The BMW PGA Championship gets underway on Thursday but as with all tournaments of this size there are a number of side markets for us to peruse before the first tee shot is hit. This isn’t a major or a WGC event so there are slightly fewer markets but we’ve spotted some value in three of them.
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Top Scot
We’ll begin with the Scottish player market where in truth I think we have to admit that this isn’t the strongest field known to man. Russell Knox adds some real star value to it but even his form is questionable.
Paul Lawrie is probably the biggest name amongst the nine Scots teeing it up this week with Stephen Gallacher also in the field. Richie Ramsay and Marc Warren are household names too and it is the latter I like this week.
Warren is a former runner up around here having lost out to Matteo Manassero in 2013 but he looked good in the GolfSixes earlier in the month and has an ideal profile for this track. With those of bigger identity having question marks about them I’ll side with Warren in this market.
Top Frenchman
French golf has been on the upturn for a while now, which isn’t a surprise with the nation hosting the Ryder Cup next year, and a select but strong market has gone up for the leading Frenchman this week.
Alex Levy, the recent winner in China heads the betting but I’m not totally convinced this is a course for him. He is a touch wayward off the tee for my liking around here. Victor Dubuisson is the second favourite and the same can very much be said about him.
Established European Tour names such as Gregory Bourdy, Gregory Havret and Raphael Jacquelin have every right to go well but I like Julien Quesne here. Quesne has finished in the top 10 of this tournament for the last two seasons, finishing as the top Frenchman on both occasions, and he was in the top 10 at Woburn in 2015 too which isn’t insignificant. Quesne plays well in this part of the world and looks the value to me in this market.
Top Italian
Five Italians are in the field this week with Francesco Molinari the headline attraction but this will be his first tournament in Europe this year and it remains to be seen if he needs time to adjust to the conditions.
Molinari certainly knows the golf course. His record around here is very good but he played the PGA Tour properly for the first time last season and offered little in this event when he came back and were he to repeat that there could be value elsewhere.
Clearly former winner Matteo Manassero would be the obvious choice and I wouldn’t put anyone off that while Francesco’s brother Edoardo will be popular after his win in Morocco recently but I like the youngest one of the set in Renato Paratore.
Paratore has what I would call the ideal game for this course in normal English conditions. He drives it well and is solid enough with the irons and he has shown over the last few weeks that he is putting well. I would have taken him outright had the firm conditions not brought the rest of the field into play but I won’t resist a punt on him to lead the Italians home.
Tips
Back M.Warren Top Scot for a 2/10 stake at 6.50 with Betfair
Back him here:
Back J.Quesne Top Frenchman (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 8.00 with Skybet (1/4 1-3)
Back him here:
Back R.Paratore Top Italian for a 1/10 stake at 9.00 with Betfred
Back him here:
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