Niall Lyons has five selection for the Andalucia Masters at Real Club de Golf Sotogrande, Andalucia, Spain this week.
Andalucia Masters
The Andalucia Masters will be held at Real Club de Golf Sotogrande, Andalucia, Spain. We saw this track for the first time really last year and it produced plenty of drama.
Being near the coast wind will often effect the outcome here and it did last year. Driving distance was a fairly important stat with only one of the top 8 home ranking outside the top 20 in that statistic.
The Open De Espana was the week before this event last year and we saw plenty of form carry over.
Pavon, Siem, Ferguson, Bradbury and Mansell all performed well in both events and although they were back to back it may pay to concentrate on some of that Madrid form.
Below is a look at the stats for the best performers in this competition last year.
Andalucia Masters Tips
- 2pts ew McKibbin 33/1 (1/5 6) Unibet, Livescore, BetUK
- 2pts ew Norgaard 30/1 (1/5 5) AK Bets
- 2pts ew Puig 22/1 (1/5 7) Paddypower
- 1pt ew Green 66/1 (1/5 8) Ladbrokes, Coral
- 0.5pt ew Penge 400/1 (1/5 6) Skybet
William Hill
- Solid in-play betting service
- Cash-in option to help increase profitability
- Excellent reputation within the UK betting-industry
Tom McKibbin at 33/1 (Six Places)
With his strength off the tee and accuracy into the bargain I really like the chances of Tom McKibbin here this week in Spain.
The Irishman ranked 2nd off the tee last week in France and it was an opportunity missed as his irons let him down.
He putted extremely well and once again that looks like a potent combination at this course if last year is anything to go by.
McKibbin also has a lot of experience in the wind being where he was brought up and he only needs a slight improvement in his approach play to be a serious factor this week in Andalucia.
As it stands McKibbin is holding one of the PGA Tour cards available for his Race to Dubai standing but it is a precarious position with some big money events upcoming and this represents one of the better chances over the next month to steal a march on his rivals.
Niklas Norgaard at 30/1 (Five Places)
It is difficult to ignore how well Niklas Norgaard is hitting the ball and he'll be my third strong enough bet towards the top of the market.
The Dane will hope to gain a Ryder Cup spot next year but the sooner he can get some work done this year the better as he looks set to take flight to the PGA Tour next season.
That will mean an awful lot more golf in the States and less of a chance to qualify as a result. Just how is schedule will play out will be interesting, but for now he has a chance to make hay.
He is becoming a force to be reckoned with and his facile victory in the British Masters was eye catching to say the least.
You could be forgiven for thinking this is a new kid on the block, but he turns 33 in the Ryder Cup year and is only now hitting his stride.
He doesn't look like stopping either finishing 7th at Wentworth, 12th at the Dunhill Links, and 18th last week in France all since the British Masters victory.
Time will tell but he looks to be blossoming into a very special player and he could easily be the second best golfer in this field.
David Puig at 22/1 (Seven Places)
David Puig has shown enough in this company over the last few weeks to warrant plenty of respect and I'm not quite sure if the market has given him ample credit.
Twice an Asian Tour winner and numerous close calls on the LIV tour there was always a suspicion he'd go well in this company and his performances in the Open De Espana and Dunhill Links were superb.
Still only 22 years old the future is bright for this big hitting Spaniard and that strength bodes well for a trip around this track.
Meronk was 54th in driving accuracy last year so I'm not too concerned about him straying off the tee here.
Instead, his length combined with a solid putting game should be perfect for this course. That's exactly what Meronk did well last year as well as a handful of others towards the top of the leaderboard.
We know how well Spaniards play in their homeland and Puig can step up once again having gone close in Madrid.
Gavin Green at 66/1 (Eight Places)
I was tempted to leave it at three towards the top and one outsider this week, but I'll add one from the middle of the pack in the shape of Gavin Green.
It is difficult not to be taken by Green's performance last week at Le Golf National. Just two deviations the wrong side of par across 72 holes at Le Golf National must have you absolutely purring inside.
It's a shame he was one of the worst putters in the field, otherwise we could have been looking at a nice winner last week.
He ranked 1st from tee to green despite not hitting the ball the best off the tee. There is room for improvement in that department and this venue should play into his hands.
He must be furious at a missed chance last week but any improvement with the putter could see him go closer and he still looks fair odds.
Marco Penge at 400/1 (Six Places)
I'll have a small bet on Marco Penge this week at massive odds. The Englishman hasn't put his best foot forward since winning the Challenge Tour Grand Final last year and he needs a strong finish in the next 2 weeks to secure his playing privileges for next year.
There are reasons to hope for a better effort this week though. Penge fought really tough winds on route to winning that Grand Final last year in Mallorca and wind usually plays its part here.
It's no coincidence that his best result this year came on a links track Royal County Down in the Irish Open.
He finished 12th there and hit the ball ok at the Dunhill Links with Carnoustie proving his undoing.
7 dropped shots across two holes on the Thursday there had him behind the 8 ball but he recovered reasonably well going 5 under the next 2 days.
This course is a better set up for him and with previous good memories in Spain I'll have a small flyer on him improving dramatically this week.
