Omega European Masters Betting Picks & Preview

The venue in Crans, Switzerland is one of the highlights of the European Tour season and the tournament has always been supported by the great and the good of the European game. This year once again a host of top golfers make the trip for what is one of the most enjoyable weeks of the year. Nevertheless the golfers are here to win and getting your name on the winners list here is a feather in the cap for any golfer. It is played at altitude and length never appears to be an advantage here. A straight accurate long game is required for success around here and greens in regulation is always a worthy stat to keep an eye on. If you decide to attack the course and take on the par 4s a sparkling short game will required. Even with the conservative approach scrambling will be an important aspect and that's the stat I look to the most when analysing the field here.

McIlroy makes the trip after last weeks heroics and having gone close here a few times with a 2nd and a 3rd placed finish he must hold every chance. Plenty will believe the celebrations will have taken its toll and a solid yet unspectacular performance is on the horizon, but we've seen a better attitude from Rory this year and it wouldn't surprise me should he oblige. The fact he was with the 'in laws' on Sunday might suggest the partying may have been slightly curtailed with the trip to Switzerland the following morning. He should be right there in the mix but with a handful of others sure of shooting 15 under plus maybe it's best to leave the 4/1 alone and search for some better opportunities.

You have to go back 18 months to see Tommy Fleetwood's last missed cut and this remarkable consistency has resulted in him being 13th in the world rankings. A few years ago whilst he filled in as a pundit on sky sports golf you'd have thought this was absolutely unfathomable. Yet here we are and I think the 12/1 on offer this week is worth a punt. Crans sets up well for Tommy although a few missed cuts mean he doesn't quite have the record of Fitzpatrick. That being said if the Fitzpatrick price is right, I make Tommy a huge value bet. There is no way in my book that Fitz should be 4 pts shorter. Fitzpatrick has struggled to get over the line in recent months spurning chances at the BMW and last week in Sweden. He was mighty unlucky last week with the shot that hit the flag but the damage had already been done earlier in the round. His credentials around here are second to none, but I can't have him way shorter than Fleetwood. Tommy has two top tens here, 2nd in this years Open and two top 5s in the Arnold Palmer and Players Championship. Other than Rory he is lightyears better than the rest of the field here and in my eyes worth chancing at 12/1. With some lacklustre performances here I'll stick to win only on this bet.

3u - Tommy Fleetwood To Win @+1100

Danny Willett is awful tempting this week given his record around here, even in defeat. This has been a happy hunting ground and with some solid golf in the past few months I see no reason why he won't perform again. The price is a little underwhelming given how strong the front three are and I'll reluctantly leave him off my list.

Lee Westwood has sorted out a lot of his putting woes in the last 12 months and currently ranks 4th on tour in Scrambling. That's an incredible improvement for the former world number one and I think he's worth chancing here this week. He won here in 1999 and it'd be fitting for one of the tours next few Ryder Cup Captains to add another one at this incredible place 20 years on from his previous. He has gone close a few times since also but this year probably represents his best chance in the last handful given how he has played. A win at the back end of last year at the Nedbank was somewhat surprising but there have been a string of solid performances since and the old dog hasn't finished winning I'd say. 4th in this years Open was his best major performance since the Masters of 2016 and these solid efforts are a result of his improved short game. That may just open the door to another Crans victory.

1.25u - L.Westwood To Win @+4100

1.25u - L.Westwood To Finish Top Ten @+400

Eddie Pepperell is a difficult one to land but if gets the bit between his teeth early this week he may be hard to stop. His recent form leaves a lot to be desired hence the drift out to a top price of 70/1. After his finish at Sawgrass earlier in the season you wouldn't have thought he'd go off at this price for this event later in the year. He made a stout defence of his British Masters a few months back also finishing 2nd to Kinhult. He ranks in the top 25 in scrambling and given his nature could strike at any time so I'm more than happy to give him a speculative play at the odds this week.

1u - E.Pepperell To Win @+7000

1u - E.Pepperell To Finish Top 10 @+600

Matthias Schwab's best performances have all come on the tougher tee to green layouts and having finished 5th last time out at the Czech Masters he could figure and possibly gain his maiden tour victory. Top tens in Morocco, Hong Kong and Denmark are all signs his strengths lie on the tougher courses that reward a solid long game. Should he choose to attack the course we have little worries as he ranks 2nd on the tour in scrambling this season. He is a hot enough talent and expected to get off the mark over the next while and at 90/1 looks a tasty enough bet for me this week.

0.75u - M.Schwab To Win @+9000

0.75u - M.Schwab To Finish Top 10 @+600

Nacho Elvira may be another worth chancing after a layoff. The Spaniard has been involved in a fair bit of action this year at the business end. He and Campillo finished 3rd in the Golf Sixes event and earlier in the year Elvira went mighty close twice in Qatar and Malaysia finishing runner up in both events. He has shown a likeness for the tighter tracks, most notably in Morocco where he was a very unlucky whilst being beaten in a playoff by Wang. He finished 4th in Crans here last year and looks a lively enough outsider at 150/1 for someone who has finished in the frame 3 times this season.

0.75u - N.Elvira To Win @+15000

0.75u - N.Elvira To Finish Top 10 @+1100