Don`t duck Donald in Scottish Open

Only one of the world`s top 10 golfers is taking part in the Scottish Open, the links tournament that serves as the warm-up event for next week`s Open Championship.

In a Scottish Open field that is surprisingly - no, make that embarrassingly - low on quality, Luke Donald is a decent punting proposition at around the 15-2 mark.

While Tiger Woods is on the charge and looks set to regain his place as the world number one sooner rather than later, Donald is top of the pops for now and deservedly so even though, like Lee Westwood, he has not won a major title.

In 2011, Donald became the first golfer to officially claim first place on both PGA Tour and European Tour money lists in the same year. Woods would have done it in his pomp but he did not take up official European Tour membership.

One of Donald`s European Tour wins in 2011 was the Scottish Open in which he finished four strokes clear of the field even though the tournament was reduced to 54 holes because of bad weather. He opened successive five-under-par rounds of 67 before firing nine under the card in the final round to leave Fredrik Andersson Hed and everyone else behind.

Donald disappointed in missing the 2012 US Open cut but he has rested since flopping in San Francisco and let it not be forgotten that his most recent appearance on European soil resulted in tournament glory in the BMW PGA Championship that he took out by a comfortable four-shot margin.

In the absence of years of course form - the 2011 Scottish Open was the first one played at Castle Stuart Golf Links - Donald`s stunning victory 12 months ago combined with his consistent excellent marks out him as the one to beat.

Padraig Harrington is the general 16-1 Scottish Open second favourite and he is well worth including in staking plans also. The Irishman is one of the form players heading into the Castle Stuart Golf Links event after placing fourth and seventh in the Irish Open and the US Open respectively.

Harrington may have missed the Open Championship cut in 2010 and 2011 but he is an accomplished links golfer as he proved by winning the world`s oldest major championship back to back in 2007 at Carnoustie and 2008 at Royal Birkdale.

Tied for 14th in the first Scottish Open staged at Castle Stuart Golf Links, Harrington has a terrific chance of breaking his two-year run without a tournament triumph.

You can make a strong case for supporting Henrik Stenson at around the 28-1 mark since he is a proven commodity on links and coming into form and, if you are interested in a golfer at a three-figure price, James Morrison is your man.

The Englishman was joint 31st in last year`s Scottish Open, shooting progressively better rounds of 71, 68 and 67 to finish 10 under par, nine behind the champion, Donald.

But it has been Morrison`s results in recent weeks that have caught the eye. A new dad, the 27-year-old qualified for the Open Championship by taking out the International Final Qualifying Europe event at Sunningdale. He led the BMW PGA Championship for a while before Donald assumed control and played well in the Irish Open and Open de France events.

Shop around and you should be able to back Morrison at 200-1 or bigger. He could make a mockery of those kind of odds.

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11/07/2012     © Frixo 2024