Josh Culp's Blog, page 12

Made in Denmark Fantasy Preview

Heading for a new course this week, a few golfers will look to make their final stand in terms of earning a European Ryder Cup Captain’s pick. Realistically the team is already set because there are a lot of heavy hitters that are outside the automatic qualifying bubble.

The course is Silkeborg Ry Golf Club which is one of the shorter courses these guys will see all year. That doesn’t change much from what we’ve seen here in the past because Himmerland was also extremely short.

I took the time to look this course up on Google Earth and IT IS EXTREMELY TREE-LINED. It’s basically carved out through a forest so I wouldn’t expect to see many drivers hit this week, compared to a normal tour stop.

Looking at the published scorecard, there are zero par 3s over 195 yards. None of the par 4s are over 450 yards and none of the par 5s are over 560 yards. That all adds up to a sub-7000 yard layout.

These golfers should be able to pick this course apart from a yardage standpoint, but keeping it out of the trees will be the tough part. The greens are a poa/bent mixture.

Let’s look at a few stats to see who might fare well this week:

Top Performers on Short Courses (since 2015)

Matthew Fitzpatrick

Soren Kjeldsen

Martin Kaymer

Richie Ramsay

Hideto Tanihara

Robert Rock

Paul Peterson

Adrian Otaegui

David Horsey

Lee Westwood

Top Performers in the Summer (since 2015)

Thomas Pieters

Thorbjorn Olesen

Soren Kjeldsen

Matthew Fitzpatrick

Fabrizio Zanotti

Richard Sterne

Danny Willett

Thomas Detry

Lee Westwood

Martin Kaymer

Top Performers on Bentgrass (since 2015)

Matthew Fitzpatrick

Martin Kaymer

Soren Kjeldsen

Lee Westwood

Richard Sterne

Danny Willett

Thomas Pieters

Thorbjorn Olesen

Jaco Van Zyl

Bradley Dredge

Top Performers against Weak Fields (since 2015)

Matt Wallace

Robert Rock

David Horsey

Martin Kaymer

Dean Burmester

Matthias Schwab

Thomas Detry

Thomas Aiken

Matthew Fitzpatrick

Joakim Lagergren

Top Performers on Par 72s (since 2015)

Martin Kaymer

Matthew Fitzpatrick

Jaco Van Zyl

Richard Sterne

Soren Kjeldsen

Lee Westwood

Bradley Dredge

Matthias Schwab

Jeunghun Wang

Thorbjorn Olesen

Golfers that show up on all FIVE lists: Martin Kaymer, Matthew Fitzpatrick

Golfers that show up on 4-of-5 lists: Lee Westwood, Soren Kjeldsen

Golfers that show up on 3-of-5 lists: Thorbjorn Olesen, Richard Sterne

My Top 25 for the 2018 Made in Denmark

1. Thomas Pieters

2. Thorbjorn Olesen

3. Danny Willett

4. Lee Westwood

5. Matthias Schwab

6. Erik van Rooyen

7. Robert Rock

8. Matthew Fitzpatrick

9. Richard Sterne

10. Lucas Herbert

11. Thomas Detry

12. Dean Burmester

13. Thomas Aiken

14. Soren Kjeldsen

15. Eddie Pepperell

16. Bradley Dredge

17. Martin Kaymer

18. David Horsey

19. Christiaan Bezuidenhout

20. Jordan Smith

21. Matt Wallace

22. Richie Ramsay

23. Hideto Tanihara

24. Adrian Otaegui

25. Gaganjeet Bhullar

Czech Masters Fantasy Preview

We had a bit of a surprise winner in Paul Waring last week but it was a relatively strong leaderboard around him at the Nordea Masters.

This week we head to the Czech Republic to take on Albatross Golf Resort. It’s a par 72 that plays to about 7,470 yards. Pretty long but over 1,200 of the yards are eaten up by two of the par 5s (639 yards and 603 yards) and there is also slight altitude (~1,300 feet).

On raw yardage it seems like a course suited for big hitters only but we’ve had a good blend of bombers and short knockers both contending here in Prague.

The field is rather weak as the big names are either playing overseas in the FedExCup Playoffs or resting before the Ryder Cup.

