The European Tour switches from South Africa/Australia to Hong Kong and the narrow, fiddly Fanling course where first and second shots are all important. Following on from our success with Brandon Stone at the Alfred Dunhill Championship, we’ve picked out five players expected to go well at the Hong Kong Golf Club.
Patrick Reed and Justin Rose start the Hong Kong Open as front-runners in the market, but we’re not convinced by the credentials of either player. Patrick Reed finished well at the Hero World Challenge but never threatened in the 18-man field and finished 10th, while Justin Rose withdrew after round one with a back injury.
Instead, we’re looking at players with double-figure prices who should go well on this tricky course. First up is Scott Hend, not someone who instantly springs to mind when thinking of a player to handle a tight, tree-lined course, but the big-hitting Australian won here two years ago despite three indifferent appearances in the previous seasons. Hend (pictured below) finished in the top 10 at the Australian PGA Championship last week and like last year’s winner Rose, did well over the par-fours when he triumphed in 2014. He should go well at 40/1.
Next up is Thongchai Jaidee, who may not be in brilliant form but he loves it here and has finished inside the top 20 on his last nine appearances at Fanling. The Thai veteran was third in scrambling last season, a key factor at Fanling, and at 25/1 he certainly has a chance.
Rafael Cabrera-Bello cannot be ignored at 16/1. The Spaniard was red hot at the Ryder Cup and he ranked inside the top five for GIR last season, plus he finished 15th in one of only two appearances at this course five years ago. Cabrera-Bello had four top-five finishes last season and big things are expected of him in 2017.
Marcus Fraser is the man to turn to when courses are short and he loves it round here, finishing inside the top 10 on half of his eight appearances. The Australian missed the cut at his home PGA event last week and his form figures aren’t brilliant, but he is a scrambling specialist and at 66/1 a decent outside bet.
Finally, we’re going for a player who has never won on the European Tour and, at the age of 41, time is running out for him to get over the line. David Drysdale has been playing solidly over the last few weeks, finishing 11th in South Africa four weeks after a 14th-placed finish at the Turkish Airlines Open. The Scot was 18th here last year and is high in the greens in regulation stats. If he can bring a hot putter to the New Territories, 66/1 may be a tidy price.
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