Golf Events / Editor / 29 May 2007 /

Europe's golfers will go in search of golf's Holy Grail this week as the European Tour moves west to the Celtic Manor Wales Open.

No player in the 35-year history of the tour has ever managed to break the magical barrier of 60 and this week's field know they will never get a better chance on the Roman Road course at Celtic Manor - venue for the 2010 Ryder Cup.

The 6,743-yard layout is the only venue on the European professional circuit with a par-69 and 2007 will be the last year it is used for the event before the tournament reverts back to the much-changed Wentwood Hills course that will stage golf's greatest team competition in three years' time.

Englishman Phillip Archer came desperately close to writing his name in the record books last year, when a seven-foot birdie putt shaved the hole at the last, and he is trading at 80 to win and 17 to repeat his top-five finish last year.

Defending champion Robert Karlsson also went close to carding a 59, missing out by two shots in the first round, before cruising in the end to a three-stroke victory over Paul Broadhurst.

After winning twice in 2006 and also losing out on a third title in a play-off, Karlsson has struggled to produce his best form so far this season but revisiting the scene of his triumph 12 months ago is sure to evoke fond memories.

The tall Swede looks sure to be a popular choice in the markets this week and is currently available to back at 17 to successfully defend his crown and 4.6 to place in the top five.

Pre-tournament favourite and trading at 11 to win this week is South African Retief Goosen, who is making his debut in the event and, with a world ranking of ten, is the highest-ranked player in the field.

Bradley Dredge will head a strong Welsh challenge and can be backed at 20 to win on home soil ahead of in-form duo Raphael Jacquelin and Richard Sterne (both 26), last week's BMW PGA Championship champion Anders Hansen (30) and eight-time Order of Merit winner Colin Montgomery (32).

Many people expected Goosen to move on to bigger and better things after winning the Qatar Masters in January but, while he produced a brilliant final round to finish joint-second at the US Masters last month, that has not been the case from the South African.

While he has managed six top-five finishes on tour in 2007, 'the Goose' has been guilty of making too many poor errors at critical times that have cost him dear.

Goosen missed the cut altogether at Wentworth last week and will need to improve his accuracy off the tee and a tendency to hook the ball if he is to challenge in Wales, where he is trading at 3.6 to place in the top five and 2.1 to finish in the top ten.

Karlsson has also not played his best but he showed he is coming back to form by tying for sixth in a world-class field at The Players' Championship earlier this month and he is clearly comfortable on this week's Roman Road course.

Ian Woosnam is the only Welshman in the history of the European Tour to have won on home soil to date but Dredge will be hoping to change that statistic over the course of the next few days.

He finished tied for seventh last year and was unlucky not to register his first win of 2007 at the Irish Open two weeks ago, only being beaten by European number Padraig Harrington after a play-off. He can be backed at 5.7 to place in the first five and 2.84 to secure a top-10 finish.

Stephen Dodd (95 to win and 8.2 to place in the top 10) and Phillip Price (130 to win and the same price as his compatriot to come in the top 10) are also likely to be among the leading fancies for the home nation.

Sterne looks sure to have his supporters this week after coming a close third at the BMW PGA Championship last week, his second top-three finish of the year, and is trading at 6 to claim a third.

Jacquelin, already a winner on tour in 2007, appears well-priced and could go well at odds of 5.9 to come in the first five and 3.2 to record his seventh top-10 finish of the season.

Nick Dougherty, 34 to win, still looks to be swinging the club well and will have his supporters, while Montgomerie finished fourth here last year and would be a hugely popular winner this week as he seeks his first victory for 18 months.

It may pay to follow the likes of Yorkshireman Simon Dyson (two points longer than Dougherty) following a consistent season so far, Francesco Molinari - who looks attractively priced at 42 to triumph - and Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee (48 to win) after he finished joint-eighth last week.

Broadhurst, two points longer than Jaidee, suffered a miserable final-round 80 to slip out of contention at Wentworth but was runner-up in the event in 2006 and could feature if can forget about last week.

Keep an eye out also for in-form Swede Fredrik Andersson Hed (65 to win), Graeme Storm (100), Gary Orr (110) and Henrik Nystrom (180), who were in the group that tied for seventh here last year and may go well at big prices.

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