Nordea Masters

[LeRinkRat]

Nordea Masters August 16th thru 19th
Hills GC, Gothenburg, Sweden (new venue)
TV coverage on Golf Channel Thursday morning 5:00am eastern

"to win" favorites Thorbjorn Olesen @ 9-1. Martin Kaymer & Alex Bjork @ 22-1. Soren Kjeldsen & Joakim Lagergren @ 25-1. both Bjork and Lagergren are Swedes who have WON on the Euro Tour this season

my "to win" bets this week (going lightly this week) (bet/return)

Lucas Bjerregaard 30-1 (17/527) T-5th BMW International [-8] T-3rd BMW PGA [-14] 5th Sicilian Open [-14] 6th China Open [-15]
Marcus Kinhult 40-1 (12.50/512.50) T-5th Open de France [-5] (Swedish player)
Renato Paratore 50-1 (10/510) T-2nd European Open [-10] WON this tourney last year @ Barseback GC [-11]
Jens Dantorp 60-1 (10/610) T-3rd Scottish Open [-15] (Swedish player)
Lee Slattery 80-1 (6.25/506.25) T-3rd Italian Open [-20]
Conner Syme 80-1 (6.25/506.25) solo 2nd Shot Clock Masters - Austria [-10]
Christofer Blomstrand 80-1 (6.25/506.25) T-2nd European Open [-10] (Swedish player)

here are the Tourney match plays offered at William-Hill and Westgate. pretty sparse this week and nothing really "jumps" at me. "leans" are the first in the pairing

Joakim Lagergren -120 vs Soren Kjeldsen even
Lucas Bjerregaard -120 vs Matthew Southgate even
Nicky Colsaerts -105 vs Richie Ramsay -115
Bradley Dredge -120 vs Marc Warren even
Max Kieffer -125 vs Scott Jamieson +105
Matthew Southgate -110 vs Robert Rock -110
Lucas Bjerregaard -110 vs Soren Kjeldsen -110
Hideto Tanihara -110 vs Scott Vincent -110

GOOD LUCK IF you PLAY. pretty much a "minor league" Euro Tour tourney this week although Thorbjorn Olesen fighing for the European Ryder Cup spot is "of interest" :shake:

 

[LeRinkRat]

TOUGH course in Gothenburg first round. LOT of water and a "Scotland" wind 20 to 25 mph. 1st round leader Frenchman Clement Sordet (#314 OWGR) with a pure eight birdie NO bogies [-8]. two of my players "in range" with Lee Slattery a two way tie 2nd [-6] and Swedish rookie kid Christofer Blomstrand with three others tied 4th [-5]

watching the early tee times last night I am sure disappointed in my "Great Dane" Lucas Bjerregaard. the bugger hit it in the water TWICE and made a DOUBLE on the par four #4 (his #13 of the round) and finished [even] sure glad I did NOT fool with his match plays this week. he just looked confused and NOT sharp with his iron play

Thorbjorn Olesen probably NOT going to impress European Ryder Cup team captain Thomas Bjorn with his opening five birdie three bogie [-2]

 

[LeRinkRat]

well THIS tourney probably DONE for me. Scott Jamieson (OWGR #191) and Paul Waring (OWGR #329) tied for the lead @ [-11] my closest player Lee Slattery at [-7]. "name" players Thorbjorn Olesen, Martin Kaymer and Soren Kjeldsen at [-6] 1st round leader Clement Sordet "blew up" with a 2nd round [+2] for [-6]

what a "ratty" golf course. the fairways are a burned out mess and players hardly ever get a level lie for 2nd shots. they should have stayed at Barseback

 

[LeRinkRat]

Ya, DOUBT I will cash anything this week. 3rd round leaders are OWGR #329 Paul Waring [-1] and OWGR #459 Thomas Aiken [-3] at tourney [-12]. both were 80-1 pre-tourney @ Westgate and had done NOTHING this season coming into Sweden. Thorbjorn Olesen [-3] and Marc Warren [-4] three back at tourney [-9] with the German Max Kieffer [-4] for [-8] solo 5th. my closest player Lee Slattery was [even] for [-7] tied with two others in 6th place and probably just too far back

 

[LeRinkRat]

EXCITING finish at Gothenburg with Paul Waring and Thomas Aiken going back and forth the whole round in a miserable drizzle rain. Waring held a two shot lead going into #15 but bogied THEN Aiken a birdie on the par five #18 vs Waring par to TIE at [-14] and force a playoff. looked like "advantage Aiken" BUT hit his drive in the water THEN his 3rd in the rough well short of the green to hand the tourney to Waring. HUGE WIN for the 33 year old Paul Waring his FIRST in his 10 years on the Euro Tour. has had all kinds of physical problems in the recent past. probably SAVES his card for next season

my pet German Max Kieffer with a final round [-5] for tourney [-13] gets solo 3rd and tourney favorite Thorbjorn Olesen with a [-3] for [-12] solo 4th. be interesting to see IF that gets Thor enough points to hold an "auto-qual" for the Europe Ryder Cup team. Aussie Lucas Herbert rounded out the top five with his [-4] for [-11] solo 5th

will definitely look for "Mad Max" next week at D+D Real Czech Masters in Prague, Czech Republic. last years winner at the Albatross Golf Resort Haydn Porteous had a good finish this week with a final round [-5] for tourney [-9] tied 6th this week. Lee Slattery had a two shot 3rd round lead last year in Prague BUT boned the final to give it away and LOSE by two shots. I swear to God that "Slats" just can NOT finish a tourney. he was "in range" AGAIN this week in Gothenburg going into the final round and finished [-1] for [-8] tied 8th