From the classic links of St Andrews to the Swiss Alps and Crans Montana, our stats guru has scanned the form books and selected these five players you might want to consider for selection in your Fantasy Race to Dubai team this week at the Omega European Masters.
Sergio Garcia
Player Profile
Not the most outlandish of calls, with Sergio Garcia being the highest-ranked player in the field this week at World Number Ten, but there are a number of other reasons why you should probably include the Spaniard in your Fantasy Race to Dubai side this week. Not only does Garcia travel to Switzerland in good nick, having finished tied sixth at The Open Championship at St Andrews last week, but the 35 year old also has a long affinity with Crans Montana and has owned a property close to the course for a number of years. Despite that, this is Garcia’s first appearance in the event in nine years; however, he has only once finished outside the top four in his four previous starts at Golf Club Crans-sur-Sierre with a third and fourth place finish to go with his victory here in 2005.
Danny Willett
Player Profile
Another man arriving in the Swiss Alps in fine fettle is England’s Danny Willett. After spending much of last week in contention for a maiden Major in Scotland, where the Sheffield native eventually finished tied sixth alongside the aforementioned Garcia, Willett has risen to a career-high of 32nd in the Official Golf World Ranking and at third in The 2015 Race to Dubai has now passed €2m in earnings already this season. This will be Willett’s seventh appearance at the Omega European Masters and he is yet to miss out on weekend action, having added a tied fifth finish last year to his runner-up spot in 2012.
Thongchai Jaidee
There can’t be many more consistent performers on The European Tour than Thai veteran Thongchai Jaidee. Twice a runner-up already this year at the True Thailand Classic and the BMW PGA Championship, Jaidee hasn’t quite made it over the line for what would be his seventh European Tour victory just yet but this might well be the week that changes. In addition to those strong performances on home soil and at Wentworth, Jaidee has accrued a further four finishes inside the top 11 so far in this campaign. Jaidee has also never missed a cut in six previous appearances here in Crans Montana with two top ten finishes to boot, including his last time out in 2013. At only 6,848 yards in length, Crans-sur-Sierre isn’t necessarily one for the bombers so Jaidee’s resilient game and enduring fitness should see the former paratrooper fare well once again in the Swiss peaks.
Jamie Donaldson
Player Profile
Despite having not quite found his A-game thus far in The 2015 Race to Dubai, Jamie Donaldson will no doubt return to Crans Montana confident of another tilt at this revered old title. In three of the last four years, the Welshman has finished inside the top ten at the Omega European Masters, including a tied third in 2011, while a number of the recent winners here suggest an experienced head can go a long way on his characterful layout. Donaldson will turn 40 in October and with three of the last five stagings of this event having been won by some of the elder statesmen of The European Tour in Miguel Angel Jimenez (2010) and Thomas Bjorn (2011 and 2013), ‘JD’ might feel he also has a slight edge this week.
Richie Ramsay
Player Profile
Another former winner, Richie Ramsay was King of the Mountains back in 2012, when he outgunned compatriot Paul Lawrie en route to a four-shot victory in Crans Montana three years ago. The Scot has already found himself in the winners’ enclosure in 2015 having picked up a third European Tour title at the Trophée Hassan II in Morocco – one of six finishes inside the top 15 in the last few months – while Ramsay also flirted with a piece of history in this event last year when he put himself in contention for a first European Tour 59 on the opening day in 2014. After settling for a still-sublime 62, the Aberdonian went on to finish eighth but back on a course he clearly relishes, Ramsay will be eyeing another birdie-laden run at a second Alpine crown this week.
Make sure topick your Fantasy Race to Dubaiteam before the opening round kicks off on Thursday morning.
