We have already looked deep into the outright market for The Open this week but there is plenty of time before the tournament kicks off on Thursday to take in some of the many side markets that have gone up for the Royal Portrush showpiece.
This is generally where I look at players who were on my shortlist for the outright market but who didn’t quite make the team, and with the amount of options on show here there are a few bets that I am going with.
Top Rest of the World
This is pretty much the outright market without the Americans and the Europeans involved so it is quite a deep one in terms of number but with so many Australian and South Africa star players not really in form, and one of two of the Asians having question marks about their credentials this week, I think it is a market with a very worthy favourite.
That favourite is Adam Scott who ticks just about every box you could look for this week. I saw him in Sky’s wonderful Open Zone coverage on Monday and he looked very relaxed and confident of his chances and we learnt during that, that the former Masters winner has been preparing for this test with Darren Clarke, who knows Portrush like the back of his hand. That tells me he is serious here and is going to go well. He would have been right in my main outright team but for the odd concern I still have over his putter but with obvious dangers looking few and far between he looks like an each way bet to nothing here.
Top Asian
As ever all the rage is about Hideki Matsuyama in what is a lengthy and more competitive Top Asian market than usual and it might well be that the Japanese superstar goes well around here and delivers the goods but 11/4 he can win in this company if he is good enough because I think the value lies elsewhere.
I’m tempted by Haotong Li having kept him onside for the last few weeks but his price isn’t that inspiring and I haven’t been close to collecting so instead I’m looking deeper down the betting where Jazz Janewattananond looks good value at 16/1. He is third on the European Tour in greens hit and sits among the upper echelons in scrambling which are the stats I care about here. Prior to a T26 last time out he had been in great form in the Asia and Japan tours, registering four successive top fives including a win at the Korea Open on a tough track. He was T14 at the USPGA Championship but sat second going into the final day so he’s in really good nick. There might be more than 20 runners in this market but there are only 4-5 who I think can win. The Thai is one of them and at 16/1 he looks a solid each way punt.
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Top Canadian
We’ve gone through two of the bigger side markets and now we come to the shallower ones where there is still plenty of value. The first of those is the Top Canadian one where there are only three runners and where I’m going against the favourite.
That favourite is Adam Hadwin who is solid enough and respectable but who I’m happy to take on with Corey Conners who is another who should shape up well round this track. Hadwin is odds on which can only be on reputation really because his Open record leaves plenty to be desired. To be fair to him he is decent enough form but Conners sits in the top 15 on the PGA Tour for strokes gained on approach and has enough of a touch to be competitive from there. He has also been in Ireland for a while preparing for this event. Austin Connelly is the other Canadian in the field but he’s in no form at all so Conners appeals most here.
Top Frenchman
There are four Frenchmen in the field this week including Benjamin Hebert who got in at the last minute with his run in Scotland on Sunday. He isn’t the favourite of the quartet though. That honour goes to Mike Lorenzo-Vera but I’m happy to take them both on.
To be fair to ML-V, I’m a big fan of his game but at the prices and statistically Romain Langasque offers the better betting potential. He ranks 12 in greens hit on the European Tour and 10 for scrambling which should have him as a huge runner here. Langasque only made four bogeys last week in finishing third, his sixth top six finish this season, and was excellent statistically. He was third in Mauritius last year which highlights his credentials if the wind blows and I expect him to be the leading Frenchman here. I respect ML-V but he’s too short while Hebert has the disappointment of choking last week to overcome. Alex Levy is the fourth member of the field but he’s gone right off the rails so it is Langasque for me.
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Top Italian
We are back to the three man markets for our next go at the side specials where the country of Italy is the one in the spotlight, and it certainly will be in profile this week with the defending champion Francesco Molinari the leader of this trio.
His credentials are there for all to see but he is the defending champion which carries a pressure and burden I don’t like my golfers carrying and while we’re big fans of him there is no hiding the fact his form has gone down the toilet since he blew up in the final round of The Masters. In a way I’m happy with that because I like Andrea Pavan in this market. Pavan has some respectable form in the book too having won in Germany recently before finishing fourth last week. He was in the top 15 in the British Masters earlier in the season and fifth in the Dunhill Links so the links setups don’t worry him. Pavan excels with the irons and is good round the greens. I’ve got this as a match between him and Molinari because Nino Bertasio lacks experience and accuracy at this level and at 9/2 it is the BMW International champion I’m on here.
Top Senior
With the withdrawal of John Daly there are four seniors going to post this week with three of them former winners of this competition in Darren Clarke, Paul Lawrie and Tom Lehman. Miguel Angel Jimenez is the favourite for this quartet, which is no surprise given that he is the most active of them on the Seniors Tour.
I’m taking him on this week though because this is Darren Clarke’s home patch and he knows every inch of it, as Adam Scott revealed to us via the Sky coverage on Monday. If the week couldn’t get any more special for Clarke he has the honour of hitting the opening tee shot and he can still perform in this discipline even now. The 2011 winner has three top 30s in the event since he won it and that might be enough to land a blow here. On home turf with the will of the thousands behind him I’ll take Clarke at 3s.
Tips
Back A.Scott Top Rest of the World Player (e/w) for a 2/10 stake at 7.00 with Bet365 (1/4 1-4)
Back A.Pavan Top Italian for a 2/10 stake at 5.50 with Bet365
Back J.Janewattananond Top Asian (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 17.00 with Betfred (1/5 1-4)
Back him here:
Back C.Conners Top Canadian for a 2/10 stake at 3.80 with Coral
WON – Back D.Clarke Top Senior for a 2/10 stake at 4.00 with Coral
Back them here:
Back R.Langasque Top Frenchman for a 2/10 stake at 3.75 with Boylesports
Back him here:
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