Mav's European & Challenge Tour Weekly Edition - Bankia Madrid Masters

European Tour

Congratulations to Michael Hoey, on a superb win in the Dunhill Links; who with this his 3rd win is now ahead of Rory McIlroy on the number of European Tour wins he has to his name. Hoey also Moves right up the race to Dubai to somewhere around 15th without actually checking I’m not 100% sure on his current standing.

Luke Donald is this week targeting a successful title defence in the Bankia Madrid Masters. Donald also becomes the first world number one to play in Madrid since Sir Nick Faldo played the 1993 Open de España. With yet another top 10 to his name last week (9th place in fact) Luke may actually be feeling a little disappointed with the final few holes in the Dunhill having lost ground to the leaders; but whatever the outcome it was yet another fine result for the most consistent man on the planet right now. This should also be his last event for a while with Mrs D due to pop with their child imminently, a good result should allow Luke to extend his lead in the RTD and help his quest to become the first official winner of both money lists in the same year.

So what do we know of this year’s Bankia Madrid Masters:

1. The event has a purse of €1million &is being held for the first time at El Encín Golf Hotel, It’s a Robert Von Hagge design. The course recently described by Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño as “a great golf course, with undulating greens and superb bunkering”. Coincidentally Gonzalo’s company GFC Golf & Business is promoting this event.

2. El Encín Golf Hotel is located to the north east of Madrid. The course measures 7561 yards & is a par 72. According to the ET website this course only open this year yet in another article on the same site states it opened in March last year; make of that what you will..

3. Luke Donald is looking for his fourth European Tour title of the 2011 season (that is if you include the co-sanctioned WGC Matchplay). The last English player to win four or more official events in a single season was Lee Westwood in 2000, who won five. Should Donald triumph again it would be the first time in his professional career he has made a successful defence of a title.

4. There is still yet to be a Spanish winner of the Madrid Masters. There will be 22 Spanish players in the field this week looking to end that drought, the oldest of which is 48 year old, Santiago Luna who will be making his 589th European tour start.

One last note on the ET for this week is how on earth has Martin Kaymer managed to hold onto to a spot in the top 5 RRTD for so long with such a poor year from someone who only 12 months ago looked about as catchable as a runaway freight train. Shades of Harrington perhaps with messing with his swing when he was on top of his game, whatever it is certainly was worth a mention.

Challenge Tour

The CT this week saw a fourth consecutive win for an Englishman this week. England’s Matthew Baldwin captured his debut Challenge Tour title after overcoming Frenchman Julien Guerrier in a tense play-off at the Fred Olsen Challenge de España. This win moves Baldwin up to 7th place on the overall money list and sees him go into the final 3 CT events well placed to earn his full playing rights for the ET proper. On a side note to this it was reported that Guerrier spent time with Jean Van de Velde in Toulouse last week learning how to close out an event in the last 6 holes, can anyone else see the irony in that..

This week sees the CT move to France for the Allianz Golf Open de Lyon at the 7,061 yard, par 71 Golf du Gouverneur course. This does promise to be an exciting event this week as we really are at the business end of the season and everyone currently outside of the top 25 on the money list will be looking for some big cheques so as to avoid a return to Q school to earn full playing rights for next year on the ET.

After the next 2 events are completed on the CT we'll look more at where everyone is currently at and what those sitting on the cusp need to do to make it through in the required places in the run up to the grand final.

A brief not on Q School, stage one is well underway with everyone trying to get through to and beyond stage 2 to make it to the all challenging final stage, will post more on that as it progresses to the later nail biting stages.

This must be the highest quality field to contest a 1M Euro event in quite some time; five current Ryder Cuppers, plus Matteo.

Time for some of the young British players to come through, Willett be Wilson? Wood it be Maybin? for a first win seemed amusing two years ago. Now it's becoming a bit tired.

Very good article mav, what with you and Kwini's weekly efforts I do not need to read any other golfing sources.

Is there really any way luke can hold onto the money list in the US unless he plays there again? Does not seem likely to me.

I was not able to catch any of the Dunhill but I cant help but think -20 something is a little low.

I would guess that with the weather and lack of wind, the courses did not hold the normal challenge.

Who would recommend a wee punt on this week Mav.

Kwini indeed a good field, helps with the larger purse and appears George has finally cottoned on to the benefit of the ET having big events after the PGA Tour Championship to get some bigs guys over the water.

