With less useful information on the North Course than your average Donald Trump press conference, we’re going to have to rely on the market ahead of the Porsche Open. Here’s six players you’re backing ahead of the weekend’s action in Germany.
Lucas Bjerregaard 80/1
It has been a long time between drinks on the European Tour for the former top amateur, with second place at the UBS Hong Kong in 2015 one of the high points. The big-hitting Dane won the inaugural GolfSixes with compatriot Thorbjorn Olesen in May, but needs to up his tournament play performance if he’s to click here.
Richie Ramsay 30/1
A profitable couple of weeks for the Scot where a tied second-place finish in the Irish Open last month earned him his biggest pay-check in two seasons. A three-time winner on Tour, including the Trophee Hassan II in 2015, Ramsay finished T35 at the Scottish Open before a respectable T22 at Royal Birkdale last weekend.
He’s dropping in class here and could be worth a second look if recapturing that Irish Open form.
Patrick Reed 12/1
The European Tour has the dubious pleasure of Reed’s company for another four days as he visits Germany – and the Porsche Open – for the first time. His failure to make the cut at the Open Championship won’t have helped his notoriously irascible mood and Reed’s season has yet to spark after last year’s high-octane Ryder Cup heroics. His playing partner then, Jordan Spieth, stands on the brink of history after his Open Championship triumph but Reed needs to get a wriggle on.
The World No. 26 has stated that his game is on the mend after some equipment changes earlier this year haven’t quite worked out, but with the birth of his second child recently, Reed may have more on his mind than improving his ‘approach to green’ stats as he tries to justify the favourite’s tag.
Joost Luiten 22/1
A five-time winner on the European Tour but the Dutch ace may be a bit of a homer as two of those victories have come in the KLM Open.
Luiten hasn’t really troubled the judge too much since the second of those victories 12 months ago. While he usually hangs around long enough at the weekend to cover the expenses – he’ll need to go a lot lower to get competitive in Germany.
Thorbjorn Olesen 20/1
The Dane brings some decent recent form to the party with three top 10 finishes in his last eight tournaments and he at least saw out the weekend in Liverpool when the going got tough.
A return to normal conditions should help the 27-year-old Dane who is more familiar with over-sized cheque ceremonies having won the Turkish Open at the end of last year.
A winner on the European Tour every year for the past three seasons, Olesen looks to have the cojones to close the deal if he gets the scent of victory.
Alexander Levy 25/1
The defending champion (at a different track) went wire-to-wire last year before seeing off Ross Fisher in a play-off.
Levy won the China Open in April but has overdone the lap of honour since and recent form figures aren’t overly inspiring. However, there aren’t many dual winners over the last 12 months in this field. Could go close if on the premises come Sunday.