Lee Westwood, winner of 25 European Tour titles and a member of ten Ryder Cup teams, appeared to be losing his love for the game when the circuit returned to action in July, but his entry into this week’s Scottish Championship suggests he is enjoying the sport again.
Refreshed Westwood Rediscovering Form
The Tour’s stringent coronavirus protocols and nights spent locked up in hotel rooms upset Westwood initially. He finished tailed off while acting as tournament host for the British Masters, then the Worksop man refused to travel to the United States for the US PGA Championship because he was so worried about catching Covid-19.
Since then, though, the 47-year-old has settled into the swing of things, embarking on a run of solid form, and plenty of punters will be sniffing around the 11/1 for him to take a trophy home from a low-grade gathering like the Scottish Championship.
Westwood, who is fourth in the Race to Dubai standings, has form figures of 17-10-13-19-18 from his last five starts. This could be the week when the Abu Dhabi champion seriously contends for another piece of silverware.
Accurate Midlander Looking to Continue Purple Patch
Another Englishman heading to the Torrance Course at Fairmont St Andrews with a spring in his step is Aaron Rai, a straight-hitting Wolverhampton lad who is all smiles after the most successful period of his career.
Rai made a mess of his final hole to blow a golden winning chance in the Irish Open at the end of last month, but that near-miss has only galvanised the 25-year-old. After a perfect drive at the par-five 18th in Ireland, needing a birdie to force a playoff, he pulled his approach and hacked his way to a bogey six. Lesser men would have gone into their shell for a few months after a setback like that, but Rai teed up in the following week’s Scottish Open and claimed the trophy.
A missed cut by a shot in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth last week was forgivable given his exertions of the previous fortnight, and this precise operator may tempt many at 14/1 to complete a quickfire Scottish double, especially with the wind again expected to blow.
Strong Favourite Should Be Popular Selection
Matt Wallace has not won on the European Tour since the 2018 Made In Denmark event, but the Londoner has shown plenty of post-lockdown promise and could be peaking in time for the Scottish Championship. Given the lack of strength in depth in this field, the 10/1 about Wallace will attract plenty of interest.
A share of 30th place from the worst side of the tee-times draw in the Scottish Open was respectable, followed by 24th place at Wentworth.
Wallace has not quite found top gear, but he was fourth in the Memorial on the PGA Tour at the end of July and this prolific champion – a six-time winner on the Alps Tour and four-time victor on the European Tour – could land some overdue glory if he takes a shine to the Torrance Course.
*All odds correct at time of writing