Louis Oosthuizen and Viktor Hovland are hotly fancied at 6/1 to win the BMW International Open in Munich this week, but there have to be questions about how the market leaders are going to bounce back from disappointments at the US Open.
Hovland was forced to withdraw at Torrey Pines after getting some sand stuck in his eye during the second round, so it is up in the air whether he will have completely recovered.
For Oosthuizen, he will have to cope with the blow of finishing runner-up in a Major for the sixth time. Seeing Jon Rahm finish one shot ahead of him is likely to have had a psychological impact and there is little motivation to back the South African at such a short price.
Garcia Can Seize the Opportunity
Sergio Garcia is available at 11/1 and represents much better value than the two market leaders.
The former Masters champion may not be challenging the best players in the world on a regular basis at the moment and is hovering around 50th in the rankings, but he could prove too classy for this week’s field at the Golfclub Munchen Eichenried.
Garcia was 19th at the US Open after his 20th at the Charles Schwab Challenge ended a run of four successive missed cuts but it is his European record that provides most cause for optimism.
He has finished at least 12th in seven of his last eight European Tour tournaments and he has decent course form too.
Garcia fell to a playoff defeat to Pablo Larrazabal here in 2011 and was second to Andres Romero six years later, so this could be the time that he finally gets his hands on the title, which would be his 17th European Tour victory.
Jaeger Could Make His Mark
Munich’s Stephan Jaeger has not featured in European competition for three years, but he looks set to make a big impression this week.
Jaeger is the leading money earner on America’s secondary Korn Ferry Tour, having won the Emerald Coast Classic in April and had two close second places since.
He is the fourth-best putter on that tour and that could bode well on a test noted for the undulating nature of its putting surfaces.
He has won six times on the Korn Ferry and will have been encouraged by his 34th in last year’s US Open, which was a decent finish as it included a third-round 79.
Jaeger looks worth an investment at 50/1.
Molinari Is Fighting His Way Back
Memories of Edoardo Molinari being part of the successful European Ryder Cup team at Celtic Manor in 2010 may seem a long time ago but the Italian has enjoyed some good recent results.
He was second in the abridged Porsche European Open, also in Germany, when he recovered well from an opening 75 in the 54-hole event and his 35th at the US Open was no disgrace.
Molinari, who is 50/1 this week, was also third in this tournament the last time it was played in 2019, when he was two shots behind Andrea Pavan.
*All odds correct at time of writing.
