Madeira Islands Open 2012

267 %

Stick a pin in this lot.....

Great event - can't wait

Florian Praegant
:)

Has to ne said it's a god awful field - I doubt there will be one worse this year. That said there looks to be some intial value around with a few players who have recently played solidly without troubling the judge.

Got in quick on

Matthew Baldwin @34
Darren Fichardt @44
Andrew Parr @80

and a proven winner in Scott Strange @55

Still licking my wounds from the weekend so only tenners

warm and cloudy thurs / fri little wind

its always like that in madeira

Laid Phillip Price @ 6.6, covered it @ 55. That's all I will do, unless it's on the tele.

key stat from last tournment played here was good tee to green......( not tee to tree )high rankers in this dept are carlsson 33/1 and the unknown to me m baldwin 35/1 2nd and 10th gir this year

some lay that 6.6

Just checked £50 at 6.6 layed , must be a mistake i think someone thinks they are on the top ten market. I would want bigger than that for him to make the cut not alone win it.

Four for me off the tee
Alvaro Velasco 0.2 ew 100/1
Seve Benson 0.4 ew 50/1
Jamie Elson 0.4 ew 50/1
Emiliano Grillo 0.2 ew 150/1

Not gonna be backing with the overround but I like the looks of:

Markus Brier
Matthew Baldwin
Philip Price
Andrew Parr

so far backed philip price .it did make me laugh reading the sportinglife  review on this how bad a tournament it really is.
World number one Rory McIlroy is 10/1 favourite to see off world numbers two, three, five and six in the Players' Championship, but in Portugal it's world number 319 Bradley Dredge who shares favouritism with the man at 481, Alastair Forsyth.

The Madeira Island Open has been kind to me over the years and twice I have backed the winner - Hoey last year at 45/1 and Hanell at 200/1. I really could make a good case for a lot of the market leaders and Dredge, Forsyth, Orr and Brier really catch my eye but I just can't pull the trigger at the prices. I accept that Dredge and Forysth have won here before but they don't contend very often and Brier hasn't won in five years and Orr in twelve! So instead I shall cast my net a little further down.
Seve Benson won last time out in Kenya on a trciky tough layout - much the same as he will face this week. That win will hopefully get his career back on track after it was interrupted in 2010 by a bad back injury. He had two wins on the Challenge Tour back in 2008 and his best ever finish on the European Tour was when 4th in 2009 on the island links course of Pinx. He has no course form but it should suit his game and is obviously in good current form - at 50/1 he is well worth a play 0.4 ew.
Jamie Elson did us a favour back in January when 2nd in the Joburg Open but has struggled to get into events since - with the re rank he should now get in a lot more. Last year he had three top five finishes - again in the Joburg Open, in Sicily and then he was runner-up in this event. Although this weeks event is on a different corse to last years he does have some experience when 25th in his rookie year back in 04. He has been itching to play tournament golf again although he hasn't been totally redundant of late as he announced last week he is to become a father. That maybe all that's needed to spur him on to success 0.4 ew 50/1
Alvaro Velasco is a talented player who sadly rarely shows it on the golf course but there are a few hints which make him worth following this week. He has good course form - a 5th place in his only appearance in 2008. He also won on the Tecina course on Il Goemra (an island not a million miles away in the Canaries) and a couple of weeks ago was 9th in the Sicilian Open. Three hints that make him worth a small bet in my mind 0.2 ew 100/1
Lastly one from leftfield in the shape of young Argentinian Emiliano Grillo who was a top amateur player before turning pro at the end of 2011. He made it throguh Q school finishing 8th and is the second youngest player on tour. He hasn't played exceptionally with a 10th in the Africa Open his best finish but he did make the cut at the Puerto Rico Open on the PGA tour and I don't think many in this field would be capable of that. Goya did exactly the same as that before securing the title in 2009 so maybe Grillo can become the third Argentinian winner in six years - 0.2 ew 150/1

If Emiliano Grillo is out of left field then i dont know where this selection is from but at 1000 on here I will have a very small interest in Nuno Henriques. When you look at his very limited form you will think i'm off my head, which i probably am, but it is his home course and he shot a 59 last year with 13 birdies and 5 pars. Obviously the course will play considerably harder this week but 1000 is still a big price considering it is a shocking shocking field

It's a weak field but it isn't so shocking to think there should be a 1000 winner.

First question has to be ...is it being televised live? Seem to recall some forumites making a fortune a few years back via a mate at the course on the mobile - for those reasons and low liquidity will probably leave well alone..gl

dont think its live looked on sky sports golf schedule and not on there

Cheers - will probably be a Eurosport midweek package - main camera crews required elsewhere this week...

Live streaming from a dodgy iPhone NAP.

Not on TV anywhere - it was the year that Hanell won - the weather was awful and some of us found a live score feed that was much quicker than the Euro tour site

You've gotta have an edge as they say...