Mac thanks for that glad you enjoy, I think Luke would need to add a fall series event to make sure of taking both pots of gold, what with Watney adding a couple of those events to chase down the money prize. Problem is with a new arrival due would put pressure on the home situation he simply doesn't need + the fact he could face burn out after getting his schedule near enough spot on for a guy that does actively play both tours.

Also didn't catch much of the Dunhill but as everyone knows I have a couple friends on tour who played it and they said it simply was not like playing regular links golf with the conditions they had and made TOC in particular play short and not really challenging enough. Shame really as an event held over 3 links iin even slightly blustery conditions would have made it a real challenge and would've been great for spectators seeing the variety of shots needed, but alas it became more like target golf.

Nay Bother: who is worth a punt, tough one to call this week with such a good field, you have you onvious choices, Luke pretty much these days can say top 10 in his sleep. The other 4 ryder cuppers in the field will really fancy a shot at the title. Home money will be favouring Alvaro Quiros to overpower the course though he's tailed off a little toward end of season and remember this event has never seen a spanish winner. If I were having a punt I'd look at the form of some of the guys place 120-180 on the RTD list they have a lot to play for and by being aggressive nothing to lose as they need to secure tour cards.

Having said that this course should set up well for Matteo this week he's a lot like donald in that he isn't the longest but knows how to find a fairway and has a great touch around the greens. Other than that good old Olly Wilson hitting the ball as good as anyone in recent weeks but needs to hole a few putts.

Sorry I've not helped narrow it down much, but maybe a punt on Matteo and a couple e/w on the lower ranked guys could work nicely.

A side note and a childish one to boot, but forgive me its early. Anyone else noticed the Korean event Rory is playing this week is call the Kolon Open. Wouldn't be opening my colon in public if I were Rory....

Useless fact, but interesting to me at least, was that Sir Michael Bonallack who presented Hoey with the Dunhill trophy last week is the former owner of my dads car. True.

Lairdy
.........your dad's got a Bentley...wow

Haha! I wish! I turned my phone back on as I was walking back down the 17th after it had all finished and straight away he phoned me to tell me that it was Sir Michael who had presented the trophy. Just in case I hadnt noticed! "Yes dad. That's great dad. I know dad, you told me this before dad."

Luke Donald -2 through 8 this morning out with the early starters.

Paul Lawrie out in 40 back in 32, he does seem to like doing it the hard way

Fire! Fire!!
Gonzo's en fuego!!!

Bucket of water?

Marc Warren off to a great start also. Needs a good week after coming about a stroke short last week of securing his card for next year.

If they'd give away the prize money after 1st or 2nd rounds, Daly would still make a pretty decent living out of this...

Los Molinarios going very well, and even Jose Maria is showing signs of rejuvenation... But it's been a while since I've seen Ross McGowen in the lead!

Lairdy wrote:Bucket of water?

Marc Warren off to a great start also. Needs a good week after coming about a stroke short last week of securing his card for next year.

Think Warren effectively has his card now, needs some weird course of events for him not to have already done so he said today in the Scottish Sun. Hes playing next week too so would imagine over the 2 events he will do enough.

Warren's only 30K from the drop zone, wonder what he knows that we don't?
'Course, a top five finish this week will change the complexion.

See Rumford (no son) has joined Gonzo in the lead.

Warren going backwards now.
Not wishing to pick on Scots, but whassup with Scott Jamieson?
Great Scottish Open, squeaked in to the Open field, but since then virtually nothing. Four shots adrift of today's field and only played 9 holes.

Jamieson had a great Seve Trophy and I thought that would have meant a strong finish to the season, but nope, an awful opening 9 holes for him.

Good to see my tip for someone who will win soon, in Bradley Dredge off to a good start.

I can't take to Marc Warren at all. That article in the paper today doesn't change my mind either. He cleary thinks he's got enough in the bank this year to keep his card. I wouldn't be so casual Marc, you might need a few thousand more.

MacAulay off to a good start on the CT, -6 through 12 holes. He needs a strong finish to the season to regain his Euro Tour Status, languishing around 50th on the CT rankings just now. A win this week would get him up in and around the top 20.

The Wild Thing finishes with a 9 at 18, oh dear....

EmmDee57 wrote:
I can't take to Marc Warren at all. That article in the paper today doesn't change my mind either. He cleary thinks he's got enough in the bank this year to keep his card. I wouldn't be so casual Marc, you might need a few thousand more.

You're not the only one Emm, not been a fan of his since his bust up with Bob Torrance a few years back. I suspected he might regret that, and he promptly lost his card that season, daft git. There's certainly a few others who I'd rather see take the last few places.

