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The Volvo China Open 2015 Preview

Written by Matt Cee for @Hollywoodbets. Follow them both on Twitter and Facebook now!


The Volvo China Open | Thursday 23 April – Sunday 26 April | Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club

The Volvo China Open tees off in Shanghai this week and although it won’t be as popular as the Zurich Classic, there looks to be a lot of value to be found in an average field. This is the second week in a row that the European Tour will be in China and by now most of the internationals would have found their feet so I’m hoping the results this week are a bit more predictable than they were in last week’s tournament. Measuring just over 7,300 yards, this par 72 course looks like it could offer more than a few challenges and it’s going to take a great all around game to win here.

There’s an abundance of water and sand that comes into play throughout the course but it’s all easy enough to avoid if you can control your irons, something that will be of vital importance if players are going to put it close on the large greens that are found around most of the course. The greens are also said to be challenging and so a bit of skill with the short stick will go a long way in keeping those scores low. This isn’t going to be one of those events on the European Tour that players manage unbelievably low scores so don’t expect to see a whole lot of birdies. Rather look forward to seeing some top notch course management over what promises to be an interesting four days.

VALUE BETS
Pablo Larrazabal  20/1
Tommy Fleetwood  20/1
Emiliano Grillo  22/1
Kiradech Aphibarnrat 25/1
Alex Noren  28/1

Tommy Fleetwood (20/1 a win, 44/10 a place)
When Fleetwood is in form he’s always one to keep an eye on and after the Trophee Hassan II, where he finished a solid T17, he looks to have found his feet. He followed that performance up with a third last week that was the result of some incredible iron play and as much as that helped at Genzon, it should stand him in even better stead this week. Fleetwood seems to play some of his best golf in China so keep an eye on him. Each way is my bet.

Peter Uihlein (35/1 a win, 77/10 a place)
I’m surprised that Peter Uihlein is available at such long odds because when he’s in form, he generally manages to string a few decent results together. Last week he impressed in the Shenzhen International where he finished inside the Top 5 and this week I’m hoping he goes one better and digs me out of the financial hole I’ve found myself in. An accurate iron player who on his day is as good as anyone else in this field, I can’t leave the American out of my selections this week. Each way is worth a small bet.

David Howell (40/1 a win, 88/10 a place)
Last week David Howell was another player who surprised most of us and pulled off a surprising Top 5 finish and I’m hoping he strikes while the iron is hot and pulls off back-to-back place finishes. He’s been playing some decent golf this year and last week wasn’t his only Top 5, he also finished runner-up in the Joburg Open. Hopefully Howell keeps that form going this week and finds himself near the top once again. If he hits his irons like he has been lately there’s no reason he won’t be able to.

TOP BET
Tom Lewis (60/1 a win, 13/1 a place)
Last week it seems like everyone finished T4 because Tom Lewis is another player who found himself in the Top 5 after playing two spectacular rounds on Saturday and Sunday. He looked to be in control of every aspect of his game as he powered his way to an eight-under finish and his accurate iron play was complemented by his superb putting which saw him post some of the lowest scores he has in a while in Genzon. If he plays like that again this week he’ll finish near the top so here’s hoping he arrives in similar form.

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