What price would Ollie Wilson have been in this 4 years ago with a field like this?....

This event is never on live television. Its basically a challenge tour event.

agree with mightywhites it is basically a challenge tour event so have gone for the folowing


philip price 55- 3times winner on european tour albeit last win was long while back has won twice in portugal and very accurate of tee and decent on gir stats.needs to get putter working

jamie elson-50s-2nd in alot better event than this earlier in season 1 shot behind 3times winnert his season brandon grace.excellent putting stats 1st on european tour.

andrew marshall-125s ew- was second in this a few years back ranks pretty high in driving accuracy(8th) and putting stats(in the top 10) in the few tournaments he has played this season in such a poor event taken a chance at odds

alessandro tadini 100s ew-a 3 time winner on the challenge tour-another very accurate of the tee golfer

just incase got it totally mainly selecting shoter accurate hitters done a small bet on previous winner on course and big hitter daniel vancsik

gl all

It was a #@#$ field last year, however it's produced 5 winners so far this year on the main tour.

Lloyd Saltman anyone?

a key stat at the course seems to be putts per gir

jamie elson tops this on eurotour stats (early days in the season)
and has decent form in madeira... he played the course in 2004
but his ppgir were a dreadful 1.89 if eurotour is to be trusted,
off a gir figure of 8th

a minimum bet for me in the hope he putts better this time

Has a few bob on Thomas Norret E/W @ 200/1.

Maarten Lafeber 50/1 - Has decent GIR and putting stats for this field and last time out led after two rounds in Sicilly. If you go back long enough he's got some course form - second in 2002

You could back anyone and have a chance in this...can't remember when the 2 fav's seriously contended at the business end of any event....to be fair Dredge has been hanging around a couple of times but never with a winning opportunity once the nitty gritty started...of course, its such a low grade affair it won't stop either of them winning but they'll do it without my cash at the current odds. Not so long ago Oliver Wilson would have been clear fav in this field (although he never wins),so the fact he is freely available @ 50/1 shows his recent demise but there have been signs of a revival the past couple of months and some of his best results have come on links courses with plenty of wind...3 years ago he was playing in the Masters & US Open which is a level 95% of this field has no chance of attaining. He isn't one to trust to get the job done but he is a class above these and if his round 1 afternoon tee time doesn't prove a big disadvantage he can surely contend over the weekend. With no TV coverage it will be zilch for trading so its only a score and then look to see if he's made the cut on Friday afternoon. Good Luck, Alfie

Have took the 270/1 on here for Danny Denison
Who knows, if he wins his dad might even buy me a drink!
Good luck all

His leg not brilliant and hills wont help. However, if he finally holes a putt or two he's massive to beat Fleetwood and Matthew at 3's IMVHO. Ive had a dabble on the outrights too Red. I will buy you any drink you want (as long as it comes out of a tap) Red.     

Fingers very, very tightly crossed. He, like all of us needs a few quid!!!!

His leg not brilliant and hills wont help. However, if he finally holes a putt or two he's massive to beat Fleetwood and Matthew at 3's IMVHO. Ive had a dabble on the outrights too Red. I will buy you any drink you want (as long as it comes out of a tap) Red.     

Fingers very, very tightly crossed. He, like all of us needs a few quid!!!!

good start for baldwin backers......

and velasco ....even better start......dun dun derrrrrrrrrr

Got that one right, NOT!! Best double up today Red. He's been watching Mr Westwood far too much.

fleetwood is highly regarded,

-2 not a bad start, a couple more of them and a final round 66 and he'll pick up a few bob

looks like hes trying to slip the 66 in today

One over par after ten, doesn't add up to 66 where I went to school.

Good round for the wee boy, so far Denno. Fingers crossed.

... the second comment was about young denno, as in 2 more 70s and a 66

Looks like Ollie will make the cut sadly, time to lay him for a profit ....as I said before....he just NEVER wins

That par on the 36th was massive to stay on cut mark Donny. Feared the worst if he'd missed it. Hope he gets in at Wentworth. I'm 'on tour' Wednesday to Monday. 36 of us and we auction every player Friday night for the Stableford on Saturday. Winning owner probably get around 5-6K USD. No gimees going to cause me a problem though I make Lee John and Daniel Leon look good from 5-6 feet.

speaking of dodgy putting i backed toms last week, his putting was dreadful, i didnt expect that

where to next for daniel ?


good luck with your outing, some days the putts drop, if it gets too bad just aim a couple of inches either side of your read

Wentworth hopefully. I usually hit it 2in off line with great ease, a kind of elbow jutting stab. Hopefully the copious amounts of on course San Mig will help matters.

Will try and miss a few Thursday and Friday as the beaks will be readjusting handicaps prior to the auction. And I need every shot

Currently 2nd in the Betfair Duke Of Venice greyhound derby competition. Work that one out!!!I havent seen a dog for over two years.