Written by Matt Cee for @Hollywoodbets. Follow them both on Twitter and Facebook now!
Made in Denmark | Thursday 20 August – Sunday 23 August | Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort
This week the Made in Denmark finds itself in the unenviable position of being hosted the week after a Major and being played on the other side of the world. That means that the field it has attracted is a weak one featuring a handful of well known golfers whilst the balance is made up of those who have been slipping over the past few seasons and don’t really feature anymore in the big events. In events like this it is generally difficult to find a winner as you never know who will rise to the occasion, but from a punting angle it offers a chance to look for a lot of value and for that reason it can’t be ignored.
Measuring 7,033 yards, the par 71 course will prove to be a bit of a challenge for the field as it is exposed and the wind is predicted to blow for most of the weekend. The challenge is made more difficult by the water hazards which litter the course and which lie waiting to punish wayward drives and approaches. In previous instalments the scoring has been very much dependent on the weather conditions so we will more than likely see a lot of changes at the top of the leaderboard over the four days. Keep that in mind when betting through the weekend as it may be worth keeping an eye on the players teeing off earlier before the wind gets up. So who will win in Denmark this week? Let’s have a look.
To Win Outright
Marc Warren 10/1
Soren Kjeldsen 16/1
Thomas Bjorn 16/1
Matthew Fitzpatrick 18/1
Peter Hanson 18/1
VALUE BETS
Nicolas Colsaerts (28/1 a win, 6/1 a place)
Nicolas Colsaerts hits the ball longer than anyone else in this field but he’s been quiet this season and it comes as little surprise that a host of other players find themselves ahead of him in the betting this week. Be that as it may, he is definitely going to be one to keep an eye on as he should be able to overpower the course with his booming drives. He’s no slouch with his irons either and that’s important because he’ll need to hit it stiff more often than not this week to avoid having to putt too often. If he can do that he stands a real chance against this field so I’m backing him each way.
Kristoffer Broberg (25/1 a win, 11/2 a place)
Kristoffer Broberg is one of the few players in this field who have a bit of form this year and although I’d never back him on your average weekend, he’ll be confident he can win this one. Although he hasn’t won on the European Tour yet he did win more than his share in his final full season on the Challenge Tour and with a number of Top 15s to his name it’s only a matter of time before he breaks that maiden tag. Let’s hope he pulls it off this week, 25/1 offers a decent return.
Soren Kjeldsen (16/1 a win, 7/2 a place)
Soren Kjeldsen looks to be one of the locals to keep an eye on this week and although he arrives here after a tough two weeks on the PGA Tour, he should be used to the travelling and be in top form come Thursday. Kjeldsen really impressed in the WGC Bridgestone Invitational where he finished in the Top 15 and he faced far stiffer competition then than he does now. Based on that performance I’m giving him a real chance here and backing him each way.
TOP BET
Paul Lawrie (33/1 a win, 72/10 a place)
Paul Lawrie is my best bet this week because at 33/1 he looks like he offers a lot of value against a field consisting of players who have nowhere near as much experience as he does. He hits the ball a long way and knows how to handle windy, difficult courses, an aspect of the game that will stand him in good stead this week. He also hits the ball long and should be able to make birdies where others can’t. I’m backing him this week and hoping he pulls it off.