There is water on 7 holes and the greens are bentgrass.

Let’s look at a few stats to see who might fare well this week:

Top Performers on Mainland Europe (since 2015)

Lee Westwood

Thomas Pieters

Soren Kjeldsen

Matt Wallace

Andrew Johnston

Mikko Korhonen

Scott Hend

David Lipsky

Lucas Herbert

Nino Bertasio

Top Performers in the Summer (since 2015)

Thomas Pieters

Soren Kjeldsen

Lee Westwood

Scott Hend

Danny Willett

Nacho Elvira

Eddie Pepperell

Andrew Johnston

Lee Slattery

Richard Bland

Top Performers on Bentgrass (since 2015)

Lee Westwood

Soren Kjeldsen

Danny Willett

Thomas Pieters

Mikko Korhonen

Andrew Johnston

Thomas Aiken

Nicolas Colsaerts

Benjamin Hebert

Dean Burmester

Top Performers against Weak Fields (since 2015)

Matt Wallace

Andrew Johnston

Mikko Korhonen

Paul Waring

Dean Burmester

Thomas Aiken

David Lipsky

Lee Westwood

Maximilian Kieffer

Matthias Schwab

Top Performers on Par 72s (since 2015)

Lee Westwood

Soren Kjeldsen

Jeunghun Wang

Andrew Johnston

Nicolas Colsaerts

Maximilian Kieffer

Thomas Pieters

Matthias Schwab

Thomas Aiken

Gregory Bourdy

Golfers that show up on all FIVE lists: Lee Westwood, Beef Johnston

Golfers that show up on 4-of-5 lists: Thomas Pieters, Soren Kjeldsen

Golfers that show up on 3-of-5 lists: Thomas Aiken, Mikko Korhonen

My Top 25 for the 2018 Czech Masters

1. Thomas Pieters

2. Lee Westwood

3. Dean Burmester

4. Eddie Pepperell

5. Soren Kjeldsen

6. Danny Willett

7. Benjamin Hebert

8. Maximilian Kieffer

9. Lucas Herbert

10. Thomas Aiken

11. David Lipsky

12. Aaron Rai

13. Ashley Chesters

14. Nacho Elvira

15. Matthias Schwab

16. Jordan Smith

17. Nicolas Colsaerts

18. Matt Wallace

19. Mikko Korhonen

20. James Morrison

21. Christiaan Bezuidenhout

22. Andrew Johnston

23. Tom Lewis

24. Andrea Pavan

25. Scott Hend

Nordea Masters Fantasy Preview

It’s been a few weeks since we’ve looked at the European Tour but it’s back in action this week with the Nordea Masters in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The course is a fresh one, called The Hills Golf Club. It’s a par 71 that plays just under 7,200 yards. As you’d expect by the name, it’s a hilly golf course and also features bentgrass fairways and greens.

It’s been hot and dry in the lead-up but the forecast calls for showers on Friday and Saturday with temps in the mid-60s. Golfers from the Nordic countries should feel right at home in this weather.

The potential for showers on Friday might lead to a tee-time advantage but it’s hard to say that with certainty. Personally, I would rather have a Thursday PM tee time because it would give me a better chance of finishing 36 holes before the weekend, if there is a delay.

There are a few interesting sponsor invites this week in Dru Love and Brad Fritsch. Love recently won the Colorado Open on a course I played a few times back when I lived in Denver. He has the bloodlines and pedigree and now he might have some confidence. Fritsch has top 10s in 6% of his 71 career PGA TOUR starts so the upside is there, especially in a field like this one.

Freddie Jacobson is also set to make his first start in ages.

Thorbjorn Olesen had an airline lose TWO sets of his clubs but he got them back and should be good to go as he tries to play his way onto the Ryder Cup.

