THE Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course hosts the Portugal Masters for the 10th year in a row – in fact it is the only course to host this event.
The Dom Pedro is a resort course in Vilamoura on the Algarve and low scoring on the Arnold Palmer design is the norm here.
Rough is never deep and this week will be no different. With hardly any rain over the last few weeks the course is going to be fast. Putts per GIR and scrambling will be the important stats this week.
Two players stand out for me – Thorbjorn Olesen and Austin Connelly. The Dane is a very up and down player and can be a bit wayward off the tee but that won't matter on this course.
However, he has an excellent short game and his putting isn’t too shabby either. His course form isn’t good and I can see why a lot of people will avoid him but this guy is a star of the future and I’ve no qualms of backing him this week. Putts per GIR: 1.725 (7th) Scrambling: 59.8 (38)
Canadian Connelly, 21, came to the fore in the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 in Perth when he finished T9. He also had a T8 in the Nordea Masters but shot to prominence in The Open when three good rounds earned him a spot in the penultimate group on the Sunday with Brooks Koepka.
He is 71st on the Road to Dubai which puts him in with a chance of playing in the World Tour Championship at the end of the season. He has the same swing coach as Jordan Spieth and if he continues in the same fashion we can expect a lot from him in the future. Putts per GIR: 1.738 (14th) Scrambling: 58.6 (50th)
Recommended Bets
- 1.5pts ew Thorbjorn Olesen (Ladbrokes, 20-1)
- 1.5pts ew Austin Connelly (bet365, 66-1)
