Another Molinari win at Johnnie Walker?
BY Bruce Young | European PGA Tour | 2011 Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles | Preview | 24 Aug 2011
The European Tour heads to the rolling hills of Auchterarder in Perthshire, Scotland for this week’s Johnnie Walker Classic at the Jack Nicklaus designed layout at the Gleneagles Hotel.
The Centenary Course, built in 1993, is one of three at the Resort and has played host to this event in nearly all of the occasions the event has been played here since 1999.
The defending champion is Edoardo Molinari who used his victory here last year as a springboard to Ryder Cup team selection, winning his second tournament of the season in Scotland just six weeks after having won the Scottish Open.
Molinari birdied his final three holes to defeat Australia’s Brett Rumford and in doing so moved inside the top twenty in the world. This year has not been so good to Molinari however having slipped to 50th in the world ranking leading into this week’s event.
Edoardo’s brother Francesco is the leading world ranked player in this week’s field just ahead of the man who did so well at the recent PGA Championship Anders Hansen. Molinari has been solid if unspectacular in recent weeks, a 15th place finish at the WGC Bridgestone good enough to give him some sort of chance this week.
Hansen has put together some very good finishes this season in addition to his 3rd place in Atlanta. He also finished 3rd at the WGC Cadillac event in Miami earlier in the season both events against significantly stronger fields than he will face this week. Golf does not always work that simply however but he is in fine form. Importantly for his chances in this week’s event is that he finished third last year.
Ross Fisher has slipped noticeably in the rankings this season and is now outside the top 50. He is though a very good player and while not at his best he is not all that far below it. He could surprise.
Simon Dyson has quietly gone about his business this season winning in Ireland and had a very good tournament at the Open Championship. He finished 6th in this event last year suggesting that he could add another national open to his season in 2011.
One player worth a wager might be England’s Gary Boyd who is playing very well of late and despite a poor final round in this event last year still managed to finish 14th. He finished 4th in the Czech Republic last week and earlier in the season was second in Italy.
Australasians in the field include last year’s runner –up Brett Rumford, Marcus Fraser, Andrew Dodt, Matthew Zions, Rick Kulacz, Marcus Both, Peter O’Malley, Wade Ormsby and New Zealander Mark Brown.
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