A victim of COVID last year, the D+D Real Czech Masters returns to the schedule. Unfortunately we have a less than stellar field ready to peg it up at Albatross Golf Club in Prague. Defending champ and two-time winner Thomas Pieters will pass the torch and we are guaranteed a first time winner since none of the previous champions of this event are entered. There isn’t a long history at this tournament with the first playing in 2014 and the odds suggest a wide open field with Sam Horsfield the betting favorite on the opening line. Be sure to visit BookMaker.eu for updated odds and to place your wager.
Odds to Win D+D Real Czech Masters
Sam Horsfield +1100
Danny Willett +1400
Rory Sabbatini +1400
Dean Burmester +2000
Ryan Fox +2000
Callum Shinkwin +2200
George Coetzee +2500
Johannes Veerman +2500
Adri Arnaus +2800
Jacques Kruyswijk +2800
Vincent Norrman +2800
Jazz Janewattananond +3000
Joost Luiten +3000
Darren Fichardt +3300
Henrik Stenson +3300
Hugo Leon +3300
Daniel van Tonder +4000
Padraig Harrington +4000
Sami Valimaki +4000
Adam Meronk +4500
Chase Hanna +4500
Marcel Siem +4500
Maverick Antcliff +4500
Sean Crocker +4500
Garrick Porteous +5000
Renato Paratore +5000
Sihwan Kim +5000
Rikard Karlberg +5500
Brandon Stone +6000
Niall Kearney +6000
Richard Mansell +6000
JC Ritchie +7000
Nicolai Hojgaard +7000
Paul Peterson +7000
Tapio Pulkkanen +7000
Louis De Jager +8000
Zander Lombard +8000
Joakim Lagergren +9000
Nino Bertasio +9000
Odds Analysis
Ryan Fox +2000
A decent season is missing that one breakout performance that could vault Fox to the upper echelon of the Tour. He will take advantage of the spacious fairways and has a chance to go low on the par-5s if his putter cooperates. That is a lot to ask, but Fox doesn’t appear to be far off. He’s finished among the top-15 five times in 12 starts, but only once has he placed in the top-10. I was concerned about the price, but the field will allow Fox to standout and I expect to see him in contention.
Garrick Porteous +5000
This is about as close as we get to a former champion at this event. Haydn Porteous won the tournament in 2017 so Garrick has a chance, right? The two are not related other than sharing the same last name and playing on Tour. Garrick has a history in the Czech Republic winning the Prague Golf Challenge in 2017 and is getting his feet wet on Tour since joining full time in 2020. His pro career prior to that was spent on the Challenge Tour. He put a pair of top-15s together recently at the World Invitational and the Hero Open, his best run on the ET.
Tapio Pulkkanen +7000
It’s always a good idea to venture further down the odds board with a field like this. With distance off the tee a plus Pulkkanen fits the bill. In 2018 he opened 65-69 sitting in third at the halfway point only to be undone by a tough final round. A year later he also had a nice start only to fade over the last two days. He appears to be in better form for his return with a T18 in the European Open and a T25 in the Cazoo Open. He’s worth the risk with a nice payout on an outright.
Callum Shinkwin +2200
Checking all the boxes for success at this layout, Shinkwin also enters on run of decent form making him an even nicer option for the outright. He closed with a flurry to earn a T3 in the Cazoo Classic, his second top-5 in four starts. Apparently he likes Cazoo since he earned a solo fourth a few weeks earlier in the Cazoo Open. Shinkwin can hit the ball a long way, something that will determine the winner, and on a run that included a top-20 in the Hero Open, it seems like it’s getting close.
Sami Valimaki +4000
We haven’t heard much from the 2020 Rookie of the Year, so maybe it’s time Valimaki breaks out. Playing four rounds last week was a step in the right direction since he hadn’t done that since a T21 at the British Masters in May. And closing the Cazoo Classic with a 65 is a jolt of confidence for the Finn. It’s been a rough season compared to his rookie campaign, but Valimaki still has the tools and he has to be feeling better about his game.
Course: Albatross Golf Resort – 7,467 yards, Par 72
The course got a makeover ahead of the 2018 edition with several water hazards now in play. The biggest change, though, came to the final hole. Water guards the left side of the fairway all the way to the green, which could make for some nervous moments during the last round. Overall it’s a basic course that plays nearly 7,500 yards with par-5s in reach for bombers. And players will go for it with little in terms of punishment for missing the fairway. There’s a good chance that whoever hits the ball furthest is at the top of the leaderboard on Sunday. The first two winners of this tournament led the field in par-5 scoring and there are few changes to the course from the last time the Tour visited in 2019.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel
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