Genworth Stats Pack - Madeira Islands Open – Portugal – BPI Preview

Defending champion and home favourite Ricardo Santos enjoyed a fantastic start to the 2013 season, with four top ten finishes in his first six events. Since then the 30 year old golfer from Portugal has missed a few cuts but he arrives this week off the back of a strong 5th place finish in China. His recent Genworth Statistics from February onwards highlight some long driving, excellent approach play and good scoring across the different hole types (Par 3’s / Par 4’s / Par 5’s). Ricardo starts as the tournament favourite.

Peter Uihlein is arguably the most consistent performer since the start of February to be playing this week. With steady results on the Challenge Tour and two top ten finishes from his last three European Tour starts, he is beginning to make a name for himself. Looking at his recent Genworth Statistics, the 23 year old golfer from the USA is driving the ball long and he is hitting over 70% of the Greens in Regulation, plus he seems to be performing extremely well on the greens. Peter should go well.

Robert-Jan Derksen arrives this week off the back of a 4th place finish in China. Up to that point the 39 year old golfer from the Netherlands had only missed one cut this season, but he was still awaiting that big finish. The same as his tournament results, Robert’s recent Genworth Statistics are steady without being outstanding, but his Scrambling and Sand Saves percentages are very good and his Par 3 Scoring at 3.01 is well worth a mention.

Andy Sullivan is enjoying a successful 2013 season with three top ten finishes to date. The 26 year old Englishman (who finished tied 16th here last year) is emerging as a long game specialist. Looking at his recent Genworth Statistics, he is smashing the ball long and straight off the tee and averaging 72.5% Greens in Regulation, plus he is hitting 22.4% of the Par 5 greens in sub-regulation (two shots). Andy turns 27 this Sunday, a good omen perhaps?

Andreas Hartø arrives off the back of a 7th place finish in China as well as a 3rd place finish here last year, so confidence should be high. Looking at his recent Genworth Statistics, the 24 year old golfer from Denmark is performing steadily from tee to green but he seems to be putting exceptionally well. As a young player Andreas is gathering experience each time he plays and this could be the perfect break through week for him.

Mark Tullo is moving along quite nicely this season, considering he has only competed in six events on the European Tour so far. Looking at his recent Genworth Statistics, the 35 year old golfer from Chile is keeping the ball in play off the tee and his touch around the greens looks sharp (including 73.1% for Sand Saves). He will be hoping for a good finish this week to gain momentum as we move into a busy series of European events.

Shiv Kapur is bouncing back after suffering his worst Race to Dubai finish last year since joining the European Tour back in 2006, with a win at The Gujarat Kensville Challenge (Challenge Tour event) and solid finishes in Malaysia and Korea. The 31 year old golfer from India relies on accuracy, plotting his way around the course, rather than overpowering it with brute force. From recent events he is averaging 71.6% for Greens in Regulation and 60.9% for Scrambles.

Peter Whiteford nearly won his first European Tour event a few weeks ago in Korea, just missing out in a playoff to Brett Rumford. His consolation prize was all but securing his playing rights for next year, which enables him to approach the rest of the season in a relaxed fashion, looking for that big victory. With three Challenge Tour wins to his name, the 32 year old golfer from Scotland certainly knows how to do it and he will be eyeing this one up.

Craig Lee is performing steadily in 2013 with one top ten finish under his belt to date. Looking at his recent Genworth Statistics, the 36 year old golfer from Scotland may generate more momentum if his Driving Accuracy improves slightly. With greater control from the fairways, more shots should finish closer to the hole, setting up some shorter birdie putts. This should in-turn improve both the Putts per GIR and Birdies per Round statistics. Attention should be drawn to Craig’s fantastic 80.0% Sand Saves statistic.

Matteo Delpodio is enjoying his first full season competing on the European Tour, moving along quite nicely. The 27 year old golfer from Italy is driving the ball long and straight, averaging nearly 70% Greens in Regulation and converting a good number of Birdies per Round. Interestingly, even though he is hitting 20% of the Par 5 greens in sub-regulation (two shots), Matteo is not scoring particularly well on the Par 5 holes. This sometimes happens as a result of playing slightly too aggressively.