Let’s look at a few stats to see who might fare well this week:

Top Performers on Mainland Europe (since 2015)

Martin Kaymer

Soren Kjeldsen

Thorbjorn Olesen

Alexander Bjork

Thomas Detry

Lucas Bjerregaard

Nicolas Colsaerts

Andrew Johnston

Matthias Schwab

Nacho Elvira

Top Performers in the Summer (since 2015)

Alexander Bjork

Soren Kjeldsen

Thorbjorn Olesen

Thomas Detry

Martin Kaymer

Richie Ramsay

Nacho Elvira

Bradley Dredge

Richard Bland

Nicolas Colsaerts

Top Performers on Bentgrass (since 2015)

Martin Kaymer

Alexander Bjork

Soren Kjeldsen

Thorbjorn Olesen

Bradley Dredge

Richie Ramsay

Nicolas Colsaerts

Andrew Johnston

Benjamin Hebert

Robert Rock

Top Performers against Weak Fields (since 2015)

Andrew Johnston

Martin Kaymer

Alexander Bjork

Robert Rock

Paul Waring

Matthias Schwab

Joakim Lagergren

Thomas Detry

Jeunghun Wang

Benjamin Hebert

Golfers that show up on all FOUR lists: Alexander Bjork, Martin Kaymer

Golfers that show up on 3-of-4 lists: Thorbjorn Olesen, Soren Kjeldsen, Thomas Detry, Andrew Johnston, Nicolas Colsaerts

Golfers that show up on 2-of-4 lists: Matthias Schwab, Benjamin Hebert, Robert Rock, Nacho Elvira, Richie Ramsay, Bradley Dredge

My Top 25 for the 2018 Nordea Masters

1. Thorbjorn Olesen

2. Alexander Bjork

3. Soren Kjeldsen

4. Thomas Detry

5. Aaron Rai

6. Matthias Schwab

7. Marcus Kinhult

8. Nacho Elvira

9. Hideto Tanihara

10. Robert Rock

11. Lucas Bjerregaard

12. Bradley Dredge

13. Maximilian Kieffer

14. Joakim Lagergren

15. Ashley Chesters

16. Benjamin Hebert

17. Matthew Southgate

18. Martin Kaymer

19. Scott Jamieson

20. Nicolas Colsaerts

21. Nino Bertasio

22. Christiaan Bezuidenhout

23. Andrew Johnston

24. Andrea Pavan

25. Richie Ramsay

Porsche European Open Fantasy Preview

The European Tour will head to Germany this week for the European Open.

The course is a rather interesting one. It’s Green Eagles Golf Course. It’s unique because it’s a par-72 layout with FIVE par 5s and FIVE par 3s. It hosted here last year when Jordan Smith beat Alexander Levy in a playoff.

At 7,583 yards, it’s one of the longer venues but that’s not even playing from the tips. This course prides itself on being one of the longest in all of Europe but they keep it in check for this event.

The raw length of the course is one challenge, but avoiding water is the other. There is water on 15 of 18 holes. This puts a premium on precision.

Looking at the par 5s, four of them check in at 595 yards or longer. That means they are three-shot holes anyway, which again takes away the length advantage you’d initially expect to see here after looking at scorecard.

Overall, this course played right around level par last year and all varieties of play styles are able to contend here.

Let’s look at a few angles to see who might fit the course this week:

Top Performers on Continental Europe (since 2015)

Mike Lorenzo-Vera

Soren Kjeldsen

Scott Hend

David Horsey

Alexander Levy

Nicolas Colsaerts

Lucas Bjerregaard

David Lipsky

Nacho Elvira

Adrian Otaegui

Top Performers on Par 72s (since 2015)

Alexander Levy

Charl Schwartzel

Richard Sterne

Bradley Dredge

Soren Kjeldsen

Jeunghun Wang

Richie Ramsay

Nicolas Colsaerts

Maximilian Kieffer

Thomas Detry

Top Performers on Long Courses (since 2015)

Jeunghun Wang

Alexander Levy

Mike Lorenzo-Vera

Jordan SMITH

Bradley Dredge

Charl Schwartzel

Callum Shinkwin

Soren Kjeldsen

Richard Sterne

Mikko Ilonen

Top Performers on Bentgrass (since 2015)

Soren Kjeldsen

Richard Sterne

Charl Schwartzel

Alexander Levy

Mike Lorenzo-Vera

Bradley Dredge

Richie Ramsay

Nicolas Colsaerts

David Horsey

Jordan SMITH

Top Performers against Weak Fields (since 2015)

