THE main event on the golfing calendar this week is the BMW Championship at Wentworth – headquarters for the European Tour.
Last week I mentioned I’d be keeping an eye on Aaron Rai and that’s just what I did. I hope a few off you also followed him winning on the first play-off hole with Tommy Fleetwood missing a three-footer to take it to another extra hole. Well done to anyone who backed Rai at a very profitable 55-1 SP.
The BMW Championship is the main event in the European Tour so this week a few more noticeable names return to the field to compete for the $7m purse. These include world No.9 Patrick Reed and former world No.1 Justin Rose.
The par 72 course is a challenging heathland track with tight fairways and Bentgrass greens that will deceive players so experience and course knowledge will be key.
Shane Lowry
This is why for my first selection I’m going to stick with Shane Lowry 25-1 EW bet365. The Irishman hasn’t been at his best lately, in fact he has missed the cut in his past 3 events but Lowry is a course specialist at Wentworth and had the figures to back that up.
He had a much needed break from the Scottish Open last week and this could help him recharge the batteries and turnaround his recent form bringing his A game to his favourite event and venue.
In 10 appearances, he has made nine cuts, seven top 15 finishes with 3 off them in the top 10 and finished runner-up to Rory McIlroy in 2014. The Irishman will relish the tricky wet and windy conditions which are again forecast for this weekend. He won the Irish Open in the exact same torrential conditions so this won’t deter him at his favourite course.
Tommy Fleetwood
Another I like the look of and to consider is Tommy Fleetwood at 12-1 with Betfair. His last two European Tour Events seen him finish 2nd in a play-off at the Scottish Open last weekend and 3rd at the Portugal Masters.
He is a grinder who never seems to go away when challenging and will definitely welcome playing on home soil. Last week he commented on how he actually enjoyed the torrential weather conditions when others were complaining about the waterlogged course. This west course is made for Tommy Fleetwood.
Andy Sullivan
Looking around for value I’m going to side with Andy Sullivan at 70-1 EW (Betfair Exchange). The Englishman finished 9th at the ISPS Handa UK Championship and 26th last week at the Scottish Open.
Accuracy will be key at Wentworth and Sullivan is currently ranked in the top three on the European Tour in shots gained tee to green accuracy. He won the English Championship so has the tools and knows what is needed to win at an event like this.
Thomas Pieters to beat Bernd Wiesberger
My final selection will again be a 72-hole match bet involving Thomas Pieters and Bernd Wiesberger.
Last year at this event Pieters ranked 3rd in approaches and tee to green but his putting failed him. He seems to have been working on his putting, most noticeably at the US Open and if he combines these together then he must surely have the measure off Wiesberger.
