CASTELLÓ MASTERS

[FC Basher]

Course - Club de Campo del Mediterráneo
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Did You Know

• Sergio Garcia will be playing in the event over the course he is attached to – the Club de Golf del Meditterraneo. Should he win, he would follow Graeme McDowell (2002 Scandinavian Masters at Kungsängen) and Makus Brier (2006 BA-CA Golf Open presented by Telekom Austria at Fontana), to win European Tour events at the clubs they represented at the time of their triumph.

• Club de Golf del Meditterraneo will be hosting a European Tour event for the first time. The course is no stranger to holding European Seniors Tour events, having hosted the Oki Castellón Open de España Senior between 2005-07. The final event of the 2008 Seniors Tour will also be there – Oki Castellón Open España – Senior Tour Championship.

Sergio Garcia returns to his roots this week to host the CASTELLÓ MASTERS Costa Azahar at his home course of Club de Campo del Mediterráneo, on the outskirts of Madrid.

Garcia, the World Number Five, is joined in the impressive field by his Ryder Cup team-mates Paul Casey, Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson, along with Europe’s Vice-Captain, José Maria Olazábal, the exciting Colombian Camilo Villegas and last week’s European Tour Champion Alvaro Quiros, who can expect a rousing reception from his home crowd after his victory in Portugal.

The star players are sure to attract much of the attention although there is plenty to play for in Castellón as well as the first prize of €333,330. For many players, the CASTELLÓ MASTERS Costa Azahar is the final opportunity to secure a place in the top 115 on the Order of Merit and their playing privileges for next season while others will be aiming for a place in the top 60 and a place in the final Volvo Masters to be played at Valderrama.

Places in the top 30 to secure a berth in next year’s Open Championship at Turnberry and the top 15 for a spot in the US Open Championship are also on the agenda, all of which is sure to add to the drama and excitement in Valencia.

Garcia, of course, should hold all the aces as the club’s touring professional who will know every twist and turn of the course having played it since he was a boy. As host, along with his father Victor, the club’s host professional and a regular on the European Seniors Tour, the Spaniard would no doubt like nothing more than to win his home tournament.

In May, Garcia won The Players Championship in the United States and has come close to adding to that victory on a number of occasions, finishing second in The European Open, the US PGA Championship and the Tour Championship presented by Coca-Cola on the US PGA Tour. Now he is back in Europe looking to win his first title on European soil since 2005.

While Garcia might know the course like the back of his hand, it is Olazábal who holds the course record of 11 under par 61, set in December 2005. The double Masters champion returned to competitive action in the Madrid Masters two weeks ago following on-going rheumatic back problems.

Villegas is undoubtedly the form player as he looks to add to his recent victories in the last two events of the US PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup series – in the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship presented by Coca-Cola – the latter where he beat Garcia in a play-off. It will be Villegas’ first regular event on European soil outside The Open Championship.

Stenson, who holed the winning putt at The 2006 Ryder Cup in Ireland and won the 2007 WGC Accenture Match Play, might not have won yet this season but he will be aiming to put that right with a strong finish to a season that had brought ten top ten finishes, including tied third in The Open Championship and tied fourth in the US PGA Championship.

Likewise Rose, winner of the 2007 Order of Merit, will be hoping to cap his season off with victory. Rose has previously played twice in the Valencian region, at the Open de España at El Saler 2001 and the Seve Trophy in 2003.

For the players lower down the order and fighting for their cards, Richard Finch stands as a shining example of what can be achieved. Finch was outside the top 115 playing his last event of the 2007 campaign but bravely finished joint seventh to secure his card. From that point he has gone from strength to strength as only a few weeks later he won the Michael Hill New Zealand Open and then added a second title with victory in The Irish Open. Now he is in the top 20 on the Order of Merit, a far cry from 12 months ago.

Likewise Sam Little finished second in last year’s Mallorca Classic to retain his card and while the Englishman is again fighting for survival in the precarious position of 115th on the Order of Merit, he will be hoping the fact he has done it before will help when the crunch comes.