Alexander Levy

Charl Schwartzel

David Horsey

Aaron Rai

Richard Sterne

Benjamin Hebert

Thomas Detry

David Lipsky

Lucas Bjerregaard

Matthias Schwab

Scott Jamieson

Golfers that show up on all FIVE lists: Alexander Levy

Golfers that show up on 4-of-5 lists: Charl Schwartzel, Soren Kjeldsen, Richard Sterne

Golfers that show up on 3-of-5 lists: Mike Lorenzo-Vera, David Horsey, Nicolas Colsaerts, Bradley Dredge

My Top 25 for the 2018 Euro Open

1. Patrick Reed

2. Jordan Smith

3. Paul Casey

4. Aaron Rai

5. Adrian Otaegui

6. Nacho Elvira

7. Benjamin Hebert

8. Ashley Chesters

9. Richard Sterne

10. Soren Kjeldsen

11. Scott Hend

12. Bryson DeChambeau

13. Thomas Detry

14. Charl Schwartzel

15. Nicolas Colsaerts

16. David Horsey

17. Mike Lorenzo-Vera

18. Christiaan Bezuidenhout

19. Matthias Schwab

20. Bradley Dredge

21. Alexander Levy

22. Mikko Ilonen

23. Richie Ramsay

24. David Lipsky

25. Lucas Bjerregaard

Scottish Open Fantasy Preview

Heading back to Gullane Golf Club, the Scottish Open boasts a very strong field this week as many stars are prepping for The Open Championship which takes place next week at Carnoustie.

Gullane GC hosted the Scottish Open back in 2015. Rickie Fowler won that edition while Matt Kuchar finished one shot back.

Keeping with the theme of last week’s Irish Open we have another links layout against a strong field. The greens are a bent/fescue/poa blend. The only major difference is we’re now dealing with a par 70 instead of a par 72. That’s eight less par 5s to feast on throughout the week.

In true Scotland fashion, we have temps in the mid 60s with rain possible throughout the event. As we often see on links layouts, it’s certainly possible that one side of the draw gets a small advantage before the cut.

Let’s look at a few angles to see who might fit the course this week:

Top Performers in GB&I (since 2015)

Tyrrell Hatton

Andy Sullivan

Ross Fisher

Chris Wood

Russell Knox

Graeme Mcdowell

Richie Ramsay

Soren Kjeldsen

Rafa Cabrera Bello

Jorge Campillo

Top Performers on Par 70s (since 2015)

Matthew Fitzpatrick

Fabrizio Zanotti

Mikko Ilonen

Rafa Cabrera Bello

Tyrrell Hatton

Lucas Bjerregaard

Thongchai Jaidee

Richard Sterne

Scott Hend

Alexander Bjork

Top Performers on Links Layouts (since 2015)

Andy Sullivan

Chris Wood

Joakim Lagergren

Tyrrell Hatton

Jorge Campillo

Ross Fisher

Julien Guerrier

Romain Wattel

Ryan Fox

Robert Rock

Top Performers on Bentgrass (since 2015)

Andy Sullivan

Tyrrell Hatton

Ross Fisher

Martin Kaymer

Matthew Fitzpatrick

Russell Knox

Lee Westwood

Paul Dunne

Rafa Cabrera Bello

Ian Poulter

Top Performers against Strong Fields (since 2015)

Tyrrell Hatton

Peter Uihlein

Rafa Cabrera Bello

Justin Rose

Ross Fisher

Martin Kaymer

Russell Knox

Ian Poulter

Matthew Fitzpatrick

Andy Sullivan

Golfers that show up on all FIVE lists: Tyrell Hatton

Golfers that show up on 4-of-5 lists: Andy Sullivan, Ross Fisher, Rafa Cabrera Bello

