The European Tour will move to Sweden this week with the Nordea Masters 2017 tournament taking place at the Barseback Golf & Country Club in Maimo. It will mark the European Tour’s first tournament in Maimo since 2010. It should be no surprise that two of the hometown favorites will be among the sports betting favorites as well with Henrik Stenson and Alex Noren vying for the title in their home nation. Both golfers will be challenging the 2016 Nordea Masters champion Matthew Fitzpatrick, who will be on hand to defend his title.
Event Details
Event: Nordea Masters 2017
Category: European
Date: June 1-4
Location: The Masters Course, Barseback G&CC, Maimo, Sweden
The eight-year break between visits to the Barseback course could lead to an adjustment period for this week’s field. However, that certainly won’t be the case for Stenson and Noren. Stenson and Noren will both have the advantage of experience in Sweden this week. The last tournament winner at Barseback was Ricardo Gonzalez in 2009.
Past Five Winners
2016: Matthew Fitzpatrick -16
2015: Alex Noren -12
2014: Thongchai Jaidee -16
2013: Mikko Ilonen -21
2012: Lee Westwood -19
What To Know About The Course
The Masters Course at Barseback dates back almost 50 years and the unique Championship course was created especially for this tournament. Barseback is a long course with average width fairways and large, flat bentgrass greens. The big hitters should have a significant advantage this week. While it’s not an especially difficult track the Driving Distance numbers should be important. With so many talented golfers in the field it wouldn’t be a surprise if this week’s tournament turns out to be a birdie-fest.
The Field
Stenson is listed as the sports betting favorite to win this week’s event at +500 odds. Noren is right behind him as another favorite to win at +700 odds. Fitzpatrick won this tournament a year ago but it’s important to remember that he won at a different course. Fitzpatrick is listed at +1800 odds to defend his title as the Nordea Masters champion. Lee Westwood, Alexander Levy and Joost Luiten are all in the mix as golfers expected to be among the top contenders this week in Sweden.
Taking a look at the standings for the race to Dubai, Sergio Garcia continues to lead. In just four tournaments played, he has collected 2,440,595 points. He has a healthy lead over Tommy Fleetwood, who is second place. Fleetwood has actually played in six more tournaments than Garcia but is still significantly behind at 1,910,514 points. Jon Rahm is currently in third place with 1,509,828 points. He’s only played three events on the EPGA Tour this year. Fourth place goes to Alex Noren, who has amassed 1,436,191 points in seven entries while fifth place goes to Englishman Justin Rose, who has 1,279,776 points through four tournaments of action.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Alex Noren over Matthew Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick is the defending Nordea Masters champion and he is coming off a strong finish at the BMW PGA Championship. However, last year’s win was at a different course and he might very well be overdue for a letdown. Noren is a two-time tournament winner and he should be motivated to bounce back after placing 12th last year. Look for both golfers to produce strong results this week with Noren edging out Fitzpatrick in the head-to-head sports betting matchup.
Top-Five Pick: Lee Westwood
Westwood will be looking to win this tournament for a fourth time but for a first time at this course. The fact that he was a runner-up at this course in 2001 makes him that much more intriguing of an option to contend. Westwood has the experience necessary to contend. Even if he doesn’t win this event outright, Westwood should be a strong pick to finish in the top-five. We’re banking on him this week.
Odds To Win 2017 Nordea Masters
Henrik Stenson +550
Alex Noren +705
Lee Westwood +1815
Matthew Fitzpatrick +2050
Alexander Levy +2550
Chris Wood +2550
Pablo Larrazabal +2850
Joost Luiten +3250
Andy Sullivan +3250
Kiradech Aphibarnrat +3550
Hao Tong Li +3550
Peter Hanson +4550
Thongchai Jaidee +4550
Nicolas Colsaerts +5050
Paul Dunne +5050
Dylan Frittelli +5050
George Coetzee +5500
Thorbjorn Olesen +4550
Jordan Smith +5500
David Lipsky +6550
Jorge Campillo +6550
Jaco Van Zyl +6550
Scott Hend +7050
Scott Jamieson +7050
Shiv Kapur +7550
Marcus Fraser +7550
Richard Sterne +7550
Mikko Ilonen +7550
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