Portugal Masters

[FC Basher]

2007 Leaderboard
Start Pos Name 1 2 3 4
T2 1 WEBSTER, Steve ENG 18 -25 66 66 67 64
T4 2 KARLSSON, Robert SWE 18 -23 67 68 65 65
T12 T3 ANDERSSON HED, Fredrik 18 -19 66 73 64 66
T6 T3 HANSON, Peter SWE 18 -19 69 65 67 68
1 T3 VANCSIK, Daniel ARG 18 -19 64 66 68 71
T6 T3 WESTWOOD, Lee ENG 18 -19 65 69 67 68
T4 T7 FISHER, Ross ENG 18 -17 68 64 68 71
T9 T7 KAYMER, Martin GER 18 -17 61 72 69 69
T2 T7 SCHWARTZEL, Charl RSA 18 -17 66 67 66 72
T6 T7 WALKER, Sam ENG 18 -17 66 68 67 70
T9 11 QUIROS, Alvaro ESP 18 -16 66 66 70 70

Course - The Victoria course in Vilamoura

Time Selection Odds
06:30 L Westwood 10/1
R Karlsson 10/1
M Kaymer 14/1
R Fisher 14/1
C Schwartzel 16/1
A Cabrera 20/1
M-A Jimenez 25/1
S Hansen 25/1
D Clarke 33/1
G McDowell 33/1
R McIlroy 33/1
D Howell 40/1
F Molinari 40/1
N Dougherty 40/1
O Wilson 40/1
P Hanson 40/1
R Gonzalez 40/1
T Jaidee 40/1
A Noren 50/1
G Havret 50/1
M Carlsson 50/1
Steve Webster 50/1
A Quiros 66/1
A Wall 66/1
B Dredge 66/1
G Orr 66/1
G Storm 66/1
J Bickerton 66/1
M Brier 66/1
M Fraser 66/1
R Green 66/1
R Jacquelin 66/1
R Sterne 66/1
T Bjorn 66/1
C Montgomerie 80/1
D McGrane 80/1
G Bourdy 80/1
J-F Lucquin 80/1
M Warren 80/1
N Fasth 80/1
P Broadhurst 80/1
Paul Lawrie 80/1
R Echenique 80/1
R Rock 80/1
R-J Derksen 80/1
S Gallacher 80/1
S Kjeldsen 80/1
A McLardy 100/1
D Lynn 100/1
D Vancsik 100/1
F Andersson Hed 100/1
I Garrido 100/1
J Donaldson 100/1
J Edfors 100/1
J Luiten 100/1
J M Lara 100/1
J Sandelin 100/1
J-F Lima 100/1
M Foster 100/1
Mark Brown 100/1
O Fisher 100/1
P Hedblom 100/1
P Waring 100/1
R Dinwiddie 100/1
R McGowan 100/1
S Dyson 100/1
S Walker 100/1
Sam Little 100/1
T Levet 100/1
C Cevaer 125/1
J M Arruti 125/1
M Erlandsson 125/1
M Jonzon 125/1
M Lorenzo-Vera 125/1
M Lundberg 125/1
M Siem 125/1
Peter Lawrie 125/1
A Velasco 150/1
Chris Wood 150/1
D Frost 150/1
F Aguilar 150/1
G Murphy 150/1
J Kingston 150/1
J Randhawa 150/1
M Tunnicliff 150/1
P Archer 150/1
P Edberg 150/1
P O'Malley 150/1
R Finch 150/1
S Khan 150/1
T Whitehouse 150/1
A Canete 200/1
B Barham 200/1
B Lane 200/1
C Rodiles 200/1
D Dixon 200/1
E Canonica 200/1
F Delamontagne 200/1
G Houston 200/1
H Nystrom 200/1
J-B Gonnet 200/1
M Lafeber 200/1
P Martin 200/1
P Price 200/1
S Dodd 200/1
S Kapur 200/1
S Wakefield 200/1
D Griffiths 250/1
J Van De Velde 250/1
L Westerberg 250/1
S Manley 250/1
Tiago Cruz 250/1
Antonio Sobrinho 300/1 C Suneson 300/1
G Wolstenholme 300/1
R Santos 300/1
H Santos 500/1
M Violas 500/1
S Drummond 500/1
Each-way bets 1/4 odds first 5

[kompressaur]

t's not often that the top five in the betting all seem to boast outstanding credentials but that's certainly the case in this week's Portugal Masters.

