Volvo China Open Betting: Bjorn again Thomas is the man

Golf Events / Tareq Quiroz / 13 April 2010 /

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Thomas Bjorn has rediscovered his form

"My main pick for the week would be someone on the way back from the doldrums. Thomas Bjorn has been enjoying some excellent form of late and if back to near his best could win this event with little fuss. He has had four top-20 finishes in the last five tournaments and before his slump he always played very well in Asia."

Tareq Quiroz has quicky moved on from Augusta and is focused on matters at Suzhou Jinji Lake GC where YE Yang heads the betting. But is he the pick?

As usual the week following a major is something of a comedown. That is even more apparent now after the excitement that we witnessed last week at Augusta National. It is sometimes hard to get enthused about a run of the mill Tour event but for most players it is these tournaments that play most significance in their season.

The European Tour heads to China for the Volvo China Open in Suzhou and considering the circumstances it is a decent field. This is the seventh year of the China Open but it is the fifth different venue. That is great if you want to see some of China's fabulous array of courses but not so if you are trying to pick a winner of the tournament.

Suzhou Jinji Lake GC is the setting that faces these players. It is a Gary Player-designed track and one that offers an unusual challenge. The legendary South African has designed a 27-hole venue with three different styles. There are nine links holes, nine forest holes and nine wetland holes. For this tournament they will be using the Wetlands course for the first nine holes and the Links course for the back nine. It will be a tough test for all and without the benefit of any course form you may do well to keep good links players on your side.

USPGA Champ YE Yang is the market leader and rightly so. He will be the big draw for many and is a man in form. A tie for eighth at the Masters last week will have him in great spirits and he is most definitely the one to beat. Current odds of [13.0] are reflective of his chances but I would be reluctant to get involved after such a competitive week at Augusta. I feel he will be a little jaded for this tournament and there is far better value elsewhere.

For the home players this really is the one they want to win and they are not without chances. Wen-Chong Liang is China's big hope and he will certainly have plenty of followers. Ranked 80th in the world he is a genuine contender this week and at odds of [36.0] I wouldn't put anyone off a small nibble.

However, my main pick for the week would be someone on the way back from the doldrums. Thomas Bjorn has been enjoying some excellent form of late and if back to near his best could win this event with little fuss. He has had four top-20 finishes in the last five tournaments and before his slump he always played very well in Asia. Add in the fact that he is probably the best links player in the field and it doesn't take much to realize that the [75.0] currently on offer is a cracking price that won't hang around for too long.

Someone else who will enjoy the return to links is Irishman Shane Lowry. Winner of last year's Irish Open he is most definitely a hit or miss type of player. If he is on song then he will almost certainly challenge but if he's not up there early on then don't expect to see him figure over the weekend. I do like his game though and if the links course inspires him then you could see him go very close to another big win. At odds of around [100.0] he really does merit a place in all staking plans.

I enjoyed the Masters as much as the next golf fan but who needs that when you can chase down a big priced winner at the China Open!

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