Even European Tour events get affected by a change in the schedule. A move from the summer to early fall has played with the field for the Amundi Open de France, which will be without the typical star power associated with the circuit. Even with some of the big names absent and a modest purse, there will be fantastic golf played on a pristine course. Le Golf National, better known for its Ryder Cup hosting, will welcome a full field this week. And with no clear cut favorite, there is plenty of value further down the odds board that will attract plenty of attention. Alex Noren is the betting favorite at offshore sportsbooks with long opening odds of +1100. That means there is plenty of coin to be had on picking a winner. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of betting odds and to place your wager.
Odds to Win Amundi Open de France at BookMaker.eu
Alex Noren +1100
Erik Van Rooyen +1400
Joost Luiten +1600
Matthias Schwab +1600
Thomas Pieters +1800
Jordan Smith +2200
Marcus Kinhult +2800
Martin Kaymer +3300
Ross Fisher +3300
Sam Horsfield +3500
Thomas Detry +3500
Victor Perez +4000
Kurt Kitayama +4000
Matthew Southgate +4500
Julian Suri +4500
Guido Migliozzi +4500
Aaron Rai +4500
Andy Sullivan +4500
Romain Langasque +5000
Stewart Cink +5000
Shubhankar Sharma +5500
Victor Dubuisson +5500
Ryan Fox +5500
Callum Shinkwin +5500
Alexander Levy +6000
Lucas Herbert +6000
Sebastian Soderberg +6600
Richie Ramsay +6600
Jason Scrivener +6600
Jeunghun Wang +6600
Joachim B. Hansen +6600
Edoardo Molinari +7000
Gavin Green +7000
Soren Kjeldsen +7000
Jamie Donaldson +8000
Adrian Otaegui +8000
Benjamin Hebert +8000
Ashley Chesters +9000
George Coetzee +9000
Nicolas Colsaerts +9000
Scott Jamieson +10000
Lee Slattery +10000
Maximilian Kieffer +10000
David Horsey +10000
James Morrison +10000
Chris Paisley +10000
Odds Analysis
Martin Kaymer +3300
Recent struggles suggest fading Kaymer, but it’s hard to ignore what he’s done on this track in the past. He emerged victorious in 2009 and claimed five top-7s and an additional pair of top-15s, proving he’s definitely a course horse. Now the bad news. He flamed out last year and missed four cuts in his last five starts after a strong summer revival. Can he regain the form from the summer? He’s a gamble, but worth it at his price.
Kurt Kitayama +4000
Le Golf isn’t a tricky course but it can cause problems for a newbie. Kitayama has been sharp with a pair of wins earlier this season. And missing the cut in Las Vegas is an outlier since he surrounded that with a T21 at the KLM Open and a T14 at Wentworth. A solo third at the Italian Open when he was fifth in the field in GIR was a plus. Accuracy off the tee has been a problem but is correctable.
Matthew Southgate +4500
It’s been a roller coaster ride for Southgate recently with some really good showings and some very awful ones. The hope here is that the links-style layout harnesses some of the good. He was second at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, which was surrounded by MCs at Wentworth and the Italian Open. Again, the links thing keeps popping up. Southgate has a T5 and T11 in two of his last three starts at Le Golf National.
Marcus Kinhult +2800
With a chance for a big payday this is as far up the odds board I go. And it’s not a bad pick. Kinhult earned a top-5 here in a Challenge Tour event and led the way after 54 holes last year. He won the British Masters this year and he’s made seven straight cuts with three of the last five ending with a top-20 finish. I like my chances with the Swede.
Ashley Chesters +9000
I’ve had my eye on Chesters for some time but never felt confident enough to pick him. This seems like the right time, and the payout isn’t too shabby, either. He hits the ball straight, which is a plus on this course, and recent form is solid. A T21 at Wentworth followed a T15 at the KLM Open and a T9 at the European Open. He also got his feet wet here with a T21 last year. The field is to his liking and the price is to my liking.
Course: Le Golf National – 7,249-yards, par-71
Only majestic courses can host Ryder Cup events and Le Golf National qualifies as that. Located just outside Paris, the course plays a respectable distance at just under 7,250 yards and par 71 with undulating fairways that are often hard to hit. Accuracy over distance is the mantra here because it’s not an easily scoreable layout. Strong and steady will get you to the weekend and likely beyond. The greens are fast and there are links-style bunkers guarding a number of holes. The back-nine can be treacherous and it makes for some exciting finishes. Water comes into play on the 15th, 16th and 18th holes and the closing two holes are par-4s that measure 480 and 471 yards.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel
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