Austrian Alpine Open: Chacarra chanced at 33/1

• Jack Nicklaus layout awaits

• Big hitters in Belgium possible contenders 

• Read my Memorial tournament preview here

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Tournament History

The Austrian Open was first staged in 1990 when Bernhard Langer beat Lanny Wadkins in a playoff and the first three editions were all staged at this year's venue - the Jack Nicklaus designed Gut Altentann Golf and Country Club - but after just seven editions the tournament was relegated to the Challenge Tour.

The event was flagging, and it wasn't even played in 2000 but then along came Austrian golfing legend, Markus Brier, whose popularity revitalised the tournament.

Brier won the event twice, in 2002 and 2004, and it was elevated back up to the DP World Tour in 2006 when Brier managed to win it for a third and final time.

The event saw its name changed to the Lyoness Open in 2012, when another Austrian, Bernd Wiesberger, took the title and the format and name changed again in 2018 when Finland's Mikko Korhonen won the speeded-up version, called the Shot Clock Masters.

The field was decidedly weak under the new format and the event fell off the schedule altogether in 2019 before the last two renewals were played out in 2020 and 2021.

It's great to see the event back on the schedule but it's a tricky event to get to grips with given it's moved from its usual venue - Diamond Country Club - to a venue that was last used 33 years ago. 

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Venue

Gut Altentann Golf & Country Club, Henndorf, Salzburg, Austria.

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Course Details

Par 70, 6. 941 yards 

Gut Altentann was the first European layout designed by Jack Niclaus and it opened in 1989.

It staged the first three editions of this event as a par 72 but two of the par fives are now fours and it underwent an extensive redesign, orchestrated by Johannes Goess-Saurau, who was once a player on the Austrian national golf team, in 2022.

Information about the course is sparce to say the least but it doesn't look a particular tough test and it's a typical Nicklaus looking layout.

Water is a constant feature (in play on 11 holes) and the bentgrass greens are large and undulating.

The first three winners of this event here all shot at least 17-under-par (although it was a par 72) and the inaugural victor, Langer, apparently once describe the course as the most beautiful in Europe.

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Weather Forecast

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TV Coverage

Live on Sky Sorts all four days, starting at 11:30 on Thursday.

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Last Seven Winners with Pre-event Exchange Prices

2021 - John Catlin -14 50.049/1
2020 - Marc Warren -13 110.0109/1
2018 - Mikko Korhonen -16 23.022/1
2017 - Dylan Frittelli -12 46.045/1
2016 - Ashun Wu -13 200.0199/1
2015 - Chris Wood -15 15.014/1
2014 - Mikael Lundberg -12 (playoff) 400.0399/1

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Is There an Angle In?

There are no stats for the first three editions of the event at this venue so we're very much in the dark and the best angle in could be to look back at previous DP World Tour events played at Jack Nicklaus designed venues, but we don't have an awful lot to go on there either.

For what it's worth, here's the top three and ties at the last five DP World Tour events played at a Jack Nicklaus layout.

Scandinavian Mixed 2023 - Ullna Golf & Country Club (2020 Nicklaus redesign)

Dale Whitnell -21
Sean Crocker -18
Yannik Paul -15

Irish Open 2022 - Mount Juliet

Adrian Meronk -20
Ryan Fox -17
Thriston Lawrence -16

Cazoo Classic 2021 - London Club

Callum Hill -16
Alex Levy -15
Richard Bland -14
Jamie Donaldson -14
Rasmus Hojgaard -14
Callum Shinkwin -14

Irish Open 2021 - Mount Juliet

Lucas Herbert -19
Rikard Karlberg -16
Johannes Veerman -15

English Championship - Hanbury Manor

Andy Sullivan -27
Adrian Otaegui -20
Rasmus Hojgaard -19 

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Big Hitters Better Suited

Another angle in could be to look at anyone that hits the ball a long way off the tee, that contended strongly at last week's Soudal Open.

Jack Nicklaus designed courses tend to be quite generous off the tee which is in stark contrast to last week's venue - the tree-lined Rinkven International.

After four days of restraint, being able to open the shoulders and give it a rip off the tee will be a welcome change for the likes of Eugenio Chacarra, Alex Fitzpatrick and Sean Crocker.

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Market Leaders

Despite missing the cut last time out, Denmark's Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen heads the market over the in-form Englishman, Jordan Smith.

Neergaard-Petersen's weekend off came at Quail Hollow, at the US PGA Championship, but he was in fine fettle before that so it's understandable to see him so prominent in the market in what's far from a strong event.

After coming second in both the Qatar Masters and the Puerto Rico Open, Neergaard-Petersen finished 22^nd in the Valspar Championship and a return to the DP World Tour saw him finish 10^th in the China Open and fourth at the Hainan Classic.

He's yet to win on the DP World Tour but he won three times on the HotelPlanner Tour last year and I can see why he's edged out Smith at the head of the market.

Smith is in fantastic form, and he was hampered last week with a slow start in Belgium that we probably should have expected given he'd won the 36-hole US Open qualifier at Walton Heath last Monday.

Rounds of 70 and 71 saw him languishing in a tie for 52^nd at halfway, so he did well to finish tied for fourth, although he disappointed in contention yet again, finding water off the tee at the 13^th hole on Sunday, having been matched at as low as 3/14.00 to take the title.

He was also matched at just 1.75/7 when he led the China Open with just three to play in April and he's not one to go to war with.

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Chacarra chanced

Spain's Eugenio Chacarra looks fractionally over-priced at anything above 30.029/1.

Like Neergaard-Petersen, he missed the cut at the US PGA Championship, but he's been in fine form other than that and was an impressive winner of the Indian Open at the end of March.

He finished only 31^st last week in Belgium but I'm far from convinced Rinkven International would suit the big-hitting Spaniard and he's better judged on his recent victory in India and his fourth and 11^th placed finishes in China.

The 25-year-old looks to have a touch of class and I thought he'd be closer to the head of the market than he is so I was happy to take a small chance at 34.033/1.

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*You can follow me on Twitter @SteveThePunter

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