Rhys worth a piece at Paris Open? Betting preview
The European Tour visits Paris this week for the Alstom Open de France - and an unusually star-studded field will be treading the fairways at Le Golf National course. Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Luke Donald and Rory McIlroy all line up alongside last year's winner Martin Kaymer, and Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal making his first appearance at a tournament since last October.
Alongside those leading lights, there's a selection of well respected names in the fray too - 2006 US Open winner Geoff Ogilvy, last year's Masters champion Angel Cabrera and Gregory Havret, the Frenchman who shook off an anonymous season to finish as runner up at an unyieldingly formidable Pebble Beach two weeks ago.
So who looks good to light up the leaderboard in La Ville Lumiere? Lee Westwood is the favourite, and not without good cause after a season that has seen the Englishman rise to a personal best of No. 3 in the world, win his first tournament in the US for 12 years, and miss out on a first major only because Phil Mickelson played out of his skin at Augusta in April, leaving Westy to finish as runner up.
Westwood could only finish in 16th place at Pebble Beach, but while there's no particular disgrace in that - not a single player could finish the tournament under par, with winner Graeme McDougal winning by a stroke after finishing on level par - Westwood has only managed one win so far this season. It came at the St Jude Classic, where he should have lost to Robert Garrigus and was fortunate to benefit from a meltdown from the American that let him back into the tournament.
As consistent as Westwood is, then, his chances of victory must be questioned, and there is more than enough quality in this field to give Worksop's finest a torrid time. True, 12 months ago he missed out on a win at this very tournament only by the slenderest of margins, when Germany's Martin Kaymer beat him in a play-off - but while that fact suggests he knows the course well enough to compete, it also confirms what is often said about Westwood; as good as he is, the guy can't close a tournament. Always worth an each way or top 10 finish wager, we cannot in good conscience recommend that you back the 37-year-old to win here.
Perhaps the aforementioned Havret, so impressive in Florida two weeks ago, represents better value. The Frenchman tied for fourth place here in 2005, and after his heroics in the US he is surely capable of continuing that form on his home turf. What's more, while Westwood's odds are a paltry 9-1, Havret is available at a far more generous 50-1. As an each way prospect the Frenchman is definitely worth considering.
Certainly Havret seems more attractive than more celebrated names, like Donald or McIlroy - both players are inconsistent, with Mac having missed the cut here in 2008 and Donald having never played the course before.
But if Havret doesn't float your boat, maybe Rhys Davies can claim his second win on the European Tour. The Welshman won the Hassan Trophy II in Morocco earlier this year, and finished as runner up at the Wales Open at Celtic Manor a month ago to force his way into the top 50 of the world rankings, having also come second a week before that at the Madrid Masters.
The 25-year-old is a quality player and despite a poor showing at the US Open, we're certain he is capable of putting that blip behind him to deliver another impressive performance this week. Westwood may be the favourite, but we believe Davies may still be more capable of making that French connection.
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