The arrival of the event on The European Tour International Schedule at Club de Campo del Mediterráneo follows three successful seasons of hosting the European Seniors Tour. Europe’s finest Senior golfers will return to this stunning venue next month for the OKI Castellón Open España – Senior Tour Championship from November 7-9, when Ian Woosnam will attempt to seal the John Jacobs Trophy as the winner of the Seniors Tour Order of Merit.
Castello Masters Book Closes 23 Oct 07:00
Each-way 1/4 1-2-3-4-5
Sergio Garcia 11/2 Bet
Camilo Villegas 12/1 Bet
Paul Casey 16/1 Bet
Henrik Stenson 16/1 Bet
Justin Rose 20/1 Bet
Andres Romero 30/1 Bet
Rory McIlroy 33/1 Bet
Angel Cabrera 33/1 Bet
Jeev Milkha Singh 33/1 Bet
Peter Hanson 40/1 Bet
Steve Webster 40/1 Bet
Alvaro Quiros 45/1 Bet
Alexander Noren 45/1 Bet
Anthony Wall 50/1 Bet
Soren Kjeldsen 50/1 Bet
Nick Dougherty 50/1 Bet
Bradley Dredge 50/1 Bet
David Howell 50/1 Bet
Gregory Bourdy 50/1 Bet
Francesco Molinari 50/1 Bet
Gonzalo F-Castano 50/1 Bet
Paul McGinley 55/1 Bet
Pablo Larrazabal 60/1 Bet
Simon Dyson 60/1 Bet
Paul Lawrie 60/1 Bet
Thongchai Jaidee 66/1 Bet
Robert Jan Derksen 70/1 Bet
Magnus Carlsson 70/1 Bet
David Lynn 75/1 Bet
Gary Orr 80/1 Bet
Ricardo Gonzalez 80/1 Bet
Anders Hansen 80/1 Bet
John Bickerton 80/1 Bet
Paul Broadhurst 80/1 Bet
Richard Sterne 90/1 Bet
Gregory Havret 90/1 Bet
Jose Maria Olazabal 90/1 Bet
Jose Manuel Lara 100/1 Bet
Mark Foster 100/1 Bet
Thomas Levet 100/1 Bet
Marc Warren 100/1 Bet
Graeme Storm 100/1 Bet
Peter Lawrie 100/1 Bet
Mikko Ilonen 100/1 Bet
Niclas Fasth 100/1 Bet
Raphael Jacquelin 100/1 Bet
Rafa Echenique 110/1 Bet
Thomas Björn 110/1 Bet
Oliver Fisher 110/1 Bet
Johan Edfors 110/1 Bet
Chris Wood 110/1 Bet
Jamie Donaldson 110/1 Bet
Markus Brier 110/1 Bet
Alastair Forsyth 125/1 Bet
Jarmo Sandelin 125/1 Bet
Robert Dinwiddie 125/1 Bet
Stephen Gallacher 125/1 Bet
Andrew McLardy 125/1 Bet
Fredrik Andersson Hed 125/1 Bet
Ross McGowan 140/1 Bet
Jyoti Randhawa 140/1 Bet
Phillip Archer 150/1 Bet
Martin Erlandsson 150/1 Bet
Felipe Aguilar 150/1 Bet
Ignacio Garrido 150/1 Bet
Maarten Lafeber 150/1 Bet
Peter Hedblom 150/1 Bet
David Frost 175/1 Bet
Pelle Edberg 175/1 Bet
Christian Cévaër 175/1 Bet
Peter O'Malley 175/1 Bet
Sam Little 175/1 Bet
Sam Walker 200/1 Bet
Simon Khan 200/1 Bet
Jesus Maria Arruti 200/1 Bet
Richard Finch 200/1 Bet
Simon Wakefield 200/1 Bet
Michael Jonzon 200/1 Bet
Garry Houston 200/1 Bet
Miles Tunnicliff 200/1 Bet
Gary Murphy 225/1 Bet
Mikael Lundberg 225/1 Bet
Jose-Filipe Lima 225/1 Bet
Stuart Manley 225/1 Bet
Carlos Rodiles 250/1 Bet
Santiago Luna 250/1 Bet
Jean-Baptiste Gonnet 250/1 Bet
Benn Barham 250/1 Bet
Daniel Vancsik 250/1 Bet
Ariel Canete 275/1 Bet
Emanuele Canonica 275/1 Bet
Pablo Martin 300/1 Bet
Barry Lane 300/1 Bet
Jean Van De Velde 300/1 Bet
Shiv Kapur 300/1 Bet
Phillip Price 300/1 Bet
Henrik Nystrom 350/1 Bet
Per-Ulrik Johansson 350/1 Bet
Luis Claverie 400/1 Bet
Tom Whitehouse 400/1 Bet
Pedro Linhart 400/1 Bet
Jean-Francois Remesy 400/1 Bet
Luis Romero 500/1 Bet
Carlos Balmaseda 500/1 Bet
Carlos Garcia 500/1 Bet
David Griffiths 500/1 Bet
Leif Westerberg 500/1 Bet
Carl Suneson 500/1 Bet
Scott Drummond 750/1 Bet
Federico Cabrera 1000/1 Bet

