The Punter / Steven Rawlings / 04 July 2011 /

It's an agonising end to the Open de France as yet another monster-priced pick comes close but just falls short for the Punter...

At an atmospheric Open de France the huge crowds got what they wanted - a home win. Thomas Levet showed great courage as he stoically parred the final two holes and although I wanted runner-up Thorbjorn Olesen for a good few quid it was impossible not to admire the Frenchman's performance.

At the AT & T National, Nick Watney put in a display of putting not seen since he won the WGC - Cadillac Championship back in March. When he gets hot with the putter he gets really hot and it was a relentless display, particularly on the front nine where he seemed to hole a lengthy one on every green.

My bets

What a month June was, good riddance to it I say. I don't think I've ever had a run like it on the European Tour.

It started in Wales, where [34.0] shot Peter Hanson traded at [2.0] on Sunday before imploding. The following week, Gary Boyd, backed at an average of [160.0], was beaten by a single stroke at the Italian Open and just last week George Coetzee finished two shots shy of the BMW International play-off, after being backed at [290.0] before the off. And then yesterday, just to cap off a thoroughly miserable run of luck, Thorbjorn Olesen, backed before the off in France at [220.0], missed a tiddler on the 72nd hole to tie Levet. Mercifully, I did at least profit from Olesen, laying him back several times, at as high as [6.8] and as low as [2.04].

I wasn't the only one to suffer frustration yesterday though, Paul Krishnamurty's Find Me A 100 Winner pick, Richie Ramsay, came close to pulling off a nice gamble too. Advised at [220.0] by Paul, the Scot was bang there until disaster struck on the 15th but that wasn't before he'd been matched at the second advised lay back of [3.0].

At the AT & T National any faint hopes I had of success with the two pre-event picks, still in with a chance after three rounds, were soon dashed. Charlie Wi and Bill Haas both started the day three off the lead but both players had a mare. Wi shot 79 and Haas fared only marginally better - shooting 76.

I had a small bet on KJ Choi at [6.0] after he'd played three holes and he promptly bogeyed the 4th! But he rallied well and actually tied Watney on the 14th and he briefly went odds on. I didn't lay any back and the event was a losing one but thanks to Olesen it had been a winning week.

Players to watch

I backed KJ Choi for the Open championship last night at [65.0] - a price that's probably still just about attainable this morning. The Players champion had a rotten US Open but he has contended at the Open championship before and given he's got next week off I can only see him shortening up over the next two weeks.

Thorbjorn Olesen has now finished runner-up three times on the European Tour this season already and it's surely only a matter of time before he goes one better. I got lucky this week as he was a last minute pick after I'd been repeatedly asked why I'd left him out. I won't need any reminders going forward, he looks like a top-class player in the making and he needs to be followed.

Player to swerve

There were plenty of players that wilted at the AT & T yesterday but Rickie Fowler's final round was particularly noticeable. He's struggling to get that illusive first win and I fancy when it comes it will be via the back door. A sensational final round from way off the pace is more likely than a gutsy hard-fought victory from the front and he remains one to be wary of when up with the pace on a Sunday.

What have we learnt for next year?

I really enjoyed the Open de France, it was a proper tournament. As the course got tougher, the scoring got higher and once again it was very difficult to make ground on the leaders. Le Golf National is a fantastic venue with plenty of character and it'll make a great venue for the Ryder Cup in 2018.

The first two holes ask a couple of questions immediately and there was carnage amongst the leaders yesterday as player after player found water on the 1st and 2nd holes, and the finish is treacherous...

The par five 14th offers up a great chance of a birdie but after that it's just a case of hanging on. There's water in play on three of the last four and, although water-free, the 17th is a really tough hole that requires a good drive.

Levet shot a spectacular third round to get into the shake-up but I still think it makes sense to concentrate on the early pace-setters. I'd written in the Live Blog how three out of four first round leaders won between 2006 and 2009 and I wouldn't be at all surprised if we see another one win soon.

We've two very contrasting events to enjoy or endure this week. The Barclays Scottish Open moves from Loch Lomond to the Castle Stuart Golf Links, which should prove a far better warm up for the Open Championship. Whilst in the States, it's yet another birdie-fest at the John Deere Classic. I'll be back tomorrow or on Wednesday with my preview.

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