Singapore Classic Preview

Over in Singapore, the DP World Tour join the Asian Tour at ‘The Beast’, a 7400-yard course with huge undulations, and water hazards to catch out the more enthusiastic of drivers.

With little, in fact nothing, to go on for European Tour students, ante-post stakes will be lower than usual and punters, like the players, will surely learn a lot as we go through halfway.  This could be a great event for betting in-running – keep eyes peeled on the Bet Victor golf page.

It’s churlish to criticise Ryan Fox for not exploiting an opening top five last week, but after a first round 67, Ras did look open for a Fox saunter across a course that was certainly tighter than we had seen before, but had enough links-like characteristics to be right up his street.

11th is a strong finish, but at around 18/1 I need more, as I do if taking a couple of points less about favourite Robert MacIntyre.

Instead, start the card with the consistent Adrian Otaegui, who may not have the latent power of the other pair but has a guile to his game that might be a sneaky factor around a course that looks like it needs careful handling.

Winner of two match-play scenarios, he proved he could win a standard stroke-play with a win in poor conditions in Scotland, before showing the highest level of skill last October.

Coming off the LIV Golf bench, the 30-year-old (it’s that age again, the supposed peak of a golfer) won around Valderrama in record score and by a record-equalling margin of six shots, putting up figures rarely seen around what is a tough track.

It would have been almost impossible to recreate those numbers week-in week-out, but he hasn’t let his iron play slip, ranking an average of 10th for eight of his last nine outings – I’ll ignore Dubai as it was such an anomaly.

Add that to a set of scrambling stats that have the Spaniard inside the top 14 for 11 recent starts and a top-five rating for accuracy off the tee and we have a player that offers far more than hit-it-and-find-it. If this is a high scoring event, Otaegui’s placing could be valuable.

Back the four-time winner up with two maidens.

Matt Jordan has always been on the radar, particularly in links conditions, and he’s the potential value from the bigger hitters.

A pair of top-fives in Himmerland reads well, even if he should have finished better after a third round 62, whilst efforts in Foshan, Qatar and Portugal hint to being suited by this test, the middle of those the scene of a final round collapse after making his way to the front in difficult conditions once again.

The 27-year-old relishes a grind, something he’ll find over the next few days, but he makes the plan due to an upturn in putting form, something that was his nemesis over the last couple of seasons.

The trio of events since the start of the year have seen the Englishman steadily improve on the greens, finding half-a-shot, three-quarters and now over three shots on the field through Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Ras. Laguna National might have elements of all the places Jordan thrives, and I’ll take that chance.

Over to another Matt to complete the plan, this time Frenchman Matthieu Pavon. 

Taking a look at the 30-year-old’s best form, he was third at the links-dominated Scottish Open in 2017, runner-up alongside Lucas Bjerregaard to Thomas Pieters in Portugal, and split Jon Rahm and Min Woo Lee in Spain.

Top that with a runner-up in Mauritius, and a fifth place at the same place in 2017, both amongst big-hitters, as well as a silver medal at Foshan, and the two-time Alps Tour winner builds up a profile that should relish a test like Laguna National’s toughest track.

Over three months Pavon ranks in seventh place for total driving and top-40 for greens-in-regulation, figures he improved on last week at Ras Al Khaimah, when second in approaches, fifth tee-to-green and top-20 in greens. Take that onto Singapore and it doesn’t take that much to believe he is slightly overpriced in what looks a winnable event.

Whilst on the Challenge Tour, former amateur star Grant Forrest was runner-up three times, most notably when second at the Hainan Open in 2017 and 2018. On both occasions he finished in between several renown long drivers of the ball, namely Erik Van Rooyen and Tapio Pulkkannen, and Kalle Samooja, Sean Crocker, Niklas Lemke, Adri Arnaus and Victor Perez, a facet that should aid his campaign around the 7400+ yards of ‘The Beast’.

In contention to win at Mount Juliet in 2021, an event won by long driver Lucas Herbert, and subsequently by bomber Adrian Meronk, he got over the line at Fairmont St. Andrews, finishing with birdies at the final two holes.

It’s been up-and-down since, but top-10s in Spain, Belgium, Wales and at the Dunhill Links have seen the 29-year-old hold onto his card each year, and 2023 started well enough with a top-10 in Abu Dhabi.

A third round seven-under took the Scot to the top of the table after three rounds in the desert, but nerves got the better of him on Sunday when a pedestrian level-par 72 was nowhere near enough to challenge a birdie-fest of a leaderboard.

Two outings at the higher-class Dubai Desert Classic and at Ras have seen him play steadily, if not spectacularly, but with his driving still a potent weapon, he can exploit a drop in class, and as with Daniel Gavins last week, return to the winners enclosure.

Zander Lombard is another long-hitter, currently ranked in the top-20 for overall driving with a leaning towards distance. Despite failing to get over the line apart from a weak event at home in 2018, the 28-year-old has form in the right places, losing in a play-off to Alvaro Quiros in Sicily and finishing third and second at Ras – in the Classic last year and in the Championship just a week ago.

2022 saw him finish a closing 5th at the Czech Masters, top-20 in Denmark and fourth place at the Spanish Open, all results that exploited a top-10 ranking for tee-to-green.

With every chance after three rounds last week, he’ll be disappointed at the final round 72, but will surely take much from a Saturday 63, launching up to the lead from 15th place at halfway. The South African may struggle to win, even at this level, but his game looks ripe for the test this week and any repeat of the plus-two shots he gained on the putting surfaces sees him right there.