Havret defends at Johnnie Walker
BY Bruce Young | European PGA Tour | 2009 Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles | Preview | 27 Aug 2009
The Johnnie Walker Championship at the PGA Centenary Course at Gleneagles in Scotland is this week’s event on the European Tour and Frenchman Gregory Havret will seek to defend the title he won narrowly last year when he defeated Graeme Storm by one shot.
Havret has not had a good season to date but his form leading into the event last year was not all that impressive either and it will be interesting see whether Scotland can again change his fortunes. Scotland has been good to the Frenchman, Havret not only won this event last year but two years ago he also won the Scottish Open when he defeated, amongst others, Phil Mickelson.
Graeme Storm not only finished runner up last year but in 2007 he finished 5th and so that and a recent 4th place in the Czech Republic give him the credentials for success this week.
Soren Hansen is the likely favourite in most people’s eyes and so he should be. Hansen has played reasonably well against much stronger fields than that he faces this week in recent weeks and with a 3rd place finish last year and a top 10 in 2007 he clearly has a liking for this layout.
Oliver Wilson is the leading world ranked player in this field and like Hansen has played well enough against stronger fields in recent weeks for him to be a consideration.
Bradley Dredge has played this event well on occasions and put together a good week last week when he finished 7th in the Netherlands.
Danny Lee has finally returned to the European Tour for the first time since his win at the Johnnie Walker Classic in February. Lee has played well enough in the starts he has been able to gain on the USPGA Tour but now that he has run out of opportunities there it is now time to protect his European Tour status before playing the PGA Tour School.
Richard Green was 15th last week after a few events where he had battled against stronger fields. Earlier this season Green put together several very good finishes on the European Tour and if he can find that form again he should be a factor.
Marcus Fraser has seldom contended this year but he has made a lot of cuts. This might be the week for him to step up a notch.
Other Australians in the field are Wade Ormsby, Brett Rumford, Terry Pilkadaris, Matthew Millar, Stephen Leaney, Peter O’Malley, Scott Barr, Steve Webster and Michael Curtain.
