Open De France Betting: Turnberry build-up gets underway in earnest

Golf Events / Tareq Quiroz / 01 July 2009 / Leave a Comment

The Tour heads to France but it's a pair of Spaniards who have caught TQ's eye in the betting...

Kenny Perry put his Masters disaster firmly behind him last week with a well deserved victory. But the real excitement was over on the European Tour at the BMW International Open where Nick Dougherty put to bed the scandalous suggestions that he can't close out a golf tournament. It was great to see the young Englishman back in the winner's circle and I am sure that there are plenty more victories to come. Last week was a cracker but this week the European Tour really cranks up as we head to one of my favourite events of the year - the Open de France.

The Course
The main reason that this is such a fantastic tournament is the venue. Le Golf National has been the setting for this event for most of the last 20 years and it just wouldn't be the same without it. It was built as a stadium course and encourages great crowd. It is an inland links style track and that is part of the reason we have such a strong field here this week as the big guns try to get some practice in prior to Turnberry. At 7,300 yards it is of above average length but that is really pretty irrelevant here. The sun is shining and the course will be playing hard and fast. Look for players who can manage their golf game and think their way around what is a great looking venue.

The Favourite
Considering the reasonable strength of the field it always comes as something of a surprise to see the name of Ian Poulter at the top of the market. The dapper Englishman has had an excellent year on the PGA Tour with three top-10s to go along with a couple of decent efforts in the majors. The question is, can he transfer that form to Europe? The facts are that Ian hasn't played on the continent yet this year and there has to be some doubt as to whether he can adapt immediately. Even if he does slip straight back into it I still don't think he is a player I would have as a jolly. He is currently trading at [17.5] and there is absolutely no way on earth I would back him at those odds.

The Next Best Bets
There are some seriously good players in this field including current major title holders Padraig Harrington and Angel Cabrera. Of the two I would most certainly edge towards the Argentinean at odds of around [32.0]. However, my main pick comes in the shape of a European Tour stalwart. Miguel Angel Jimenez has really caught my eye in the last few weeks. It started with the odd good round and last week I felt he played really well all week long. A few missed putts on Saturday stopped him from contending on the final day but he still finished strongly for fourth spot. I am happy to ignore his below average form in this event as I know if the game is there then the Spaniard can master any course. At attractive odds of [40.0] he has to be my main bet of the week.

The Massive Outsider
Despite how big an event this is on the European calendar in recent years we have grown accustomed to surprise winners. There is every reason to think that trend could continue this week so pay close attention to all those lurking around just off the top echelon of players. Keep an eye on previous winner Jose Maria Olazabal at odds of around [150.0] as he could well get back to winning ways here. However, my main man this week is Steve Webster. He has all the ability needed to win regularly on tour and he has show before that he can loves to play links style courses. Second place at the European Open a few weeks ago shows he is in decent nick and the rather attractive odds of [170.0] are just too big for me to refuse.

Interesting Info
This is a much revered trophy and that is reflected in the fact that 18 major champions have also won this event. Jimenez, my main pick, will be hoping to get his name on the roll of honour in what will be his 500th appearance on the European Tour. In doing so he will become the 19th player to achieve that feat and just the third Spaniard to do so.