should be suited to this week's track and 25/1 to make the frame looks on the generous side.
Ross' 72-Hole Match Bet: Justin Rose to beat Charl Schwartzel @ 17/20 Boylesports
Tournament Lays: Robert Allenby & Anthony Wall - in Betfair's outright market if in contention at any time
Allenby warms up here for next week's World Matchplay and is one of the few class acts in the field, but he so often flatters to deceive and, like Wall, is never one to trust with a win-only bet. A couple of other players to be wary of backing this week are Angel Cabrera, whose preparation for this will be severely limited having played in the Grand Slam of Golf in Bermuda which finishes on Wednesday, and Martin Kaymer, who will be rusty after a long layoff due to a go-karting accident!
Recommended Bets:
Sergio Garcia 3pts @ 6/1 Blue Square
Justin Rose 1pt each-way @ 18/1 Stan James
Robert Rock 1pt each-way @ 100/1 bet365
Sergio Garcia (Race To Dubai) 1pt @ 33/1 Paddy Power