The European Tour heads to Antwerp, Belgium, this week for the Belgian Knockout, giving players a slight variation on the typical stroke play event. The field will play the first 36 holes in a stroke play format with the top 64 golfers advancing to the knockout rounds, which take place over the weekend. Three rounds of nine-holes will be played on Saturday in one-on-one stroke play, reducing the number of players to eight to compete for the title on Sunday. Adrian Otaegui won last year’s event under the current format and has proven to be quite successful in head-to-head tournaments. He’s listed at +3300 on the opening odds list with Thomas Pieters the betting favorite at +2200.
Odds to Win Belgian Knockout at BookMaker.eu
Thomas Pieters +2200
Bernd Wiesberger +2800
Thomas Detry +3000
Romain Langasque +3300
Adrian Otaegui +3300
Richie Ramsay +3500
Tom Lewis +3500
Robert MacIntyre +4000
Pablo Larrazabal +4000
Benjamin Hebert +4000
Chris Paisley +4000
Andrea Pavan +5000
Gavin Green +5000
Matthias Schwab +5000
Nacho Elvira +5000
Soren Kjeldsen +5500
Marcus Kinhult +5500
Matthew Southgate +5500
Joachim B. Hansen +6000
Sam Horsfield +6000
Robert Rock +6000
Nicolas Colsaerts +6600
Wade Ormsby +6600
Alexander Levy +6600
David Horsey +6600
Guido Migliozzi +7000
Jeff Winther +7000
Maximilian Kieffer +7000
Oliver Wilson +7500
Tapio Pulkkanen +8000
Victor Perez +8000
Haydn Porteous +8000
George Coetzee +8000
Adri Arnaus +8000
Alejandro Canizares +9000
Ben Stow +9000
David Drysdale +9000
Grant Forrest +9000
J.C. Ritchie +9000
Gaganjeet Bhullar +9000
Gonzalo Fdez-Castano +9000
Ross McGowan +9000
Odds Analysis
Thomas Pieters +2200
It’s a difficult format to handicap, but someone has to be at the top of the odds board and Pieters is it, though he does come at a good price. Playing on home soil is another reason why Pieters is listed at +2200 on the early lines. He reached the weekend last year going 73-67 to qualify at T24, but he was knocked out in the first round of head-to-head play by Max Kiefer. Pieters recovered from last year’s disappointment to have an impressive season, but he hasn’t been as sharp recently with only one top 10 in 15 events. And he’s serving as host this week, which will likely take away from his focus on the course. Combine all that and I don’t like his chances.
Richie Ramsay +3500
Enjoying a bit of a breakthrough, Ramsay enters the BKO with a T14, T5 and T15 in his last three starts, putting together complete 72-hole tournaments for a change. He overcame recent struggles in the latter rounds for his best run of form and continues his assault on a track that fits his game. His accuracy and ball-striking are things of beauty, and his run here last year was marred by a matchup with Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts. Ramsay had the sixth best score of Saturday’s opening knockout round, only to be bested by Colsaerts.
Matthias Schwab +5000
Another player with impeccable accuracy that will serve him well at Rinkven, Schwab should be looked at with a nice payday for a victory. Recent form is solid with nine cuts in 11 starts and he’s a reliable pick given his ball-striking. Similar to Ramsay in his game, Schwab reached the round of 32 last year before being ousted in one of the closest matches. He was in contention last week and with another year of Euro Tour play under his belt he’s ready to make a move to the winner’s circle.
Thomas Detry +3000
If you’re looking for the hometown discount, Detry might be the guy. He doesn’t have the added chores of hosting and he’s been riding exceptional form to display on his home soil. With the exception of his withdrawal at the China Open, Detry has made every cut this season and he tamed this layout last year with a 67-69 to tie for third after 36 holes. He carded a 1-over and lost in the first knockout round, but he’s a solid bet to play longer this week.
Adrian Otaegui +3300
It’s hard to overlook the defending champ after what he accomplished in last year’s maiden format event. And his record in head-to-head competition has been stellar. He advanced to the weekend last year at No. 8 with a 69-68 and scored under par in every knockout round, taking down Benjamin Hebert in the final. He enters off a T16 in Denmark after MCs in his previous two starts.
Course: Rinkven International Golf Club – 6,924 yards, Par 71
Rinkven underwent a significant renovation in 2008 to bring both courses on the property up to modern championship standards. A composite track will be used this week with nine holes from each course stretching out to nearly 7,000 yards and playing at par 71 with an unusual mixture of holes. The layout will consist of just two par 5s and three par 3s. It’s a straightforward layout with tree-lined fairways, few hazards, and poa annua greens. The field will alternate its nine-hole knockout round matches between the front nine and back nine. A bigger factor than the course itself will be fatigue for those who make it to Sunday.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel
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