Garcia-Heredia going well again, he seems to be a fixture on first day leaderboards but never makes any money. Must have similar last-day problems to the guys Kwini mentioned in his thread.

Good round from Molinari. Glad McGowan aint leading... Not sure why I dont like him for some reason.

Taken from the BBC (sorry)

1153 GOLF: BBC Radio Five Live Sport producer Caroline Short tweets: "Elliot Saltman has won his weight in Iberico ham after a hole in one in Madrid. He is 17 stone apparently."

How many is that he's had this season? He had 2 holes in 1 at Celtic Manor a few months back.

Mind you, probably easier for him to hole tee/approach shots seeing as he doesn't know how to mark his ball correctly.....

The best part of Saltmans hole in one is the fact the prize for doing such was his own weight in ham! Now he weighs about 17stone..........

That's a lot of ham, appox 108kgs of the stuff. I love ham but reckon I'd be sick of it after eating all of that.

Wonder if they will mould it into the shape of him or if he'll use it as a ball marker on the green.

He's not going to make the cut but at least he's not going home empty handed, I wonder what Easyjet will charge him to transport his meat home?!?

Is that Iberico ham the ham that Miguel-Angel is apparently such an artist in preparing and carving?
Three Italian jobs in the top six. I like that! Good to see the Molinaris competing again.

He'll be Elliot Salt-ham from now on.

Wonder if he'll keep the ham end to make a big pot of Pea and Ham soup??

Carving ham Kwini? You serious? The Mechanic is some man if this is true.

Stenson has fired 16 birdies and an eagle so far and is still only -4. If he can knock a few kinks out of his game he'll be back winning events again soon. His scrambling hasn't been as good as it once was, I dunno if this is more to do with how wayward some of his ball striking has been. I see he has rolled the drive back out, averaging >322 in rounds 1 and 2, and 304 yesterday.

Rr,
Stenson back over here next week as he still has two tournaments to play in order to fulfil his 15-event minimum.
He's getting a bit betwixt and between as I'm not sure what "status" he has now in Europe?
You'd think he might have been able to figure this all out before the ;ast minute panic - slim payday pickings for him this week.

Come on Luuuuke!

Lorenzo not only deserves a win for his outstanding form over the past few months, but it's his birthday also in a few days and a 1st win would be a very nice gift indeed. But the 48-year old veteran from Argentina looks to have his own plans...
Luke with yet another 'boring' top 10... amazing...

I am pretty sure Stenson will be ok for events on the ET, he has racked up 12 already and there is still a WGC to come and another couple of events. Pity he is 126 on the R2D! Poor.

Don't think he'll be in the WGC Red, don't you need to have won something in the past year to make that field?

Expect him to play a couple of ET events in Asia and/or SA next month, he'll need to get inside the 115, don't think he's exempt next year otherwise...

Yeah he is in no mans land in both money lists, he does need a win to make the last WGC. He still has time, just needs to scramble much better.

Would think only exemption route for Stenson would be via the career earnings category, and that wouldn't get him in some events. Needs a couple of good finishes. But not as much as Oliver Wilson does.

Rr,
Stenson doesn't need to worry about money in the US, just needs to show up.
He still has a couple of years remaining on his 5-year exemption for winning The Players.

Watching some of the action on the Golf Channel. Those are some green complexes!

Luke lost this one on the 16th and 18th holes, +6 on these two alone! Strange he had 3 consecutive bogeys at the par 5 18th considering it's been the second easiest hole all week. Out of the top 10 at the moment...

Big swing in Slattery's favour at the 14th! Showing some guts to come back after a poor start today...

Slattery, hoping not to deceive.

Drama....

Let's hope neither tragedy nor farce.

No criticism of Slattery or his caddie from Townsend.
Bloody ridiculous couple of shots.
And he might pay for them.

kwinigolfer wrote:No criticism of Slattery or his caddie from Townsend.
Bloody ridiculous couple of shots.
And he might pay for them.

Johnstone and Beddow were saying what a great caddie he had after the iron off the tee, then did a sudden u-turn.

Slattery-Gagli-De La Riva-Monasterio. Not sure too many predicted that.

Gagli could have snuck in there, he will be kicking himself for not being a little bolder off the tee on 18. Slattery's 2nd was a terrible decision, he should have been nowhere near the bunker, either well short or well by. i think it was a worse decision than the shot out of the bunker where he was just replicating the poor decision making. He won't give a hoot now though!

Thrilled that Slattery brought it home and I can't really question his choice off the tee on 18 - he just made a bit of a mistake.

The choice of second shot however left a lot to be desired. I'm just glad it didn't cost him too much