Ryder Cup stars worthy favourites for Italian job

Ryder Cup stars Francesco Molinari and Nicolas Colsaerts are the Italian Open favourites and, in an European Tour event lacking depth, they are sure to attract attention from punters at odds of around 9-1 and 12-1 respectively.

Molinari is a former Italian Open champion but his home tournament has moved from the venue at which he broke his European Tour duck in 2006 to Turin`s Royal Park I Roveri course, which has staged the event for the last two years.

In fine form on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean recently, Molinari skipped the 2010 Italian Open but he took part in last year`s tournament and played four rock-solid rounds of between 68 and 70 to finish 16 under par and tied for eighth position, five strokes adrift of the winner, Robert Rock.

The highest ranked golfer teeing up in this year`s Italian Open, Molinari is not the worst 9-1 chance ever. And also worthy of relatively short win odds is Colsaerts, whose recent form figures are almost as impressive as those of Molinari and who finished joint third in the 2010 event.

Favourite backers will steam into Molinari and Colsaerts but which of the European Tour`s lesser lights are worth a second look given their recent form and Italian Open history? Well, three outsiders make the most appeal.

First there is 2010 Italian Open champion Fredrik Andersson Hed. Not only did the Swede win the first edition of the tournament contested on the Royal Park I Roveri layout but also he finished a respectable tied for 15th when he came back to the Turin course to defend the title last year.

Andersson Hed missed the cut of the KLM Open last week but he was not a million miles off the pace, firing back-to-back one-over-par rounds to finish joint 87th. Before that he had registered consecutive top-three placings so, if one can overlook his KLM Open flop, he is attractive at around 50-1.

Second there is Gregory Bourdy, whose two Royal Park I Roveri appearances have resulted in ties for 22nd position in 2010 and 11th place last year. The Frenchman was joint eighth in the KLM Open and he has been there or thereabouts in each of his last four events. At around 40-1, the three-time European Tour winner is a worth a punt.

And third there is Anthony Wall, who is a speculative bet at around 80-1. The Englishman has not completed a tournament since the middle of July and he has been contemplating the prospect of undergoing season-ending surgery on his sore hip. It would seem, though, that surgery is on hold.

Wall boasts excellent Royal Park I Roveri statistics - he finished the 2010 Italian Open in a tie for 10th and last year`s event in a tie for 15th - and he has spent the last few weeks resting up his hip and getting physiotherapy on it. It is interesting that he has chosen to return in the Italian Open on a course that has treated him well.

Graeme Storm almost made the Italian Open portfolio at around 100-1 on the back of him finishing joint seventh in its 2010 edition and placing joint fifth in the KLM Open last week. But the Englishman did not shine in Turin last year, finishing almost last of those golfers who made the cut. That said, he should not be a three-figure price.

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13/09/2012     © Frixo 2024