Niall Lyons has five tips for the Omega European Masters in Switzerland.
Omega European Masters
The final qualifying tournament for the Ryder Cup is upon us and the main talking point in that regard will be whether Robert MacIntyre can hold onto that remaining spot behind Rahm and McIlroy.
It looks likely that he will and bar a win or very close to it by Yannik Paul it looks likely the Scot has booked his place in Rome, although I'd argue he'd already done so.
With Meronk's efforts last week it has somewhat blown the conversation wide open once again and whilst him and MacIntyre looked a cert to be on the side in Rome, the Polish star's position looks slightly more precarious. In many people's eyes Sepp Straka has done enough to warrant a place in the side, and that looks likely given he gave a good account of himself at East Lake.
A win here from any of those at slightly bigger prices to make the grade could thrust themselves right into the conversation as it looks nothing is set in stone as of yet.
Omega European Masters Tips | Niall Lyons Golf Betting Tips
The Ryder Cup will provide a lot of the backdrop this week, but the Swiss Mountains can not be eclipsed and a victory at the Omega European Masters is a huge prize in itself that any DPWT professional would kill to have on their record.
We know the course inside out, keeping the ball in play will give you plenty of chances but those finding the odd bit of trouble can get out of jail if their short game is up to scratch. There are many ways to tame this course and plenty will take on all the driveable par 4s and hope to pitch and putt their way to victory whilst others will rely on their ball striking.
Huge pressure surrounds those guys playing for their place at Rome so it'd be no surprise to see a few struggle even though the majority last week stepped up to the plate. The one with little pressure on him is Matthew Fitzpatrick and he loves this place.
This will be his fourth week on the trot, however, and a little fatigue could set in. He certainly warrants respect around the 8/1 or 9/1 mark but my focus remains further down the market primarily on a few who could capitalise upon the Ryder frenzy and sneak a win under the radar.
Jordan Smith at 33/1 (Eight Places)
It's slightly risky for our headline selection to go to someone we haven't seen in a month but I'm happy to give Jordan Smith a whirl around here despite having missed his only two cuts around the track. Smith sits 43rd in the Race to Dubai and that looks a slight underachievement given some of the golf he has produced.
He has time to improve on that though and he was playing super stuff prior to the DPWT break. Last time out we saw him finish 41st in the Open which looks fine alongside his top 20 in the US Open a month previous. 12th in Scotland was another fine result in an extremely strong field and there were signs at last that his putting woes had begun to dissipate. Ball striking wise he is one of the finest in the field and he's a much better golfer than when he last teed it up here back in 2019.
Long and straight from the tee will help around here and hopefully we don't have to endure the same pain as what we did when watching Nicolai Hojgaard on the greens last week. 6th and 15th at Valderrama the last couple of years suggests he is better equipped to deal with a test like this since last playing here and anything of 28/1 or better is worthy of support.
2.5pts each-way J.Smith 33/1 (1/5 8) William Hill
Marcus Kinhult at 66/1 (Eight Places)
Marcus Kinhult arrives here in fine form and looks worthy of investment at anything of 66/1 and bigger. The Swede equipped himself very well on a recent trip to the states posting back to back top 20s at the Barbasol and Barracauda. Almost a month off didn't seem to set him back as he headed to Galgorm and fired in another solid week finishing 12th there.
He skipped the Czech Masters last week and kept himself fresh for this assignment which looks much more suitable. Marcus has plenty of form on the courses we'd look to finishing 6th and 22nd at Valderrama, 8th at Muthaiga in Kenya as well as solid finishes here in Crans of 10th, 12th and 23rd. He has hit form at the perfect time to challenge on a course that really suits his game and looks like he's trending towards a victory.
1.5pts each-way M.Kinhult 66/1 (1/5 8) Sky Bet & William Hill
Jayden Schaper at 125/1 (Eight Places)
Padraig Harrington will have his sights set on this event and he could well be a dark horse. Bjorn won here at 41 years old whist Eduardo Romero and Jimenez both won at 44 and 46 years old respectively.
This is a venue on which the old timers can compete and the Irishman will fancy his chances of throwing his hat into the ring. It'd be no surprise to me should Jayden Schaper take to Crans on his debut here and triple figure prices look decent.
The South African sits 81st in the Race to Dubai rankings so has plenty to play for over the coming weeks. It's an impressive rookie season on tour though with numerous top 10s and 20s coming before the summer.
He hasn't put his best foot forward since but it's worth noting he has only missed four of 19 cuts this year. Albatross wouldn't have been the perfect suit last week but he managed a middling finish and he should be more sorted to Crans. He has made two from two at Muthaiga with a best of tied 7th there in March.
1pt each-way J.Schaper 125/1 (1/5 8) Sky Bet
John Catlin at 200/1 (Seven Places)
John Catlin had only made one of his previous seven cuts before landing in Prague last week and that trend looked like continuing when he shot a 73 on Thursday and sat just inside the top 120 mark. Rounds of 67-70-67 elevated him to 31st after the final round and he's worth watching back on a course that he has shown form on before.
In his only appearance here he sat 6th heading into the final day before a final round of 72 saw him tumble to 21st. With a top 15 finish at Muthaiga as well as a victory and two more top 20s at Valderrama he has all the credentials to add this course to his list of specialities and at 150/1 looks worth playing having shown positive signs last weekend.
1pt each-way J.Catlin 200/1 (1/5 7) Paddy Power
Santiago Tarrio Ben at 400/1 (Eight Places)
One worth chancing at the bigger prices is Santiago Tarrio Ben. The Spaniard has really struggled these past couple of months and he was one of those who took a trip to the States in July only to see no reward. Four under par rounds in Prague last week was very welcome as it was only his second made cut in his last seven appearances.
The Albatross course wouldn't be one I'd normally expect him to play well on so the 10 under par total there was encouraging. He doesn't hit the ball far and it's no coincidence his best effort of the season came at Muthaiga in Kenya where he finished 3rd.
Other top 20s in Italy and Germany both came on tougher driving courses. This represents one of the best opportunities of the year for him and I'm happy to take anything around 250/1 or above.
1pt each-way S.Tarrio Ben 400/1 (1/5 8) William Hill
