Golf Betting Tips & Preview- The Lyoness Open 2014

June 4, 2014January 31, 2015 Andy Clark

Golf Betting Tips & Preview- The Lyoness Open 2014 – Lyoness Open : Young Diamonds To Sparkle In Austria

Course : Diamond CC, Atzenbrugg, Austria, Par 72 at 7,433 Yards – Designed by Jeremy Pern and opened in 2002, the Diamond Course has water in play on half the holes. The fairways are of an average width which makes play from the tee not too difficult, the fairways are pretty flat but they are quite exposed. The rough here at the Diamond course is not so penal so wayward drives may not be to severely penalised. The greens here are generally in tip top condition which should suit the better putters in the field. The Diamond course is also set up to be tough from the start with the first two holes generally playing over par, and it looks like the finishing three holes here are also on the tough side, which should create some drama as the Memorial Tournament did last Sunday in America.

Inside The Field : A fortnight after the European Tour's flagship tournament at Wentworth where Rory McIlroy got back to form with a bang after his well publicised split from Tennis star Caroline Wozniacki, we move on to Austria for what can only be described as a low-profile event. This tournament is in stark contrast to the BMW PGA Championship, where Europe's elite lined-up in Surrey, a much less impressive field will assemble in Atzenbrugg on Thursday.Formerly the Austrian Open, this will be the 24th staging of the Lyoness Open. Joost Luiten last years champion heads the bookmakers market here in Austria, but I feel the Dutchman is no value at single price odds ( see below for selections ).

Joost Luiten defends a title for the first time on The European Tour when he returns to Austria this week for the Lyoness Open powered by Greenfinity.

The Dutchman triumphed by two shots from Dane Thomas Björn last year, and went on to claim his third European Tour title by winning the KLM Open on home soil three months later. Luiten has carried that form into the 2014 season, posting three top ten finishes and finishing tied 12th on his last appearance, in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club. A Ryder Cup debut at Gleneagles in September remains a realistic ambition for the 28 year old, who is hoping for another polished performance at Diamond Country Club.

Austria's best hope of a winner must be 2012 Lyoness Open Champion Bernd Wiesberger who has played some good golf on occasions this season, he did finish in a runners up spot back in April at the Maybank Malaysian Open when Lee Westwood finished seven shots ahead of his nearest rival.

The Austrian delighted the home crowds at Diamond Country Club two years ago, when he surged through the field on a dramatic final day with a scintillating round of 65 – which included six birdies on the back nine – to take the title by three shots from Ireland’s Shane Lowry and France’s Thomas Levet.

Wiesberger is one of 14 Austrians in the field this week, with Uli Weinhandl, Leonhard Astl, Bernie Reiter, Moritz Mayrhauser, Florian Praegant, Lukas Nemecz, Rene Gruber and six amateurs joining him in Atzenbrugg.

Previous Winners

2013 – Joost Luiten

2012 – Bernd Wiesberger

2011 – Kenneth Ferrie

2010 – Jose Manuel Lara

2009 – Rafael Cabrera-Bello

Tournament Records

18 Hole Record : 60, Rafael Cabrera-Bello, ( 2009 )

72 Hole Record : 261, Markus Brier, ( 2004 )

Selections

This will be the fifth staging of the Lyoness Open to be held at the Diamond course in Austria, the last two winners of the event Joost Luiten ( 2013 ) and Bernd Wiesberger ( 2012 ) had both previously finished in the top ten at the course before going on to claim the title, this way be worth noting when looking for potential winners here this week as it looks like a nice trend is about to take shape. Joost Luiten last year came to the event after posting a top 20 finish in his previous event the Nordea Masters, and it looks a sensible ploy to look at guys who had a good week at the Nordea Masters to make the frame here. Generally players who have driven the ball long off the tee have performed well here in the past and we should look at players who have a good short game, which should bode well on this course.

Romain Wattel 16/1 Win

Romain is my stand out pick here this week in Austria. The main reason I have chosen the 23 year old starlet from Montpellier, France, is that he had a very good tournament here last year finishing the event in third position after four rounds in the sixties which was just three shots short of defending champion, Joost Luitens, final score. Wattel has played in 13 events so far on the European circuit this season, he has amassed three top 10 finishes – his best effort this campaign was back in February at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic where the Frenchman finished the event with a top three finish. I also like the fact that Wattel finished in the top 20 last week at the Nordea Masters which should give him some confidence entering this low key event.

Rikard Karlberg 33/1 Each Way

The Swede finished in fourth here back in 2012 when home favourite Bernd Wiesberger delighted the home crowds by winning his home event. I feel that Rikard will come back here this year with high hopes of winning his first European Tour title since turning pro back in 2006. Karlberg has only played in five events so far this campaign on the European Tour – his best performance came at the Maybank Malaysian Open back in April with a top five finish. He will be very encouraged with his three previous starts which read as follows; 5th / 11th and 15th last time out at the Nordea Masters (which as mentioned looks a good form coming into this type of event). Swedish man Karlberg currently ranks in the top ten on Tour for scoring average and he is also one of the best putters in the field this week in Austria.

Michael Hoey 40 /1 Each Way

Ulsterman Hoey has played in 15 events so far this term on the European Tour with some success, he has finished in the top 20 on five separate occasions which is very consistent play. His best finish to date was at the Tshwane Open back in March when he finished runner up to Englishman Ross Fisher who won by three strokes. Michael has been around on Tour for many years now and will be one of the most experienced players in the field – he has been in the winners circle five times on Tour and has a very good record which shows he has won at least once in each year since 2011 – 2013 as he still searches his elusive 2014 win. Michael also played himself into the top 20 last week at the Nordea Masters after a final round 67.

Thomas Pieters 50/1 Each Way

The young Belgian has played in 13 events on the European Tour this season, he has been in fantastic form some weeks and then other weeks he has really played some poor golf, but we should forgive the 6ft 5in big hitter as he looks like he could be a really good prospect. He has only made the weekend on four occasions out of his 13 starts, when he has made the cut he has gone on to play some lovely golf over the weekends. His best performance by far was at the Open de Espana where home favourite Miguel Angel Jiminez thrilled the home crowd by narrowly beating Pieters and Richard Green in a three man playoff at the first hole sudden death. Thomas also made the top 20 last week at the Nordea Masters which should be good preparation for this weeks event.

Craig Lee 66/1 Each Way

Scotsman Lee has played in 15 events so far this campaign, he has two top 20 finishes to his name at the moment, one of these top 20's was at last weeks event at the Nordea Masters where he shot a final round 67 to finish the event in a respectable 18th position. Craig also played very well at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Champions where he had a fantastic chance to win his first ever European Tour title, he shot three rounds in the sixties until he hit a disastrous final round of 77 leaving himself just inside the top ten. Craig will like the greens here at the Diamond course, he is one of the best putters this in this weeks field and if he plays well tee to green he must stand a good chance of making the frame at the weekend and he may even win his first European Title.

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