BMW Championship, Wentworth GC, Surrey

This week see’s one of the biggest and best tournaments on our shores as we go to the wonderful Wentworth GC for the BMW PGA Championship. This is one of the tournaments that all of the players would love to add to their cv, not surprisingly as it tends to be a very strong field that lines up here. Last year’s winner, Matteo Manaserro, only won the event after going through 4 extra play-off holes to defeat Simon Khan and Mark Warren in the process. This was the second time in three years this had happened after Luke Donald beat Lee Westwood in a play-off in 2011, but he only needed the one extra hole to win his title. But it is not unusual for this event to be settled with a play-off at all...


This course is set in the quaintly named place of Virginia Water, in Surrey. The course isn’t that far away from Ascot race course, and has 3 courses to choose from. The Edinburgh course, which holds the Seniors Championships, the East Course, which hasn’t really held any tournament of note since 1926, and the West Course which is the one they use for t this tournament. A long course, at some 7308 yards, with par set at 72 strokes, it has altered a little bit over these past few years, Ernie Els being one of the main reasons for it. A resident within the grounds of Wentworth, Els has helped re-design the course to combat the newer and more modern clubs which makes some of these older courses so much easier to play. I tend to disagree with too much change but they have kept the beauty of the course and kept that immaculate feel to it that this place has. The course was last modified back in 2007 and so we now have a good feel for which players can perform here, and who cannot…


You have to start with Luke Donald, who has won here in 2011 and 2012, and is one of five others to have doubled up here. Nick Faldo is the most successful serial winner here, with four titles, but that was before the changes made, obviously. Since 2007 and the changes made to the course, Donald is the only multiple winner here, and he will take some stopping again if he finds his form. Simon Khan, the winner back in 2010, and runner up here last year in that play-off, is another who seems to do well around here. Ernie Els hasn’t won this title, and would love to add it to his very long list of Tour wins, has two top 10’s in the past 2 years so you can’t rule him out of the mix. As always Lee Westwood always features in the big events, and as always seems to fall short. He has 3 top 10’s to his name in the past 4 years, with that play-off defeat to Donald back in 2011 the closest he has come to winning here. Paul Lawrie, Francisco Molinari and James Kingston are the other players to have featured in the top 10 twice over the past 4 years, and should be considered if they are playing anything like.


Away from the players who do well here it is interesting to see that the winners, or top 3 for that matter, from the past year four years have all done well in 2 particular areas, Greens in Regulation and Puts Per Round…

When Simon Khan won in 2010 he was number 1 for each and every round in GIR, Donald was number 1 in his first 2 rounds, coming 8th in the third round and 3rd in the fourth round of the 2011 event. He also never dropped out of the top 20 for the PPR stat either. For his 2012 victory Donald was 14th, 34th, 21st and 10th for his GIR, but his PPR stats read 48th, 2nd, 2nd and 2nd, which shows us he was very consistent with his putting skills.

Last year Manaserro was never worse than 6th in the GIR stats even though his putting stats only reached the heights of 27th best in PPR. The fact that Simon Khan was the number 1 for PPR in his last 2 rounds, and Warren 3rd, 3rd, 6th and 13th for his four rounds tells you that these stats need looking at. Plus don't forget it was a three way tie at the end of 72 holes last year as well…!!!


So the best GIR player and best putter is what we want, easy peasy then…!!! Obviously it’s a bit more complicated than that, but you get my drift…



So with that in mind I’ve gone with…

Anders Hansen has finished T2nd and T5th in his last two starts and sits 23rd in GIR and 21st for Scoring Average, so he is playing well at this present time. He is a two time winner, the first back in 2002, with the second victory coming five years later after they had made the latest changes to the course in 2007…

Tommy Fleetwood is one of the up and coming youngsters on the Tour who could go on to be a big hit in time to come. Finished a very disappointing T111th in Spain last week, which was out of sorts for him, as he finished T8th in Laguna and claimed a 2nd placed finish in China for the two tournaments before. He sits 44th in GIR but only 57th in Scoring Average but that dosnt put me off one bit. This will be his third visit to Wentworth where he has a T49th and T24th to beat this year…

Felipe Aguilar is another who seems to be in good form at the moment. Winner of the Singapore Open, he finished T7th last week in the Spanish Open. He is 7th in the stats for GIR, 32st for Scoring Average and 67th for PPR which shows us he is on his game at the moment. This will be the Chilean’s 7th visit to Wentworth where its **** or bust for him as he has missed 4 cuts of those 6 visits, but finished T13th and T16th when he did make the cut…

Thomas Aiken is ranked the number 1 in GIR, 65TH in PPR and 3rd for Scoring Average and is at a massive 150/1 for this week’s tournament. Already a winner on the Tour when he won the African Open back in February, this will be his 6th time at Wentworth with a best being the T10 placed finish back in 2009. He finished T66th in last week’s Spanish Open, but this was his first event back on the Tour since March – he didn’t go over to play in the Asian tour events, so this will be his 2nd event back from a 2 month break. Has to have a say if he lives up to this stats, and so I’m having him…



Anders Hansen @ 40/1…
Tommy Fleetwood @ 80/1…
Felipe Aguilar @ 80/1…
Thomas Aiken @ 150/1…

All done in the usual £2.50 e/w… PadPow pays ¼ odds top 6…

 

Others who came close to me going with were...

