The European Tour shifts to the Swiss Mountains this week for the 70th edition of the Omega European Masters. One of the longest standing events on the European Tour will take center stage overseas at the Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. The majority of the focus this week will be centered on the FedExCup playoffs and the Deutsche Bank Championship but the Omega European Masters has the potential to be a very entertaining tournament led by the defending Masters champion.
Event Details
Event: Omega European Masters
Category: European
Date: September 1-4
Location: Crans-sur-Sierre, Crans Montana, Switzerland
Danny Willett will provide this event with some star power as the defending Masters champion and last year’s Omega European Masters winner. Willett was lights out at last year’s tournament and he will look to pick up front where he left off as the obvious betting favorite to win.
Past Five Winners
2015: Danny Willett -17
2014: David Lipsky -18 (Playoff)
2013: Thomas Bjorn -20 (Playoff)
2012: Richie Ramsey -16
2011: Thomas Bjorn -20
What To Know About The Course
Driving Accuracy is for the most part considered more important than Driving Distance at this course, even though Willett was better in DD a year ago. The course is short and at a high altitude it isn’t nearly as important to bomb the ball as it is to be accurate. Remember that this course is 5000 feet above sea level, so that’s going to be a factor this weekend. Greens In Regulation will be a key stat this year as Willett ranked first in that category when he won this tournament in 2015, while Matt Fitzpatrick ranked second in that category en route to a runner-up finish.
The Field
Willett is listed as the obvious sports betting favorite to win at +1400 odds but the drop off between him and the rest of the field isn’t as big as some might have expected. Some sportsbooks are offering Tyrell Hatton at the same numbers while the majority of them have Hatton and Alex Noren listed at +1600 odds. Last year’s runner-up Fitzpatrick is listed at +1800 odds followed by Lee Westwood at +2000 and Bernd Wiesberger at +2500 odds to win outright.
Willett is the favorite as he has been playing very well this year. The 28-year-old is currently at the top of the standings in the Race to Dubai and is the 11th ranked golfer in the world. He already has a pair of European Tour titles under his belt. Lee Westwood, who won this event in 1999, will be in the field pushing for the win. As will Chris Wood, who won the 2016 BMW PG Championship and Matt Fitzpatrick, who won the Nordea Masters. Keep an eye on Miguel Angel Jimenez, who has participated in the Omega European Masters 26 times and won here once (2010). Darren Clarke is also a name to keep in mind as he has six top 10 results in his many appearances at this event.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Tyrell Hatton over Alex Noren
This pick isn’t as much about expecting Noren to struggle as it is expecting Hatton to thrive and using Hatton as a good value opponent in the head-to-head betting matchup. Hatton has only played here on two occasions and he finished third in both of those starts. Hatton is in excellent form heading in to this week’s tournament so he should be able to outperform Noren in the head-to-head sports betting matchup.
Top-Five Pick: Danny Willett
Willett clearly deserves to be the betting favorite to win this event so it would be hard to bet on anybody else as a bigger lock to finish in the top-five this week. Willett has been in excellent form all season and he dominated here last year en route to the outright victory. There is still some value taking Willett to finish in the top-five so it makes sense to roll with him in this spot.
Top 10 Odds To Win The Omega European Masters
Danny Willett +1250
Tyrrell Hatton +1250
Lee Westwood +1850
Alex Noren +1550
Matthew Fitzpatrick +1650
Bernd Wiesberger +2050
Andy Sullivan +2550
Chris Wood +2850
David Lipsky +2850
Bradley Dredge +3050
