Garcia, Wie all the talk at Omega Masters
IN: News | European PGA | Omega European Masters (2006) | Preview | by Bruce Young | 07 Sep 2006
The Swiss alpine ski resort of Crans Sur Sierre plays host this week, as it has since 1939, to a high class professional golf tournament. The event was first played in 1939 but, although Switzerland was a neutral country during World War II, the event was not played again until 1948 but since then this beautiful village high above the Rhone Valley has welcomed many of the world's leading players.
For so many years the event was known as the Swiss Open but in 1983, the weight of sponsorship requirements saw it change to the Ebel European Masters Swiss Open and in 1992 the tag of the Swiss Open disappeared. It was then known as the Canon European Masters but in 2002, Omega, a name as synonymous with Switzerland as the Swiss Open, became the sponsors of the European Masters.
Perhaps surprisingly the only European Ryder Cup Team player in the event is Sergio Garcia although given that he is the defending champion then it is understandable that he will play. Five of the Ryder Cup Team will use next week's HSBC World Match Play at Wentworth as their final lead up so that leaves another six who will not have played an event for two weeks leading into the K Club.
The favourite is obviously Garcia who, although he has not won since this time twelve months ago, has been placed inside the top ten in events on eleven occasions in that period and his recent third at the PGA behind Tiger Woods indicates the form he is in. He was also third in this event in 2004.
Much of the pre tournament talk has been about the participation of Michelle Wie, who will play her first European Tour event. She joins Laura Davies as the only females to have played a European Tour event. After the struggle she experienced with illness and perhaps fatigue at the John Deere it is perhaps a surprise to see her continuing to pursue participation in men's events. Given the limited number of events she is eligible to play on the LPGA Tour however, and that she will have no doubt received a significant fee for her involvement in this week's event, there is benefit for both Wie and the tournament itself.
Another attraction for Wie would be Crans Sur Sierre, which is arguably one of the most beautiful golf course locations in the world. It is also encouraging and heartening to see her prepared to go and play in exotic and foreign locations.
Paul Broadhurst might have considered himself a little unlucky to not make the Ryder Cup team having been on the fringe of automatic selection but he gets a chance to make amends this week. He has played well previously in this event and although he has been a little out of sorts of late he might do better this week.
Like Broadhurst, Miguel Angel Jimenez has played well in Crans before but has lost his way on the golf course in recent months. He is a much better player than his recent results would suggest and might just show that to be the case.
Graeme McDowell has played well at a much higher level than this in 2006 and as a player who finished 6th in this event two years ago he has some credentials.
Anders Hansen has been in some very good form of late on both sides of the Atlantic and a win in an event of this type would not surprise although it has been four years since his only win on the European Tour.
Spaniard Alejandro Canizares is a potential superstar on the European Tour after winning the Russian Open in only his third event. He has now had time to put that win into perspective and get back to the job of following up. He might find the vagaries of Crans Sur Sierre a little difficult to handle first time around but he is a huge talent.
The Australians are headed by an improving Peter O'Malley who last week faded a after a good start in Germany. Also in the field are Brett Rumford, Matthew Millar, Marcus Fraser, Wade Ormsby, David Bransdon, Stephen Scahill and Peter Fowler.
Photo - Anthony Powter
