Italian Open, European Tour 2016

Hi All,

Not the greatest of weeks, with top 20 finishes from both Bubba Watson in America and Pablo Larrazabal in Europe the best we could muster. I am quite confident about finding the winner with this week’s selections, as all have points to prove heading into the Ryder Cup; and with all showing great form at this Milan venue 12 months ago, it should be the stage for the cream to rise to the top. As always stay sensible with the staking plan, long term profit is our objective. This week’s article and selections below: 

Italian Open, European Tour – 10 pts Outlay 

At Golf Club Milano, 7,156 yards, par 71 – Thursday September 15th to Sunday September 18th 

Designed by James Peter Gannon and opened in 1928, Golf Club Milano sits next to the famous Monza racetrack. The course was later renovated by Silvio Grappasoni. There are three nine-hole courses onsite with this year’s tournament being played across the Red and Yellow courses.

This is the eighth time the Italian Open will be held on the course after its return last year following a 24-year absence. 

Defending champion Karlberg is joined by a star-studded field at Golf Club Milano, which includes 2016 Masters Tournament Champion Danny Willett and two of Darren Clarke’s wildcard picks for The Ryder Cup, which starts in just over two weeks, Martin Kaymer and Lee Westwood. 

The European Ryder Cup theme is continued with Matthew Fitzpatrick, Andy Sullivan and Chris Wood all making their final preparations for golf’s greatest team event, which tees off on Friday, September 30. 

Former Major champions Padraig Harrington and YE Yang and 2015 European Tour Rookie of the Year Byeong Hun An will also tee it up on Thursday. 

As well as Karlberg, eight more former winners of the Italian Open are in the field, including home favourite and former Ryder Cup player Francesco Molinari.

NAP – MARTIN KAYMER 14/1 (Coral) 2.5 pts EW 

It has been a good few months for Martin full of close calls and top 10 finishes, this good play has seen him successfully gain a pick from Darren Clarke to be a Ryder Cup wildcard; he will be keen to justify his inclusion. This year’s Italian Open is being played on the same course as last year’s playing, Golf Club Milano, where Martin Kaymer finished in runners up place having lost in a playoff, and his tied 6th finish in the Made in Denmark only a few weeks ago show that he is arriving this week in good form, and I struggle to see him not challenging strongly again for this title.

NB – DANNY WILLETT 20/1 (Bet365 & Ladbrokes) 2 pts EW 

Since winning this year’s Masters, good golf has been hard to come by for Danny, but were definite signs of his old self at the recent European Masters in Switzerland, where he managed a tied 12th finish, which included rounds of 64 and 65. With the Ryder Cup close on the horizon Danny Willett will be super keen to get things firmly going back in the right direction; and arriving back to the Milano club where he missed out on the playoff by just one shot last year, having shot all four rounds in the 60s could see him return back to the winner’s enclosure. 

IWAC – MATTHEW FITZPATRICK 22/1 (PaddyPower) 1.5 pt EW

With a 5 th place finish in the Czech Masters 3 weeks ago, and a great comeback from a poor opening round for a tied 7th place in the European Masters 2 weeks ago (65, 66, 64 to finish off), Matt appears to be coming out of a poor run of form, and again in a similar fashion to Danny Willett this has come at the right time with the Ryder Cup, and he will be keen to continue. Finishing on a score of 18 under par at this venue last year, Matthew Fitzpatrick looks set to go close once again here in Italy. 

NOTE: For the European Tour event, PaddyPower are offering top 7 places at 1/5 odds. All odds included in the above article are simply the highest odds available at the time of writing sourced via OddsChecker.com.

This Week’s Outlay – 12 pts 

Hope you have a good week, and good luck to all those following, 

Stu @PriestleyStuart 

sjpriestley_pga@btinternet.com