The European Tour has pushed the boundaries the last few years with some outside-the-box thinking when it comes to tournaments. Officials are at it again with this week’s Scandinavian Mixed, a combination of the Euro Tour and Ladies European Tour with players competing against each other for one sum of prize money and one trophy. I’m all for equality, but there’s a reason why there are separate Tour’s for both genders. The likelihood of the best female player toppling the field is remote even though the women get an edge off the tee box. Winning a matchup is another story, though, and there are a few mixed matchups on the board. The tournament was set to debut last year but was shuttered due to COVID. It’s back in the rotation with 78 men and 78 competing at Vallda Golf and Country Club in Sweden. Be sure to visit BookMaker.eu for a complete updated list of matchup odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
Scandinavian Mixed Matchup Odds
Robert Rock -135 vs. Marc Warren +104
Joakim Lagergren -110 vs. James Morrison -120
Robin Sciot-Siegrist -120 vs. Sebastian Soderberg -110
Niklas Lemke -163 vs. Anton Karlsson +127
Benjamin Hebert -117 vs. Josh Geary -113
Justin Walters -122 vs. Jack Senior -108
Dale Whitnell -115 vs. Adrian Otaegui -115
Darius van Driel -117 vs. Ashley Chesters -113
Ashun Wu +102 vs. Jacques Kruyswijk -133
Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez -120 vs. Aaron Cockerill -110
Jason Scrivener -115 vs. Joost Luiten -115
Sean Crocker -180 vs. Nicolai Hojgaard +141
Renato Paratore -101 vs. Maverick Antcliff -130
Aaron Rai -155 vs. David Horsey +121
Henrik Stenson -108 vs. Sami Valimaki -122
Wil Besseling -122 vs. Masahiro Kawamura -108
Matthew Southgate -113 vs. Jamie Donaldson -117
Joachim B Hansen -115 vs. Adri Arnaus -115
Joachim B Hansen -118 vs. Emily Kristine Pedersen -112
Joost Luiten -115 vs. Ryan Fox -115
Alexander Bjork -162 vs. Atthaya Thitikul +126
Sam Horsfield -117 vs. Joost Luiten -113
Sam Horsfield -117 vs. Ryan Fox -113
Sam Horsfield -115 vs. Jason Scrivener -115
Emily Kristine Pedersen -130 vs. Adri Arnaus -101
Need to Know
For a format like this to be successful there has to be a chance a woman could win the event or at the very least be in contention on Sunday. There are a few things that lead to that. The Vallda course appears to be the perfect length at just over 7,000 yards from the back tees. The ladies will start from their tees walloping a decent amount of yardage off their scorecard turning this into a second-shot tournament. Another factor negating the distance gap is the “dry, hard playing surfaces” that allow for substantial roll. The course isn’t long but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. Not only will players deal with the characteristics of a heathland course, the greens are tricky and bunkers line the property putting an emphasis on the short game.
Scandinavian Mixed Matchup Picks
Sebastian Soderberg -110 vs. Robin Sciot-Siegrist
Hailing from close by this tournament is essentially a home game for Soderberg and he’ll use it to get his game back in order. He withdrew from last week’s European Open after an opening 79 ruined any chance of him challenging in the condensed event. So instead of working on a shorter week he had some time to prepare, and he had made the cut in five of his six previous starts. His iron play is solid and he has no problems off the tee. Getting the putter to cooperate will make all the difference this week.
Sami Valimaki -122 vs. Henrik Stenson
Serving as tournament host takes a toll on players, and Stenson inherits the role this week. With all the duties associated with his position Stenson will have little time to prepare, and we’ve seen other players struggle when hosting. Valimaki missed the cut in his last two starts in the European Open and the PGA Championship, but he had been strong before that with three straight finishes in the 20s. He put up eight red numbers in two starts in the Canary Islands and the shorter Vallda layout will be more to his liking.
Jamie Donaldson -117 vs. Matthew Southgate
Donaldson hasn’t quite put it all together, but he’s been close and he’s worth backing in this matchup. He recovered from an injury working his way into fine form over the last 12 months with 11 top-20 showings in that span. He’s enjoyed success at different venues making the cut in each of his last five completed events with four top-20s. He’s accurate off the tee and has flourished with his irons setting himself up for a solid tournament with improved putting.
Joost Luiten -115 vs. Jason Scrivener
Luiten is another veteran who’s been playing well but has been unable to finish. What makes him a valuable pick is his ability to avoid big numbers allowing him to play the weekend in each of his last six completed starts. He withdrew from the Tenerife Open after an opening 65 that included and ace. He rallied for a T11 last week after an opening 76 and has placed among the top-15 in five consecutive events.
Emily Kristine Pedersen -112 vs. Joachim B Hansen
Honestly I don’t know much about the women’s game to make an informed pick, but I had to go with one mixed matchup and this one stood out. After doing some research I found that Pedersen has been a machine winning three straight tournaments last November and capturing a fourth in a team competition. Most recently she finished a respectable T23 at last week’s U.S. Open.
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