The European Tour is back again this week and gearing up for a decent run of tournaments which begins with the BMW International Open out in Munich where a competitive field will assemble to begin their preparations for the final major of the year.
Matt Wallace used this tournament wisely last year by waltzing off with the title. He is back to defend the crown but he will attempt to keep it on a different course to the one he won on. This title could take some defending too.
Recent Winners
2018 – Matt Wallace
2017 – Andres Romero
2016 – Henrik Stenson
2015 – Pablo Larrazabal
2014 – Fabrizio Zanotti
2013 – Ernie Els
2012 – Danny Willett
2011 – Pablo Larrazabal
2010 – David Horsey
2009 – Nick Dougherty
The Course
We are back at the Golfclub Munchen Eichenried this week, the course which has hosted the event in the odd years previously. The course is a composite course which plays to a par of 72 and measures 7,284 yards so it isn’t terribly long. With that in mind we are looking for a decent score to win this week.
The finishing three holes are the highlight of this course where water is in play but by and large the fairways are pretty big here so once again we’re on a second shot golf course where a hot putter is very much the requirement of the day. -17 and -18 have been the winning scores the last three times the tournament was staged here which gives an insight into the sort of scoring we require here.
The Field
Some of the best players in Europe are teeing it up this week. The field includes the defending champion Matt Wallace while the home star Martin Kaymer adds a special dynamic to the field too. Sergio Garcia and Matt Fitzpatrick are two other players who have represented Europe in the Ryder Cup who have tee times this week.
The rest of the field is a mix of youth and experience, tournament winners this year and those looking to make their grade at this level having won at other levels. Bernd Wiesberger, Joost Luiten, Ross Fisher, Alex Noren, Julian Suri, Lee Westwood and Thorbjorn Olesen are all here while Jhonattan Vegas takes in this stop rather than play the PGA Tour event.
Market Leaders
We have joint favourites this week with the defending champion Matt Wallace and former Masters champion Sergio Garcia both 12/1. Hearing Garcia last week and watching some of his golf over the weekend at the US Open I’m not going anywhere near him here. Wallace is a much more attractive proposition, especially at this level, but his price is probably fair and no more than that so I’ll leave him alone as well.
Matthew Fitzpatrick will begin the week as the third favourite to land the title. He can be backed at 14/1 to follow up what was a pretty decent week in the US Open in the end. He is usually solid as a rock back at European Tour level but he hasn’t really been deep in the mix as much as I would have liked this season which is an undoubted concern when taking a relatively skinny price. I wouldn’t be surprised if he runs well but he’s a little short to me.
Martin Kaymer will be looking to win in Munich once again and he begins the week as a 16/1 shot. There is a lot to like about Kaymer. Not only has he won here before but he is showing signs of returning to his best form and at his best he would leave this lot in his vapour trail. Kaymer will be very popular this week for reasons which I will detail below.
Joost Luiten comes next in the betting at 22/1. I often think he needs tougher tracks than this to be at his best but time will tell. He is certainly a leading light in the field and on that alone he merits being this price but once again I think he is only a fair price rather than any standout value so I’ll pass on him here too. It is 25/1 bar those players named.
Main Bets
Martin Kaymer was always going to be one of my main bets for this and the fact he continued his good form in California last week only strengthened that. He was eighth in the British Masters recently and then third in The Memorial which is a sign that he is coming back to his best. He has already won around here and finished fourth on another occasion and is at home this week so he’ll have a lot of support on his side. I’m pretty confident it won’t be long until Kaymer is in the winning enclosure once again and so I’ll back him to see if it is this week.
Chris Paisley is another who is coming back into some nice form. He had a good finish in Denmark recently and led the field in his wave at the Belgian Masters last time out. I’m not massively worried that he didn’t win the tournament because there is an element of lottery to a nine hole match but the fact he is one of the better putters on the tour certainly doesn’t detract me from his chances this week. With his game trending in the right direction I fancy a big run from the Englishman to kick start a big few months.
Outsiders
Matt Wallace won this tournament last year on his way to a number of wins in the calendar year and I wonder if Guido Migliozzi will add to his two wins this term in this tournament. He won in Kenya earlier in the campaign and then he bolted up in the Belgian Knockout too which emphasised that he is playing well and that the first win wasn’t just a freak on a good week. There is plenty to like about his game not least his putting and that can keep him in the mix once again here. It isn’t very often we can get a two-time winner at 66/1 less than a month after his second win so I’ll look to take advantage of that here.
Speaking of decent putters, George Coetzee is statistically one of the best putters on the European Tour this season and I wonder if that will count for something this week. His form is very hit and miss but we’re getting a three figure price on him for a reason but he showed with top 10s in Qatar and India this term that when it clicks he is still capable of going well. This is a course which should bring out his strengths and with that in mind I’ll take him at a big price.
Tips
Back M.Kaymer to win BMW International Open (e/w) for a 1.5/10 stake at 17.00 with Betfred (1/5 1-7)
Back him here:
Back C.Paisley to win BMW International Open (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 51.00 with Coral (1/5 1-7)
Back G.Migliozzi to win BMW International Open (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 81.00 with Coral (1/5 1-7)
Back them here:
Back G.Coetzee to win BMW International Open (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 126.00 with Sky Bet (1/5 1-6)
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