NH Collection Open, Sotogrande

It doesn't seem fair on them does it?  God forbid they form their own market and lay a bet one point bigger than eventually appears on here, heads would have to roll.

thanks

Canizares always plays well at Valderamma which is just around the corner from this course but just can't back him at 17.

Much easier course than Valderamma as well (which course isn't?)

Gone with Felipe Aguilar at 100/1, seems to play his best golf in this part of the world including losing in a playoff at last years Open de Espana in similarly windy conditions that he's likely to face here. Aguilar fractured his wrist earlier in the year and has only had the one start narrowly missing the cut at his home open on the Web.com Tour. He has since won a gold medal with a 3 shot victory at the South American games which has hopefully shaken off the rust.

ive gone for robert rock, he has been close to finding his form

50/1

not many of these would match him on his day

Kieffer 80/1
Lara 150/1
Gagli 200/1
Harto 400/1

The European Tour touches down in mainland Europe for the first time this year with the NH Collection Open and boy have they set us a tough puzzle to unravel. Not only is there no real course form to look at (apart from an amateur comp played here 2010-12) but we also have a co-sanctioned dual ranking event with the lower Challenge Tour. With all this in mind I have tackled it from many different angles and come up with four very different bets.
Tom Lewis was part of the England team in 2010 and 2011 when it comfortably won the Euro Nations Cup around Sotogrande so he knows the course well - in fact we can quote him " "Played @lareservagolf as amateur, love the course, suits me" We know he is capable of winning on tour - something many around him in the betting cannot claim and that one win came on the Iberian peninsula. Following that win in Portugal in 2011 he totally lost his form but over the last six months he has been far more consistent. He showed he was in fine fettle when last seen in Morocco when 8th closing with a 65 and I really like his chances this week 0.5 ew 50/1
Running through the prices I stopped at the 100/1 tag next to the name of Felipe Aguilar as he is a much better player than that. I knew something maybe wrong and sure enough at the beginning of Janaury he broke a bone in his wrist. He returned to playing in Chile on the Web.com tour a few weeks ago but mised the cut. However a week later he won the four round tournament at the South America games so he appears to have healed. Returning from injury is never easy but the price is simply too big not to take 0.2 ew 100/1.
I nearly put up a whole host of rags at big prices (maybe I will add them in running) but before the off I have only selected two. Steven Brown is a bright prospect who gets in here from his position on the Challenge Tour.The former Walker Cupper has had a promising start to his professional career winning twice on the Alps tour to get his card, he then won again in Egypt this year as a warm up for the main season and then was 5th in Kenya on the Challenge Tour. He kept his hand in the other week by winning the Sunningdale Foursomes and may well be a surprise package this week 0.15 ew 200/1
Last man in is the hugely talented Daan Huizing who won twice on the lower tour last season and had four other top five finishes in just twelve events! He has struggled in his early travels around the world although he has made his last two cuts. I think he will feel more at home in Spain this week on a course he has also played several times and I was interested in the fact that he was 2nd at Las Colinas in the Q School on another Cabell designed course 0.15 ew 200/1

excellent muppet

I like the Tom Lewis pick alot.

Felipe Aguilar 80-1
Jake Roos 140-1
Steven Brown 200-1
Oliver wilson 380-1
Alvaro Velasco 600-1
Pedro Oriol 600-1

Gl everyone

Gone with Mr Richard I love the wind Finch and Scott highly rated by Nike Jamieson. How you doing Donny?

im good denno, thanks

how are you ? , and hows the youngster ?

£73,888

matched at around tee off (delayed)


not great

Always nice to start with a 9. Good shooting Zane.

388 yds

wow forgot bradley dredge even existed! was one of my biggest wins ever!

1st hole averaging 5.25 , a par 4 ....388 yards !

my best player is in clubhouse

horror scores out there

is it bad weather there or something?

Tough day yesterday. Danny still out and needs another operation. Hes on tour representing Nike, taking care of the Nike lads. He told me about Scott being highly touted.

maybe it's Bradley dredge junior

Is Simon Dyson a runner or not in the Madmaxkelly competition......

I'm afraid so. If they tee up they are in. A Horsey/Garcia double would soften the blow though. There was a tournament last year where someone walked off after one hole( Luiten maybe). He was injured before the off but had to take part just to meet the Race to Dubai final qualification requirements. Someone more knowledgable than me might like to put up the full details.

I have no pictures here. Can anyone explain why the first hole is proving so difficult. It seems a par is a real bonus on it.