We take a look at the European Tour’s Shot Clock Masters event taking place at the Diamond Country Club between 7 June and 10 June.
Formerly known as the Lyoness Open, this event is the latest on the European Tour that has been revamped at the behest of Keith Pelly. Joining the Perth Super 6 and Belgian Knockout events, the inaugural Shot Clock Masters will be the latest in a string of events that have been reconfigured in an attempt to rebrand the Tour, perhaps in an attempt to appeal to a younger audience.
Who’s to tell if this intitivative will work? Could Pelly be running the risk of alienating whatever fans already exist? The Perth Super 6 seemed to suggest that a change was welcome, so I suppose the proof will be in the pudding.
Shot Clock Masters | 7 June – 10 June | Diamond Country Club, Vienna
Every single shot played will be on a timer, with the first player to play allotted 50 seconds, and the others 40 seconds thereafter. A one-shot penalty will be attributed to any infraction, indicated by a red card against the name on the scoreboard. Every player will be allowed two time-outs per round that will double the amount of time allowed per shot. The Diamond Country Club is a flat-parkland course that was the brainchild of Jeremy Pern. It’s a real tee to green type of course that measures over 7,400 yards. The course is expected to be softened this week by a fair amount of rain forecast.
Clearly next week’s US Open at Shinnecock Hills has greatly diminished the field this week. Just to give you an impression of how poor the field is, the amount of players inside the top 180 in the world rankings doesn’t reach double figures this week. South African pair Erik Van Rooyen and Dean Burmester head the markets this week, while European Tour veteran Miguel Angel Jimenez adds some much joie de vivre to proceedings.
Past Winners – when known as Lyoness Open
2017: Dylan Fritelli (-12)
2016: Wu Ashun (-13)
2015: Chris Wood (-15)
2014: Mikael Lundberg (-12)*playoff
2013: Joost Luiten (-17)
To Win Outright
Dean Burmester 14/1 | Erik Van Rooyen 18/1 | Miguel Angel Jimenez 25/1 | Lee Slattery 25/1 | Nicolas Colsaerts 28/1
Value Bets
Miguel Angel Jimenez- To Win 18/1, To Place 39/10
Miguel Angel Jimenez has taken to senior golf like a duck to water. He recently won his first senior title at the Regions Tradition, though he still has time to stop off on the European Tour proper from time to time. He has top 20 finishes in all of his last four events on the Tour, including a tie for 14th at the Italian Open. He missed the cut here last year but did finish in a tie for fifth in 2014. In a field this weak I am more than comfortable with dismissing issues of his age. He has an established pedigree on the European Tour and it’s highly doubtful that a shot-clock is going to intimidate the languid, cigar smoking Spaniard.
Lorenzo Gagli- To Win 20/1, To Place 44/10
The Italian is coming off an impressive tie for 14th at his home Italian Open. He finished with a weekend pair of 66’s that highlighted his potential in a strong Rolex Series event. He also has course experience here, finishing 10th in 2013. After winning on the Challenge Tour in Kenya Gagli has racked up impressive form figures of 2-20-20-14. That second place finish came at the Challenge Tour’s Turkish Airlines event. If he plays anywhere near the level that he displayed at Lake Garda he should be in contention this week.
Laurie Canter- To Win 80/1, To Place 17/1
There are few players in this field who could boast the form figures that 80/1 shot Laurie Canter brings to the table. He currently boasts six finishes of T36th or better in his last seven events. This included a tie for 31st at the similarly rejigged Belgian Invitational. He has played this course before, making the cut last year. He also finished in a tie for eighth in Kenya in what was his last appearance on the Challenge Tour. So while these events may not represent the crème de le crème of competition, there is an undeniable level of consistency that could be useful when encountering the added pressures of this week’s shot-clock format.
The Man to Beat- Mikko Korhonen- To Win 22/1, To Place 48/10
Ranked inside the world’s top 200, Korhonen represents something of a known quantity this week. The Finn finished second here last year and clearly has an eye for this golf course. Though he missed the cut at the Italian Open there have been some extremely positive results for the Finn in in recent weeks. He has a T15 and third place finish inside the space of his last six starts. That tie for 15th came at Wentworth in the company of a far stronger field. Considering his course field and the lack of depth in the field it is clear that he could be a strong contender this week.
Written by Damien Kayat for @Hollywoodbets.net