Golfers that show up on 3-of-5 lists: Russell Knox, Matthew Fitzpatrick

My Top 30 for the 2018 Scottish Open

1. Justin Rose

2. Andy Sullivan

3. Ian Poulter

4. Rickie Fowler

5. Tyrrell Hatton

6. Chris Wood

7. Rafa Cabrera Bello

8. Patrick Reed

9. Ross Fisher

10. Alexander Bjork

11. Matthew Fitzpatrick

12. Russell Knox

13. Lee Westwood

14. Matt Kuchar

15. Ryan Fox

16. Graeme Mcdowell

17. Julian Suri

18. Peter Uihlein

19. Soren Kjeldsen

20. Louis Oosthuizen

21. Hideki Matsuyama

22. Jorge Campillo

23. Martin Kaymer

24. Paul Dunne

25. Phil Mickelson

26. Kiradech Aphibarnrat

27. Hao Tong Li

28. Thomas Pieters

29. Danny Willett

30. Erik van Rooyen

Irish Open Fantasy Preview

With just a few weeks remaining until The Open Championship, the fields on the European Tour stay strong.

The headliners this week are Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm but there is plenty of mid-to-top-tier talent just behind them as we head to Ireland for the fourth Rolex Series event of the season.

The course is Ballyliffin GC, a links layout that plays to 7,462 yards on the scorecard with a par of 72.

There isn’t any history on the course so we’ll need to rely on course fit to fit some of these pegs into the proper holes.

Let’s look at a few angles to see who might fit the course this week:

Top Performers in GB&I (since 2015)

Shane Lowry

Graeme Mcdowell

Rafa Cabrera Bello

Andy Sullivan

Soren Kjeldsen

Richie Ramsay

Chris Wood

Paul Dunne

Bradley Dredge

Rory Mcilroy

Top Performers on Par 72s (since 2015)

Rory Mcilroy

Jon Rahm

Rafa Cabrera Bello

Alexander Levy

Matthew Fitzpatrick

Alexander Bjork

Shane Lowry

Peter Uihlein

Jorge Campillo

Andy Sullivan

Top Performers on Links Layouts (since 2015)

Andy Sullivan

Julien Guerrier

Joakim Lagergren

Chris Wood

Eddie Pepperell

Richie Ramsay

Paul Dunne

Romain Wattel

Rafa Cabrera Bello

Robert Rock

Top Performers in the Summer (since 2015)

Jon Rahm

Andy Sullivan

Rafa Cabrera Bello

Alexander Bjork

Julian Suri

Ryan Fox

Soren Kjeldsen

Scott Hend

Mike Lorenzo-Vera

Adrian Otaegui

Top Performers against Strong Fields (since 2015)

Rory Mcilroy

Jon Rahm

Rafa Cabrera Bello

Peter Uihlein

Matthew Fitzpatrick

Shane Lowry

Andy Sullivan

Paul Dunne

Hao Tong Li

Lee Westwood

Golfers that show up on all FIVE lists: Rafa Cabrera Bello, Andy Sullivan

Golfers that show up on 4-of-5 lists: NONE

Golfers that show up on 3-of-5 lists: Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Paul Dunne, Shane Lowry

My Top 25 for the 2018 Irish Open

1. Rory McIlroy

2. Andy Sullivan

3. Rafa Cabrera Bello

4. Jon Rahm

5. Matthew Fitzpatrick

6. Alexander Bjork

7. Peter Uihlein

8. Shane Lowry

9. Kiradech Aphibarnrat

10. Jorge Campillo

11. Chris Wood

12. Paul Dunne

13. Jordan Smith

14. Graeme Mcdowell

15. Mike Lorenzo-Vera

16. Lee Westwood

17. Thorbjorn Olesen

18. Hao Tong Li

19. Thomas Pieters

20. Soren Kjeldsen

21. Shubhankar Sharma

22. Julian Suri

23. Matt Wallace

24. Dylan Frittelli

25. David Horsey

Open de France Fantasy Preview

The third Rolex Series event is set to take place this week in France which means a strong field will be assembled at Le Golf National.

It also helps that this week’s course will host the Ryder Cup in just a few months.

The course itself is a difficult, stadium-style course with water in play on 10 holes. Sounds a bit like TPC Sawgrass, no? We see a lot of similar styles contending at both.

If you look at adjusted course history over the last 10 years at Le Golf National you’ll see Francesco Molinari, Martin Kaymer, Thongchai Jaidee, Soren Kjeldsen, and Lee Westwood at the top. Not a list of names that will overpower a course.

