Romain Wattel picked up his first European Tour win with a one-stroke win over Austin Connelly at the KLM Open. The European Tour now heads back to Portugal for the first time since May with the Portugal Masters as the stretch run to Dubai is on the horizon. Let’s take a closer look at this week’s event on the European Tour and see who is a good bet to win it.
Details
Event: Portugal Masters
Category: European Tour
Date: September 21st – 24th
Location: Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course, Vilamoura, Portugal
Padraig Harrington shot -23 under to win here last year, winning by a stroke over Andy Sullivan. This course can definitely be the home to a low score as -20 or lower has been hit five times, and Steve Webster set the record of -25 in 2007, the first year that the tournament was played.
Past Five Winners
2016: Padraig Harrington -23
2015: Andy Sullivan -23
2014: Alexander Levy -18
2013: David Lynn -18
2012: Shane Lowry -14
The Field
Taking a look at the field this week, Thomas Pieters comes into the event as the favorite but there is plenty of value on the board. Consider a guy like George Coetzee, who is coming off a third place result at the KLM Open. He is currently ranked inside the Top 20 for the two putting stats and leads the tour in driving distance. Both will be key this week. Harrington is, of course, back to defend his crown but he’s not with the favorites. We’ll see eight of the last 10 Portugal Masters champions at this event, so the field should be wide open. Overall, we’ll see 61 previous European Tour winners at this event, so it will be a competitive group teeing off.
What To Know About The Course
The Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course in Vilamoura is on the southern coast of Portugal, and it is a par-71 that was 7,146 yards in 2016. It has been the host of this tournament since its inception in 2007, and the stretch run can be tricky for some. Two of the last three holes had a higher average score than par in 2016, and even though they were just barely over par, that can be the difference at a course where players are going low everywhere.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Andy Sullivan over Thomas Pieters
Sullivan is the underdog in this matchup at +110 to Pieters at -130, and that is fair. Pieters is 31st in the world, while Sullivan is 82nd. However, Sullivan’s track record in this tournament has to be looked at as he won here with a -23 in 2015, and then his -22 fell just short to Harrington here last year. That is about as good as anyone can play any tournament, and you can even overlook the fact that he has missed the cut in his last two starts. It isn’t like Pieters is shooting the lights out, either. He has missed the cut in two of this last three starts and finished solo 66th at the Czech Masters. He has taken a few weeks off since then to gather himself, but go with Sullivan to light it up on a course where he has been known to do so in the past.
Top-Five Pick: Robert Rock
Rock is very hit and miss as he had finished in the top 10 in three of four starts, and then has missed the cut in his last two starts. There was also a stretch in recent months where he missed the city in four of five starts. However, when he is on, he is on and Rock finished T-5 here in 2016, shooting a blistering 64 in the final round. Rock also finished T-9 here in 2015, so he knows how to get around here. He’ll shoot a low round at some point this weekend to get in contention in Portugal.
Odds To Win The 2017 Portugal Masters
Thomas Pieters +1215
Andy Sullivan +1550
Shane Lowry +1550
Thorbjorn Olesen +1650
Ryan Fox +2250
Russell Knox +2550
Kiradech Aphibarnrat +2550
Eddie Pepperell +2850
Jooost Luiten +3250
Haotong Li +3250
David Lingmerth +3250
Haydn Porteous +3250
George Coetzee +3250
Padraig Harrington +4050
Adrian Otaegui +4050
Richard Sterne +4550
Stephen Gallacher +4550
Callum Shinkwin +4550
Lee Slattery +5050
Tom Lewis +5050
Thomas Detry +5500
Lucas Bjerregaard +5050
Victor Dubuisson +5500
Robert Rock +6550
Marcel Siem +6550
Mikko Korhonen +6550
Ashun Wu +6550
Nacho Elvira +6550
Austin Connelly +6550
The 2017 golf season is winding down. Click here to get all of the latest golf betting lines at BetDSI including head-to-head matchups, props and odds to win each tournament!