Favourite Robert Karlsson heads to the Algarve on a hat-trick after winning his last two events and last year at the Oceânico Victoria Golf Course in Vilamoura he finished second.

Lee Westwood, who is sponsored by Oceânico, was tied third 12 months ago and is surely due a win after a season of near misses.

Ross Fisher, a winner in July and second and third in two of his last three events, was very prominent here last year before finishing seventh.

Last week's winner Charl Schwartzel shared seventh place and has form in Portugal of 7-7-3-4-8.

And finally Martin Kaymer opened his bid here last year with a stunning course record 61 before finishing alongside Fisher and Schwartzel in seventh. The German was joint runner-up at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship a fortnight ago.

And I haven't even mentioned Ryder Cuppers Graeme McDowell, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Soren Hansen and Oliver Wilson!

Yes, there are plenty who could win it but I really do feel compelled to ride the form horse and get with Karlsson at a double figure price.

Not too much needs to be said really although it's worth pointing out that he's given himself plenty of breaks either side of the Ryder Cup so there's no need to fear fatigue.

Karlsson ticks every box as a prospective winner here. He's in fantastic form, has a hot putter and drives the ball a mile.

Although Steve Webster took the honours last year, he and Karlsson were some way clear of the field with RK four shots in front of the quartet in third place.

There's also the rather huge incentive of trying to secure the Order of Merit. Karlsson leads the way and knows he has to keep his foot to the pedal here stay out in front.

Ladbrokes offer a double figure price and that was what I was prepared to accept on a player in the form of his life.

Ross Fisher is also worth a win bet at 18s

Twelve months ago here, the Englishman was tied second at halfway and just two shots off the pace going into the final round.

Like Karlsson, he's enjoying a fabulous end to the season and even posting big finishes in events where he's previously had no form i.e. his second place at the Dunhill Links Championship came on the back of previous tournament form that read 49th, Missed Cut.

With form figures of 2-7-3-10 his price was always going to be short but he's won twice in the last 14 months and seems to be a threat every time he tees it up at the moment.

Jumping down the price grid, I think Oliver Wilson merits an each-way punt at 55/1.

Those are big odds for someone who has just played in the Ryder Cup and Wilson left Kentucky with his reputation enhanced despite Europe's heavy defeat.

"Hopefully I can come back from the Ryder Cup and win a couple before the end of the year," he said before departing for Valhalla - a reference to the fact that he's developed a reputation as a serial runner-up (four and counting in 2008).

With his head now cleared after the Ryder Cup, Wilson will be looking to carry out his aim and a promising tied 21st here last year hints at another title challenge.

Take that 55/1.

Finally, one outsider worth a look is Spaniard Alvaro Quiroz.

Quiroz shot to fame when he won the 2007 Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa on his very first start on the European Tour.

Injury (a damaged wrist) denied him the chance to build on that win as he was forced off the course for five months but, on just his second start back, he finished 11th here after opening with a pair of 66s.

A confirmed fan of this long layout, Quiroz will be relishing his second visit after an excellent display in Madrid last week.

There, he recovered from an opening 74 to shoot 66-66-64 over his final 54 holes to finish tied fourth.

Quiroz is the European Tour's longest hitter by a wide margin (310 yards per drive, over seven clear of his nearest rival) but there is more to his game than brute force as shown by his third place in the all-around stats last week.

This course gives him an ideal opportunity to continue the hot form he showed last week and the 80/1 has to be snapped up.

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