Written by Matt Cee for @Hollywoodbets. Follow them both on Twitter and Facebook now!
The Lyoness Open | Thursday 11 June – Sunday 14 June | Diamond Country Club
After a good couple of weeks on the European Tour things seem to be tapering off a bit now as we head to Austria for the Lyoness Open, an event that has never really drawn a strong field and which most golf fans will ignore. That’s never the case on this blog as we’re always keeping a close eye on the “lesser” tournaments, which offer a lot of value to those willing to take some risks. Thankfully, the course has hosted the event for the past few years and there’s a lot of information available regarding the layout and this helps in assessing who will fare well and who can be ignored. A quick glance at the layout will give the impression that distance off the tee is key in taming this 7,400 yard beast but experience shows that accurate approach play is the name of the game and those players who can hit their mid to long irons well are at a distinct advantage. With water in play on seventeen of the eighteen holes, a single mis-hit could ruin a player’s chance of winning so a clear head under pressure is also an invaluable asset. Clearly, putting is also important as making birdies is the name of the game and the only way to do that here is to drain longer putts.
To Win Outright
Bernd Wiesberger 9/2
Chris Wood 11/1
Richie Ramsay 12/1
Rafael Cabrera Bello 16/1
Romain Wattel 18/1
VALUE BETS
Lee Slattery (55/1 a win, 12/1 a place)
Lee Slattery is the kind of player you’d be forgiven for ignoring most weeks but although he’s been struggling to make the cut lately, he should enjoy Diamond Country Club. He showed his class at the beginning of the year with a Top 5 finish in South Africa and will be relishing the opportunity to play a course he thrives on. Two Top 10s in his last two starts can’t be ignored and I have a feeling Slattery will be a serious contender this week. Each way is the bet for me here.
Richie Ramsay (12/1 a win, 99/10 a place)
Moving away from the bigger prices and onto the more fancied players, Richie Ramsay definitely catches the eye at what look to be slightly inflated odds. He’s one of the form players in this field and always looks good on longer tracks and I see no reason why he shouldn’t be challenging come Sunday. Although he’s never played the course before he has a win and a host of Top 10s under his belt already this year and he shouldn’t have any trouble getting around here. I’m backing Ramsay to upset Bernd Wiesberger this time around.
Scott Jamieson (45/1 a win, 88/10 a place)
Based on the stats, Scott Jamieson looks to be a decent each way bet this week and at this price he has to be backed to edge out a lacklustre field. Granted, he hasn’t shot the lights out this season but that comes as a bit of a surprise because he’s one of the more accurate drivers out there and hits his irons as well as anyone on his day. Confidence is going to be key this week and Jamieson seems to enjoy the course so if he hits his irons as well as he did in Ireland he’ll be a serious contender. Each way is the bet for me.
TOP BET
Nicolas Colsaerts (22/1 a win, 48/10 a place)
Driving distance won’t be the be everything this week but it will certainly help and if there’s one person who can overpower this course it’s the “Muscles from Brussels”. He’s one of the few players in the field who arrives without much course experience but that shouldn’t be much of an issue if he plays anything like he did last week, where he seemed to be in decent enough form to warrant backing to win sometime in the near future. He also hit his irons impressively last week and is certainly one to keep an eye on here. At this price Colsaerts looks the value bet of the week, get on.