We also see wild swings in course history, in similar fashion to TPC Sawgrass. Tommy Fleetwood was a great example last year as he missed four cuts at the course before flipping the script and winning the 2017 edition.

There are a few obvious differences between the two layouts though. Le Golf National features bentgrass greens (Sawgrass = Bermuda) and they are prepped to stimp at less than 11 feet (Sawgrass = 12+).

Let’s look at a few angles to see who might fit the course this week:

Top Performers in Europe (since 2015)

Sergio Garcia

Alex Noren

Andy Sullivan

Matthew Fitzpatrick

Lee Westwood

Martin Kaymer

Mike Lorenzo-Vera

Ross Fisher

Tommy Fleetwood

Soren Kjeldsen

Top Performers on Hard Courses (since 2015)

Alex Noren

Andy Sullivan

Lee Westwood

Martin Kaymer

Andrew Johnston

Ross Fisher

Bradley Dredge

Sergio Garcia

Soren Kjeldsen

Alexander Bjork

Top Performers on Bentgrass (since 2015)

Alex Noren

Sergio Garcia

Martin Kaymer

Andy Sullivan

Ross Fisher

Tyrrell Hatton

Matthew Fitzpatrick

Jon Rahm

Rafa Cabrera Bello

Tommy Fleetwood

Top Performers in the Summer (since 2015)

Alex Noren

Andy Sullivan

Rafa Cabrera Bello

Martin Kaymer

Tommy Fleetwood

Ryan Fox

Soren Kjeldsen

Sergio Garcia

Scott Hend

Alexander Bjork

Top Performers against Strong Fields (since 2015)

Tyrrell Hatton

Tommy Fleetwood

Rafa Cabrera Bello

Alex Noren

Martin Kaymer

Ross Fisher

Jon Rahm

Matthew Fitzpatrick

Ian Poulter

Shane Lowry

Golfers that show up on all FIVE lists: Alex Noren, Martin Kaymer

Golfers that show up on 4-of-5 lists: Tommy Fleetwood, Andy Sullivan, Sergio Garcia, and Ross Fisher

Golfers that show up on 3-of-5 lists: Rafa Cabrera Bello, Matthew Fitzpatrick, and Soren Kjeldsen

My Top 25 for the 2018 Open de France

1. Ian Poulter

2. Andy Sullivan

3. Rafa Cabrera Bello

4. Alex Noren

5. Jon Rahm

6. Martin Kaymer

7. Tommy Fleetwood

8. Ross Fisher

9. Matthew Fitzpatrick

10. Soren Kjeldsen

11. Lee Westwood

12. Alexander Bjork

13. Justin Thomas

14. Jorge Campillo

15. Mike Lorenzo-Vera

16. Mikko Korhonen

17. Hao Tong Li

18. Tyrrell Hatton

19. Paul Dunne

20. Thomas Pieters

21. Shane Lowry

22. Thorbjorn Olesen

23. Chris Wood

24. Matt Wallace

25. Alexander Levy

BMW International Open Fantasy Preview

The European Tour returns to action this week and it’s finally a non-gimmick event which is seemingly becoming rarer and rarer these days.

We are heading to Golf Club Gut Laerchenhof in Pulheim, Germany. The course has been used recently in 2012, 2014, and 2016. It was also used at the Mercedes-Benz Championship in 2009 and before.

It’s a Jack Nicklaus Design with water in play on nine holes. If it’s anything like his Stateside courses then we should expect generous fairways but penal rough if you miss the wide targets.

One thing of note is Andy Sullivan tweeted this morning that he’s still waiting for his clubs to arrive. NOT IDEAL!

That’s too bad because he grades out as a great play this week. Let’s dive through the stats to see who else could pop this week in Germany.

