Masters champion Danny Willett is favored to win the Omega European Masters which begins on Thursday in Switzerland. This event which takes place at Crans-sur-Sierre in the Swiss Alps could turn into a rematch of last year’s event that Willett won by a shot over Matthew Fitzpatrick. Willett is listed with odds of 12/1 followed by Alex Noren and Tyrrell Hatton at 14-1 while Fitzpatrick is the fourth choice in the betting at odds of 18/1.
Top Contenders
Willett is the obvious favorite at in this event as he won the tournament last year, is ranked No. 10 in the world and he leads the Race to Dubai standings. The concern if you back Willett is that he hasn’t played well lately as he has no finishes in the top 35 in any of his last six starts.
Noren won this event in 2009 as he beat Bradley Dredge by two shots. He tied for 9th in this tournament in 2009 and he tied for 27th in 2012 but he did not play this event the past two years. He has taken the last three weeks off since finishing second at the Paul Lawrie Match Play.
You can make a case that Hatton should be favored in this event over Willett as Hatton is playing well. He tied for 5th at the Open Championship, tied for 10th at the PGA and he has six top 10 finishes this season. He finished third in this event in 2014 and in 2015. Hatton is very excited about playing in this event as he said on Twitter recently, “Packing for one of my favorite events of the year on European Tour! The Omega Masters, great course and town with fantastic views.”
Fitzpatrick missed the cut last week in the Made in Denmark but a letdown was almost expected after he clinched a Ryder Cup spot. He could get back into form this week on a course he likes. He shot four rounds in the 60’s last year when he finished second.
The field for this event is not that strong so you have to put Lee Westwood in the contender range at odds of 22/1. He has won this event in the past although it was 17 years ago.
Bernd Wiesberger is listed with odds of 25/1. He has finished in the top 15 in his last eight starts including a tie for 11th at the Olympics. He has finished in the top 15 in each of his last two starts in this event.
Chris Wood is listed with odds of 32-1 this week. He is 7th in the Race to Dubai but he has only one finish in the top 10 in this event to go along with three missed cuts.
Live Longshots
Miguel Angel Jimenez is listed at odds of 40/1. He almost always seems to finish in the top 10 in this event and he is currently playing well on the Champions Tour.
Bradley Dredge was in this section last week and nearly won but finished second. He won this event in 2006 and he was second in 2009. Dredge is listed with odds of 32-1.
Tournament Notes
This event is held at Crans-sur-Sierre which is just 6,848 yards, making it one of the shortest courses on the European Tour. Scores have been low recently with the last five winning scores at 16-under or better.
Willett shot a brilliant 62 in round two last year and then shot a 65 in the final round to hold off Fitzpatrick. Willett’s winning score was 17-under.
David Lipsky won with an 18-under score in 2014, Thomas Bjorn was 20-under in 2013; Richie Ramsay was 16-under in 2012 while Bjorn was 20-under in 2011.
Golf Picks
I will try and make it two straight after winning with Pieters last week. I will take Hatton at odds of 14/1 and Fitzpatrick at odds of 18/1. I will also gamble on Dredge at odds of 32-1.
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