Golf: Catalunya Championship
Venue: PGA Catalunya Resort, Girona,
Dates: Thursday 28th April – Sunday 1st May 2022
Tournament Preview
The European Tour continues with a new event on the schedule in Girona as the Catalunya Championship gets underway. Plenty of the biggest names on the continent and beyond are in action in the Spanish sunshine and with major season very much on the horizon, there is plenty to play for – not to mention the 2 million euro prize pot that is up for grabs too. With playing conditions set to be perfect, low scoring could be the order of the day here at the picturesque PGA Catalunya Resort Stadium Course.
Betting Preview
Outright Winner
With the European Tour now very much in full swing in 2022, plenty of big names are in action and are chasing precious ranking points and prize money in Catalunya this week: –
Home favourite Adrian Otaegui will be eager to put on a performance here in favourable conditions and he starts as favourite, following a good run at the ISPS Championships last weekend, where he finished second.
Austrian Bernd Wiesberger hasn’t enjoyed his best 12 months on the European Tour but as a former Ryder Cup player, he certainly has the game to compete in events such as these.
Fresh off his win at the ISPS Championships last time out, Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal is in fine fettle, and he will be a tough man to stop if he finds form once again here at the PGA Catalunya Resort.
Jordan Smith – 33/1
Englishman Jordan Smith is a consistent performer at this level and with conditions set fair in Catalunya, he looks overpriced in a very open field this week.
Enigmatic Frenchman Victor Perez is one of the very best ball strikers around and he should relish the playing environment in Catalunya this week.
1st Round Leader
Producing the goods over 72 holes is often the most difficult thing for any golfer to do therefore here are our first round leader picks:-
Englishman Richard Bland is enjoying a career renaissance of sorts and his tendency to get off to a good start in events makes him a candidate from the off here.
Yet another Englishman in the field, Marcus Armitage has enjoyed his best season on the European Tour thus far in 2022 and he has the game to shoot low in every round he plays.
Experienced Englishman Ross Fisher has been out of the winner’s circle on the European Tour for a few seasons, but he comes from good stock and should relish the challenge here in Catalunya.
Top Five Finish
With so many decent players assembled here in Catalunya, getting into the winning enclosure could be tough but there are plenty of candidates to finish in the top 5 come Sunday:-
Rasmus Hojgaard, along with his twin brother Nicolai, has enjoyed an incredible breakthrough 12/18 months on the European Tour and both brothers have a habit of being in the mix in every event they play.
Dane Thorbjorn Olesen has been plagued with off-course incidents in recent times, but he has a game capable of competing in any tournament in the world.
Scott Jamieson is often one of the men to beat on the European Tour and he could well be a good bet to be involved at the business end of proceedings in Catalunya this week.
Catalunya Championship betxchange.com Best Bets:
Outright Winner: Jordan Smith – 33/1