Top Performers in Europe (since 2015)

Sergio Garcia

Andy Sullivan

Tommy Fleetwood

Mike Lorenzo-Vera

Martin Kaymer

Julian Suri

Chris Wood

Thomas Pieters

Soren Kjeldsen

Thorbjorn Olesen

Top Performers on Par 72 Courses (since 2015)

Sergio Garcia

Tommy Fleetwood

Martin Kaymer

Alexander Bjork

Jorge Campillo

Seungsu Han

Andy Sullivan

Richard Sterne

Bradley Dredge

Jeunghun Wang

Top Performers on Bentgrass (since 2015)

Sergio Garcia

Andy Sullivan

Tommy Fleetwood

Martin Kaymer

Soren Kjeldsen

Richard Sterne

Alexander Bjork

Chris Wood

Mike Lorenzo-Vera

Mikko Korhonen

Top Performers in the Summer (since 2015)

Tommy Fleetwood

Andy Sullivan

Richard Bland

Adrian Otaegui

Alexander Bjork

Scott Hend

Soren Kjeldsen

Martin Kaymer

Julian Suri

Richard Sterne

Golfers that show up on all FOUR lists: Tommy Fleetwood, Andy Sullivan, Martin Kaymer

Golfers that show up on 3-of-4 lists: Sergio Garcia, Alexander Bjork, Richard Sterne, Soren Kjeldsen

Golfers that show up on 2-of-4 lists: Chris Wood, Julian Suri, Mike Lorenzo-Vera

My Top 25 for the 2018 BMW International Open

1. Tommy Fleetwood

2. Andy Sullivan

3. Sergio Garcia

4. Soren Kjeldsen

5. Martin Kaymer

6. Mike Lorenzo-Vera

7. Chris Wood

8. Alexander Bjork

9. Matthias Schwab

10. Mikko Korhonen

11. Lorenzo Gagli

12. Lee Slattery

13. Thongchai Jaidee

14. Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano

15. Matteo Manassero

16. Bradley Dredge

17. Jacques Kruyswijk

18. Adrian Otaegui

19. Jorge Campillo

20. David Lipsky

21. Oliver Fisher

22. Nick Cullen

23. Lucas Bjerregaard

24. Nacho Elvira

25. Justin Walters

Shot Clock Masters Fantasy Preview

Another week, another crazy event on the European Tour.

This week’s it’s the Shot Clock Masters which is exactly what it sounds like. Play too slow and you’ll be penalized. It’s crazy that an event event needs to be create to punish something that should be defined more clearly in the rules to begin with (slow play).

The strength of the field tells us all we need to know about how golfers feel about slow play. Instead of embracing this event that punishes slow play, most have just skipped the event. That includes Bernd Wiesberger who is nursing a wrist injury. He is usually the star of the show here.

On the bright side, the future of Austrian golf is in the field, Matthias Schwab.

The course is Diamond CC which has been used for years, previously the Lyoness Open.

It’s a demanding, par 72 that plays to 7,458 yards. The back nine is a beast at 3,875 yards by itself. The greens are a mix of bentgrass and poa.

Let’s sort through some stats to see who might fare well this week:

Top Performers in Europe (since 2015)

Soren Kjeldsen

Nicolas Colsaerts

David Horsey

Bradley Dredge

Nino Bertasio

Gregory Bourdy

Mikko Korhonen

Peter Hanson

Florian Fritsch

Anders Hansen

Top Performers on Par 72 Courses (since 2015)

Bradley Dredge

Soren Kjeldsen

Gregory Bourdy

Nicolas Colsaerts

David Horsey

Peter Hanson

Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Trevor Fisher Jr.

Johan Carlsson

Ashun Wu

Top Performers on Bentgrass (since 2015)

Soren Kjeldsen

Bradley Dredge

Mikko Korhonen

Nicolas Colsaerts

David Horsey

Gregory Bourdy

Chris Hanson

Nino Bertasio

Felipe Aguilar

Miguel Angel Jimenez

Top Performers on Hard Courses (since 2015)

Bradley Dredge

Gregory Bourdy

Soren Kjeldsen

Nicolas Colsaerts

Nino Bertasio

Mikko Korhonen

Chris Hanson

David Horsey

Ashun Wu

Raphael Jacquelin

Top Performers on Long Courses (since 2015)

Bradley Dredge

Ashun Wu

Soren Kjeldsen

Andrea Pavan

Gregory Bourdy

David Horsey

Johan Carlsson

Nicolas Colsaerts

Richard McEvoy

Chris Hanson

Golfers that show up on all FIVE lists: David Horsey, Nicolas Colsaerts, Bradley Dredge, Gergory Bourdy, Soren Kjeldsen

