Star-studded field lines up for Deutsche Bank
BY Bruce Young | European PGA Tour | 2006 Deutsche Bank Players Championship of Europe | Preview | 25 Jul 2006
The European Tour heads to Hamburg in Germany this week after one of the more intriguing and successful Open Championships in recent years. While last week’s drama will be a hard act to follow, the Deutsche Bank Players Championship has established itself as one of the leading and most popular tournaments on the European Tour in recent years and the field reflects just that. It also reflects that at this late stage there are still many of the leading players looking to confirm or improve their place on the Ryder Cup standing.
A virtual who’s who of the European Tour will tee it up in the €3.6 million event an increase of €300,000 on that which was played for in 2005 when Niclas Fasth edged out Angel Cabrera in a playoff.
The tournament will again be played at the Gut Kaden Golf Club, which has shared the hosting duties for the event with St. Leon-Rot in recent years. The Gut Kaden layout was used last year and in 2003 but since then many changes have been made to the course conditioning and the layout with several new tees built and a much improved presentation. The addition of the tees has meant that the course now measures 7290 yards. Players will need to conserve their energy around the course with temperatures forecast to be in the mid to high 30’s.
The course was originally built in the early 1980’s and designed by Fran Penninck and was then extensively remodelled in the early 1990’s by Karl Grohs. It featured on the European Tour in 1995 and has been used on a total of seven occasions.
Angel Cabrera is shaping as a very good prospect this week. As a runner up last year and with several good finishes of late he is expected to do well. He stumbled early in the final round of the Open Championship but recovered to finish 7th.
Retief Goosen struggled in the last round of the Open last week when most expected him to be one of the challengers to those ahead of him. He missed the cut in this event last year but did finish third the previous time it was played at Gut Kaden in 2003.
Luke Donald was a disappointment at the Open but so has he been in every other Open he has played in his short carer. Now back on a golf course that might be more in keeping with the way he plays, he could bounce back.
Sergio Garcia recovered late in his final round at the Open but by then he had been well and truly taught a golfing lesson by Tiger Woods. There is no Tiger Woods this week to contend with and he is playing well enough. He has mixed his form in recent weeks however but if he brings his ’A’ game he can contend.
Padraig Harrington was a surprise absentee last weekend at the Open but he had been playing well enough prior to be forgiven one bad performance. He has played well on both sides of the Atlantic in 2006 and as a winner on this golf course in 2003, then he must be considered.
The chances extend well beyond that groups and are too many to mention but for those looking for someone away from the more favoured players to do well then Anthony Wall has played well enough at Gut Kaden in the past and at a time when he was not the player he is now to be worth a look.
Australasia is well represented this week. Michael Campbell might just be the best of them but Richard Green had been playing well before a missed cut at The Open. Other Australians in the field include Brett Rumford, Peter O’Malley, Wade Ormsby, David Bransdon, Peter Fowler and and Matthew Millar.
Photo – WireImage.com
