Damien Kayat previews the Euram Bank Open taking place at the GC Adamstal, Ramsau, Austria.
Image Copyright – Steve Haag Sports
The European Tour 2020 | Austrian Open
Diamond Gold Club, Atzenbrugg, Austria
Thursday 16 July – Sunday 19 July
The European and Challenge Tour once again unite for the second consecutive dual-ranking event in Austria. Marc Warren’s success last week came at the expense of hot favourite Joost Luiten, though my pick Oscar Lendgren came agonisingly close to paying dividends. I was secretly hoping that Miguel Angel Jimenez- the living caricature of Spanish masculinity- would hold on to become the oldest ever winner on the European Tour. This will be only the 3rd edition of this event and first to be staged on the European Tour proper. Joost Luiten’s inefficiency against such a weak field last week has chastened my faith in ‘favourites’ in the current European climate.
Sky Sports has once again chosen to eschew the rights to this week’s event, which tells you all you need to know about the quality on display. It’s a pity, as GC Adamstal is a stunning course cut against the dramatic backdrop of the Lower Austrian Alpine foothills. The Jeff Howe design deserves to be enjoyed on the biggest screen. It’s often described as one of the most beautiful courses in Europe, compared favourably to Crans-Sur-Sierre in Switzerland. The course is certainly not a bombers paradise, measuring just 6,473 yards. That will be exacerbated by the fact that the course lies 3,500 feet above sea-level, meaning that the ball is going to fly with the free abandon of a punt at Loftus. So perhaps Luiten can shelve that wayward driver this week and concentrate on his pin-point iron-play.
But this event will be far from a pushover, with several dramatic elevation changes, making for some nightmarish club selection issues. So, caddies will certainly be earning their 10% this week. As I noted earlier, Luiten may be buoyed by the fact that he can use his driver more sparingly. Adri Arnaus and Rikard Karlberg linger just behind him in the current market. You can expect a far better field next week when the belated British Swing gets underway. With Tiger returning to competition in Ohio this week, you can expect this tournament to come and go as if it never even existed.
Past Winners
2019: Calum Hill (-18) *Challenge Tour Event
2018: Darius van Driel (-17) *Challenge Tour Event
Outright Betting (To Win)
Joost Luiten (11/2)
Adri Arnaus (14/1)
Rikard Karlberg (14/1)
Lorenzo Gagli (14/1)
Scott Vincent (18/1)
Value Bets
Marcel Schneider
To Win (35/1), To Place (15/2)
I’m opting for a man who has shown flair on this idiosyncratic course before. German Marcel Schneider shot a scintillating 62 here to hold the clubhouse lead after round one. He fell away fairly sharply to finish in 14th place. It was also a more limited field than this one, with only Challenge Tour status. But I’m greatly encouraged by his excellent form last week. The German shot 69 in all four rounds, finishing in runner-up position to Marc Warren. Form seems to suggest that Austrian form is a handy guide to success here: Rafa Cabrera Bello won here on the Challenge Tour and would subsequently win the Austrian Open on another course.
Lorenzo Scalise
To Win (70/1), To Place (15/1)
Young Italian Lorenzo Scalise looks a really promising talent following a strong start to 2020. He performed well in two co-sanctioned events held in South Africa. Last year he won the New Giza Open on the Alpine Tour and then immediately made an impact on the Challenge Tour: he finished runner-up at the Italian Challenge Open. But the main reason I like him is his Alpine form. He finished 10th here last year when he was much earlier in his development. He also had a flying start last week but was unable to continue the momentum. He looks a solid outside bet at 70/1.
The Man to Beat
Lorenzo Gagli
To Win (14/1), To Place (3/1)
Adamstal should prove an ideal fit for Lorenzo Gagli. The short-hitting Italian is well regarded for his accuracy from the tee-box. What really makes him appealing was his runner-up finish at the Omega Masters- which is hosted at the extremely similar Crans-Sur-Sierre course. He has since posted top 12 finishes in Oman and Qatar, and he will hardly get a better chance to win his maiden European Tour title.
