The first round of the BMW PGA Championship is always the highlight of any European Tour season but with all the Ryder Cup possibilities this year the opening 18 holes at Wentworth on Thursday will carry even more intrigue and profile.
It is the day where the 144 men in the field get to see the course in competitive play for the first time this week and with everyone off the first tee throughout the day there is a tidy feel about it for us watching on through the TV coverage.
First Round Leader
As ever one of the markets we will get stuck into is the first round leader market. Before we get to the selections we need to look at the conditions. As I said everyone is off the first tee with the opening group teeing off at 06.40 BST and the last group out at 14.45 BST so unlike most of the tournaments there is no morning and afternoon wave. There isn’t a real shift in the conditions either so everyone looks to have an even shot.
That makes me think we need someone who is very comfortable around here and that person is Shane Lowry. I mentioned the wonderful record the Irishman has on this golf course in the outright preview and a lot of the reason for that is the starts he makes. In the last five years here he has started with rounds in the 60s in four of them and shot a level par 72 in the other. He’s out in the middle of the day when conditions should be at their best with the sun out and things and after having had a week at home last week he should be ready to roll from the get go here.
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Thursday 3 Balls
The 144 men have been split up into groups of three for the opening round with the entire field off the first tee. There is feature round coverage on Thursday so the big groups have been split up a little. In the morning the attention will be on the threesome of Justin Rose, Adam Scott and Matthew Fitzpatrick who go out at 08.30 BST while the big afternoon group is the Shane Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood, Lee Westwood group which tees off at 12.55 BST. A lot of the groups have been priced up and one jumps off the page at me for an opening day bet.
Dean Burmester/Thorbjorn Olesen/Jorge Campillo
Match tees off at 13.35 BST
One of the later groups onto the golf course on the opening day sees the South African player Dean Burmester out alongside Wentworth veteran Thorbjorn Olesen and the Spanish golfer Jorge Campillo in what wouldn’t be a bad group to watch if you are on the course.
From a form and betting point of view though it looks to be all about Burmester though. Olesen has missed four of his last five cuts and opened with a 74 in the other one and in nine outings here he has only cracked 70 in the opening round once which doesn’t feel like a profitable combination. Campillo is another who has only broken 70 in the first round here once and his overall form here is pretty ordinary. In nine entries he has played 26 rounds and only two of them have broken 70 with one other exactly 70. This course is too long for him which is why. That certainly isn’t the case for Burmester. He has all the length he needs around here and is so long he probably wouldn’t need to pound the driver too much unless the forecasted rain brings a heavy shower in. If he does his length becomes a factor that almost makes him unbeatable in this group. Burmester has been in decent form this year and he has a couple of top 12 finishes here, both of which were fuelled by breaking 70 in the first round. Given the form of the three and the course fit I fancy the South African here.
Tips
Back S.Lowry First Round Leader (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 26.00 with Boylesports (1/5 1-8)
Back him here:
Back D.Burmester to beat T.Olesen & J.Campillo for a 3/10 stake at 2.30 with BetVictor
Back him here:
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