With over 300,000 Euros - and therefore the same number of Ryder Cup points - on offer for first place, all bar one of the players ranked between sixth and 13th in the current Ryder Cup standings are teeing up for the KLM Open at Zandvoort.
The Course: Kennemer GC, Zandvoort, Holland (par-70, 6,626 yards)
Short, old-fashioned course, links-style in places, now hosting its 19th Dutch Open since 1920, including the last two years. There are three par-5’s, none of which are longer than 5558 yards, while the 8th, at 224 yards, is easily the most demanding of the five par-3’s. The greens are smaller and the fairways tighter than average. Scoring tends to be low, unless the wind gets up, which it is forecast to do over the first two days.
Ross’ Top Tip: Alastair Forsyth @ 33/1 Ladbrokes
The temptation is to go with those players looking to secure a Ryder Cup place - Justin Rose (14/1 Betfred), Martin Kaymer (22/1 BetDirect), Oliver Wilson (40/1 Stan James), Ross Fisher (22/1 bet365), Soren Hanssen (40/1 Skybet) and Nick Dougherty (33/1 totesport) - but they will be under extreme pressure to perform (and get Ryder Cup points of course), so punters may be advised to look elsewhere for the winner. Step forward Forsyth, who you may remember being right up there in the final round of the USPGA. He eventually finished ninth and that performance will give him great confidence going into an event in which he has finished 27th and third in the last two years.
Next Best: Alexander Noren @ 40/1 Paddy Power
Noren, who tied for third with Forsyth last year, also makes the staking plan. The young Swede will almost certainly play for Europe in Ryder Cups to come, and his performance in finishing 19th at Birkdale in the Open suggests that a breakthrough victory might not be far away. With the market leaders likely to be feeling the pressure, it could easily come this week.
Outsider: Gary Orr @ 125/1 sportingbet / 10/1 bet365 (Top-10 Finish)
Although he is making his Kennemer debut, Orr comes into his own when the fairways are tight. He was eighth in the Madeira Open earlier this year (won by Forsyth) on a course which bears plenty of similarities to Kennemer, and was up with the pace throughout last week’s SAS Masters, eventually finishing fourth. His putting can be suspect under pressure, which explains why he has only won twice on Tour (both in 2000), but he can still be expected to post a decent finish. He’s worth a small bet in the outright market, but have a bigger bet on him finishing top-10.
Tournament Lay (Betfair): Justin Rose
Rose is clearly out to grab as many Ryder Cup points as he can this week, but he has no experience of Kennemer and looks plenty short enough in the betting.
Ross’ Match Bet: Alexander Noren to beat Markus Brier @ 10/11 Betfred
Recommended Bets:
Alastair Forsyth 1pt each way @ 33/1 Ladbrokes
Alexander Noren 1pt each way @ 40/1 Paddy Power
Gary Orr 1/2pt each way @ 125/1 sportingbet
Gary Orr (Top-10 Finish) 1pt @ 10/1 bet365