Ross Fisher... Just hasn't hit the top 10's enough for me to include him, but it is his home town course... 40/1...
Ernie Els - He has had two top 10's in the last two years, but I don't think he can get up to actually win these big events anymore... 50/1...
Paul Lawrie - He is playing well at the moment, and his stats make a good fit here, but you have to cut it down when you making your picks... 66/1...
Simon Khan - At 125/1 it was hard to turn him down when he is a recent past winner, but I did... 125/1...
Eddie Pepperell - This is one lad I'm keeping my eye on at the moment as I think he could be a good one in the future... 150/1...

I found it hard to narrow down my selections, and could easily have gone with 15 players, but you have to cut it down and I'm happy with who ive gone with...


Good luck to all who play in this weeks golf, it should be a belter...

 

Well would you adam & eve it...Monday morning and the prices emerged for the BMW. My first thought...wow 12/1 for Rory...thats a steal

So on goes £20 @ 12/1

Couple of dogs later, followed by a horse win, and im stood at the ladbrokes counter asking for another £20 call over bet on Rory.

And then today the news spills out that he is splitting from his fiance. His head will be all over the place.


not to worry, the BMW is one of my fav's of the year

Rory McIlroy 12/1 £40 Win
Gregory Bourdy 100/1 £3 e/w
Nicolas Colsaerts 100/1 £3 e/w
Thongchai Jaidee 100/1 £3 e/w
Kiradech Aphibarnrat 150/1 £2 e/w
Simon Dyson 150/1 £2 e/w

Goodluck everyone!

 

Follow over a cliff job here on Thorbjorn Olesen 125/1 and gonna side with Marcel Siem 150/1 too busy for any more input at the moment. Good luck guy's.

Joost Luiten also at 40/1 late entry

 

I have plumped for Seve Benson 200/1, Matsayuma 66/1 over in the PGA tour event and I have chucked in Higuan for world cup top scorer 25/1 for a few fun ew multiples.

 

Chaps

Corals are doing a Special on McIlroy for this - Even money to make the cut.
Is this good value or will his mind be elsewhere?

 

TC, he will make the cut... Seems too good a deal not to have a go in my eyes...

After what has happened this week he has to show he is here for the golf and not still moping about splitting up... He'll be fine...

 

Cheers Red - Corals are only doing this offer till 12 so I will do it now

 

How you feeling now TC, seeing Rory sat in the top ten at -4 under par... He'll be teeing off on Saturday, that's for sure...

 

Leaderboard after the 1st round...

Leader - Thaomas Bjorn @ -10...!!! 60 bleedin' 2... What a round of golf that was...!!!

2nd round currently under way...

T8 - AIKEN, Thomas, -4
T13 - MCILROY, Rory, -3
T13 - SIEM, Marcel, -3
T13 - DYSON, Simon, -3
T23 - HANSEN, Anders, -2
T35 - LUITEN, Joost, -1
T35 - OLESEN, Thorbjørn, -1
T57 - AGUILAR, Felipe, E
T57 - JAIDEE, Thongchai, E
T57 - BOURDY, Gregory, E
T76 - FLEETWOOD, Tommy, +1
T96 - APHIBARNRAT, Kiradech, +2
T126 - COLSAERTS, Nicolas, +5


Not a bad start from our old Thomas yesterday shooting an unbelievable 62 for a -10 under par score in round 1... I doff my cap to you there sir, an amazing round... I managed to see a bit of the golf from Wentworth yesterday, even with the delayed rain break, and the course looks in tip top condition for the players so they have no excuses not to play well really...

Its also not a bad start for our picks as well, and with a bit of luck, as I cant see Bjorn scoring as heavy again today, we can bunch a few more of our picks nearer the leader... As all martians would say to us, 'Take me to your leader...?!?!?'

 

Siem messed up massively yesterday should be sitting on at least -6 but he shot +3 on the last 2 , thay rain delay really upset him and he's a feisty lad at the best of times, hope he composes himself for today and can go low again.

Good luck guys.

 

Excellent thanks mate - but ruing changing my bey from £500 to £200 at the last minute

 

That's golf im afraid STH... We all leave shots out there on the course, it has always been that and always will be...

 

I know that but getting called in and out twice upset him, it doesn't take much to set him off, another player would have handled himself better and that's what wins tournaments. Conditions are tough today a -3 from Bjorn and it could be all over this evening!!....or he could shoot +2 and open it up for the weekend.

 

Well done Geezer ...easy money.

 

Not in the bag yet! 3 over through 11 so far today, cut line at +1 atm, fingers crossed for you geezer..

 

I am a numpty...I misread the post, thought it was for yesterdays round only,to shoot level or better, thought it was too good to be true for that. Hope he does it now all the same, his class will hopefully see him through.

 

Never in doubt! Back to level par for the day with just the two 5s to go...

 

Had me worried through the 1st 9 - but bet landed - cheers for the advice red

 

Hopefully he can have a similar weekend to his last few tournaments and be right in contention come Sunday!