156 players tee it up at Gullane Golf Club this week for the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open. Here's a look at five players our stats guru thinks you should add to yourFantasy Race To Dubaiteam this week.
Luke Donald
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Few players likely look forward to the Scottish Open more than Luke Donald. Despite slipping to 65th in in the Official Golf World Rankings, the Englishman arrives in Gullane having finished inside the top 20 in all six of his appearances at this event. As well as picking up the title in 2011, Donald has three other top 5 finishes and a scoring average of 68.09 over 23 rounds. Having finished in the top 20 at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open earlier this season and notching a top 10 finish in his last start on the PGA Tour, Donald will arrive in Gullane with high expectations.
Branden Grace
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It’s hard to imagine that Branden Grace is having a career year having won four times in 2012 but that might be the case in 2015. The South African has played 10 European Tour events this season, won twice and notched five other top 20 finishes. Grace showed his love for the links style of the game with a top 5 finish at the US Open last month. He has fond memories of links golf in Scotland having finished runner up in this event in 2013 and winning the 2012 Dunhill Links Championship. The 27 year old is having a career-best season in terms of Stroke Average, Driving Distance, Putts Per Round and Putts Per Green in Regulation. So yeah, we’re comfortable calling this a career year for Grace!
Thongchai Jaidee
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We sometimes take for granted what Jaidee is doing at the age 45 years old. The six-time European Tour winner is yet to win this season but has come very close. He finished runner up at both the True Thailand Classic and the BMW PGA Championship and enters this week on the back of consecutive top 15 finishes as well as top 10 finish at the Irish Open. With an emphasis on short game around Gullane, Jaidee should be well armed ranking third this season in Putts per GIR.
Marc Warren
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The local support this week may well be targeted heavily on Marc Warren. The 34 year old grew up just 60 miles west of Gullane and has finished in the top three at this event two of the last three years. After a runner up finish earlier in the year in Qatar, Warren broke into the world’s top 50 for the first time. He’ll be hoping to get back among the game’s top players with a win at his home Open before heading to the home of golf next week. Of the 156 players in the field, Warren is statistically the best putter so if the Scot can find some form with his irons you can expect to see his name on the leaderboard this weekend.
Tyrrell Hatton
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Hatton has taken quickly to life on The European Tour. In this his second year on Tour the young Englishman has already shown his impressive potential. A T12th finish last week France added to top 15 finishes in Ireland, China (twice) and Abu Dhabi. Hatton finished fourth at the Scottish Open last year at Royal Aberdeen and can play with a certain degree of freedom this week having secured his place in next week’s Open Championship with a top five at the Irish Open in May. Last time The Open was at St Andrews in 2010, Hatton was the youngest player in the field have qualified as an amateur.
Did we do enough to convince you? Make sure and confirm yourFantasy Race To Dubaiteam before the tournamnent starts on Thursday morning.