[Beanie]

Don't normally do much pre-tourney but there looks a bit of value this week.

It's interesting to note that all the recent winners on the PGA Tour have been those fighting to hold onto their cards for next season, and I think we could see something quite similar in the European Tour Event this week. There's a few players skirting around the 115 cut off on the order of merit, and the 60th spot which is needed to gain entry to the money spinning Volvo Masters, and so expect these players to be v. keyed in this week.

The ones I'm interested in...which is in the main those that I think have the mentality to carry it through to Sunday, as there's going to be a lot of pressure on these guys.

60th spot cut off:

57 Garrido
60 Lynn
62 Dyson
63 Orr

115 Cut off

118 Sjoland
120 Houston
122 Walker
123 Lima

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Taking into account the prices...Orr looks a bit too short to me at 140 or so - expected him to be further out than that, so I'm taking him out.

The rest, I like. The prices are all very big and so why not have a go with one for a few quid safe in the knowledge that the fella will be trying his heart out.

Garrido Win @ 150 Top 10 @ 11.50
Lynn Win @ 120 Top 10 @ 8.20
Dyson Win @ 75.00 Top 10 @ 7.00
Sjoland Win @ 320 Top 10 @ no current quote (around 22.00 would be a reasonable ask)
Houston Win @ 770 Top 10 @ 23.00
Walker Win @ 470 Top 10 @ 18.00
Lima Win @ 340 Top 10 @ 26.00

Better prices available if requested Im sure too, which I'll be doing overnight - just need to spike the odd top 10 for a reasonable payout.

[Beanie]

Decent start today.

Leader at -7

Garrido -6(now trading @ 27.00) in T 2nd
Dyson -5 (now trading @ 20.00) in T 6th
Houston and Lynn -4 (now trading at 130.00 and 90.00) in T 13th
Lima -1 in T43rd

Sjoland +1 and Walker +2 will have to scramble to make the cut.

[Beanie]

Good day again. Win odds still big as Garcia leads and so takes up most of the market, and should go on to win, but top 10 claims are looking good.

Leaders at -11.

Dyson -9 and trading at 17.5
Lynn -9 and trading at 36
Garrido -7 and trading at 85
Houston -4
Lima -2

Sjoland misses the cut. Walker +1 so unlikely to feature.

[FC Basher]

Good Stuff Beanie
Garcia looks home and hosed,but
Garcias stats on the US Tour show hes final round scores are the worst of hes four rounds.

[Beanie]

Way too solid on this course, even with those stats it looks like he could sleep walk round here.

Lynn and Dyson 2nd, Garrido 10th - won't get the big payoff for the win but sitting nicely to get atleast 2 top 10s and a healthy profit, so fingers crossed.

[Beanie]

Decent little payout then - Garrido really should have made it 3 in the top 10, but missed some great chances on the back 9.

Lynn 4th for top ten @ 8.2
Dyson 4th for top ten @ 7

Garrido 15th, Lima 29th, Houston 54th.