Euro Optimism

Resident tipster Archie Albatross believes that European players will continue to make waves in 2011

The interest for me will be to see how those who emerged in 2010 will handle another season in the limelight. It is tricky to forecast how the likes of Nick Watney, Jeff Overton and Rickie Fowler will deal with an off-season and the weight of greater expectations. If I had to pick some season-long picks, I would look to the marginally more experienced and mature heads of Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson. Both played consistently well last year and if starting the year in Hawaii and California, they could be strong challengers in the majors (any major: 10/1 and 33/1 respectively) and the US Money List (16/1 and 150/1). I also can’t resist feeling another strong season for Ben Crane (200/1 for the FedEx Cup) – another golfer who seems to have settled very comfortably into a habit of top 25 finishes (12 out 24 starts in 2010).

 

Continental Rivalry

For major devotees, the best value on offer is a novelty bet offered by that old rogue Victor Chandler in a ‘Region to Win Most Majors’ market. Here the European group is offered at a surprising 9/4. In addition to the Ryder Cup warriors mentioned above, the likes of Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell, Robert Karlsson and the Molinari brothers all deserve to squeeze into this article as potential challengers. Similarly, Padraig Harrington, Justin Rose, Ross Fisher and Martin Laird cannot be overlooked. If you have just one season-long punt this year, this should be it.

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