Golfers that show up on 4-of-5 lists: NONE

Golfers that show up on 3-of-5 lists: Mikko Korhonen, Ashun Wu, Nino Bertasio

My Top 25 for the 2018 Shot Clock Masters

1. Mikko Korhonen

2. Miguel Angel Jimenez

3. Matthias Schwab

4. Ashun Wu

5. Gregory Bourdy

6. Christiaan Bezuidenhout

7. Tom Lewis

8. Lorenzo Gagli

9. Steve Webster

10. Matthew Baldwin

11. Felipe Aguilar

12. Lee Slattery

13. Richard McEvoy

14. Bradley Dredge

15. Andrea Pavan

16. David Horsey

17. Nino Bertasio

18. Chris Hanson

19. Adam Bland

20. Ashley Chesters

21. Jinho Choi

22. Pedro Oriol

23. Austin Connelly

24. Laurie Canter

25. Florian Fritsch

Italian Open Fantasy Preview

Another Rolex Series event means another strong field in Europe.

This week we head to Gardagolf Country Club which hasn’t hosted this event since 2003.

Similar to a lot of courses in Italy and Spain, it’s a tight, tree-lined layout that likely does it’s best to mute the advantage of length.

It’s a par 71 that grades out on the shorter side of the spectrum at 7,201 yards. Two of the three par 5s are under 550 yards so those should be tasty for everyone in the field.

However, this event does not look to punish golfers with each of the past four winners reaching 19-under or better. Despite the venue change, an early-week quote from Lucas Bjerregaard suggests the course could play on the easy side, again. “It’s in great condition, very soft. It should be good fun, I can see scores being fairly low so you’re probably going to have to out there and make a few birdies. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Let’s sort through some stats to see who might fare well this week:

Top Performers in Europe (since 2015)

Alex Noren

Tyrrell Hatton

Francesco Molinari

Ross Fisher

Matthew Fitzpatrick

Andy Sullivan

Tommy Fleetwood

Joost Luiten

Soren Kjeldsen

Martin Kaymer

Chris Wood

Top Performers against Strong Fields (since 2015)

Tyrrell Hatton

Francesco Molinari

Tommy Fleetwood

Ross Fisher

Alex Noren

Rafa Cabrera Bello

Martin Kaymer

Matthew Fitzpatrick

Ian Poulter

Joost Luiten

Andy Sullivan

Top Performers in the Spring (since 2015)

Alex Noren

Alexander Levy

Andy Sullivan

Ross Fisher

Chris Wood

Joost Luiten

Alexander Bjork

Matthew Fitzpatrick

Francesco Molinari

Hao Tong Li

Lee Westwood

Top Performers on Easy Courses (since 2015)

Tommy Fleetwood

Tyrrell Hatton

Ross Fisher

Jorge Campillo

Matthew Fitzpatrick

Paul Dunne

Martin Kaymer

Alexander Levy

Chris Paisley

Joost Luiten

David Horsey

Golfers that show up on all FOUR lists: Ross Fisher, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Joost Luiten

Golfers that show up on 3-of-4 lists: Tommy Fleetwood, Francesco Molinari, Tyrrell Hatton, Alex Noren, Martin Kaymer, Andy Sullivan

Golfers that show up on 2-of-4 lists: Alexander Levy, Chris Wood

My Top 25 for the 2018 Italian Open

1. Francesco Molinari

2. Alex Noren

3. Ian Poulter

4. Tommy Fleetwood

5. Andy Sullivan

6. Alexander Bjork

7. Rafa Cabrera Bello

8. Paul Dunne

9. Jorge Campillo

10. Matthew Fitzpatrick

11. Andrew Johnston

12. Pablo Larrazabal

13. Andrea Pavan

14. Nacho Elvira

15. Alexander Levy

16. Ross Fisher

17. Lee Westwood

18. Hideto Tanihara

19. Matt Wallace

20. Graeme Mcdowell

21. Adrian Otaegui

22. Mike Lorenzo-Vera

23. Lucas Bjerregaard

24. Dylan Frittelli

25. George Coetzee