With the innovative Belgian Knockout returning for a second staging, our stats guru has delved into the figures to bring you three suggestions for your fantasy teams this week.
Favourite: Adrian Otaegui
There’s a strong case for the defence this week, with defending champion Otaegui proving to be something of a match play specialist – securing his two European Tour titles at the 2017 Paul Lawrie Match Play and the 2018 Belgian Knockout.
The 26-year-old’s match play prowess doesn’t end there. After finishing as a runner-up in this year’s ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth, the Spaniard now has a remarkable 15 match play wins from 16 matches as a professional – his only loss coming to Ryan Fox in the final in Australia earlier this year.
Over the course of two rounds of stroke play and four nine-hole match play matches at Rinkven International Golf Club last year, Otaegui also had the lowest score of the week, ending the event at 18 under par. In the 81 holes he played last year he made 26 birdies while dropping just eight shots – excellent scoring at any course.
Only seven players have won more than one match play event on the European Tour: Ernie Els, Jason Day, Geoff Ogilvy, Ian Poulter, Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Otaegui. If the former Junior Ryder Cup player can secure his third match play title in as many years it would be some feat.
Form horse: Robert MacIntyre
Following his second consecutive runner-up finish on Tour, at the Made in Denmark presented by FREJA, Scotland’s MacIntyre said: “We’ve got to keep knocking on the door, and one day it will open.”
The 22-year-old is having quite the rookie season having progressed from the European Challenge Tour last year, and after 14 starts, 12 made cuts and six top-20s this term, the young Scot finds himself in 13th place in the Race to Dubai.
Not only does the Oban native arrive in Belgium in red-hot form, but he has shown that he has undoubted talents in match play – during the 2017 Walker Cup he annihilated American prospect Cameron Champ 6&4 (a significant achievement given Champ is now a PGA Tour winner at only 23).
Although he makes his debut in this event, we believe MacIntyre has all the tools to thrive in this format.
Wildcard: Alejandro Cañizares
Following a difficult few years, the green shots of recovery are starting to show for Cañizares.
The two-time European Tour winner failed to keep his card in 2017 and 2018 after battling with injury and form, but after winning Qualifying School Final Stage last November he played his way back on to Europe’s top tier.
So far, so good, and after six cuts in nine starts this season Cañizares comes to Antwerp fresh from his first top ten of the season, after finishing tied ninth in Denmark.
The 36-year-old’s last appearance in a match play event – the 2017 Paul Lawrie Match Play – was also a successful one, with Cañizares taking fourth place after losing out to eventual champion Otaegui 6&5 in the semi-finals.
As the old adage goes ‘form is temporary and class is permanent,’ right?
Those are our picks, did we do enough to convince you? Add them to your European Tour Daily Fantasy Game and your line-up in theFantasy Race to Dubaibefore the action begins on Thursday.
