Nick Faldo is staying away this week from the course he designed as the European Tour returns to the continent for the German Open at the Sporting Club in Berlin. Indeed, most of Europe's big guns are giving the tournament a miss as they finalise their preparations for the upcoming US Open - and a notable exception is Bernhard Langer who has a remarkable record of winning on home soil.
The Faldo-designed course produced a surprise winner last year in Australian Stephen Al- lan . . . . there is a look about this week's field that suggests it is again wide open. Langer and Retief Goosen are installed as 9 to 1 joint-favourites while Allan is priced at 50 to 1 to retain his title. Obviously, the bookies are working on the assumption that lightning can't strike twice - but John Bickerton, a player twice hit by lightning, is 25 to 1 to win his first ever tour title.
David Carter, the Murphy's Irish Open champion, showed at Hanbury Manor last week that he is on the way back to his best and the odds of 25 to 1 about him seem attractive, while good each-way value could be derived from a wager on Padraig Harring- ton at odds of 50 to 1.
Last year, Harrington needed to par the last hole to force a play-off with Allan but bogeyed it in a finishing round of 69. It is a course he likes, and the week's rest should have done him good.
9-1 - Bernhard Langer (Germany), Retief Goosen (South Africa).
16-1 - Robert Karlsson (Sweden).
20-1 - Per-Ulrik Johannson (Sweden), Andrew Coltart (Scotland).
25-1 - David Carter (England), John Bickerton (England).
33-1 - Mark McNulty (Zimbabwe), Greg Turner (New Zealand), Paul Lawrie (Scotland), Jarmo Sandelin (Sweden), Dean Robertson (Scotland).
40-1 - Costantino Rocca (Italy), Ignacio Garrido (Spain), Lucas Parson (Australia), Gary Orr (Scotland), Alex Cejka (Germany), Ian Garbutt (England). 50-1 - Peter Mitchell (England), Sam Torrance (Scotland), Stephen Allan (Australia), Paul McGinley (Ireland), Jean Van de Velde (France), Padraig Harrington (Ireland), Mark Roe (England), Emanuele Canonica (Italy).
Prices supplied by Ladbrokes Ireland.
