The BMW International Open, being held for the first time at the Golfclub Nord-Eichenried in Munich, is the last chance to secure a place for players aspiring to membership of Seve Ballesteros's team to defend the Ryder Cup at Valderrama next month.
And it is players without the worries or pressures of securing late tickets who dominate the betting for this week's £750,000 tournament. Colin Montgomerie and Ernie Els, who have been involved in so many personal duels in recent seasons, are joint 8 to 1 favourites, while Costantino Rocca, after a return to form at The K Club, is priced at 20 to 1.
However, Bernhard Langer's record in Germany is quite incredible. No less than nine of the German's 37 PGA European Tour victories have been achieved on home soil and, although he missed the cut at the European Open, his form this season (three wins) suggests odds of 14 to 1 about Langer are sufficiently enticing to warrant a flutter.
8/1 - Colin Montgomerie (Scot), Ernie Els (SA).
14/1 - Bernhard Langer (Ger), Jose-Maria Olazabal (Sp).
20/1 - Costantino Rocca (It), PerUlrik Johansson (Swe), Ignacio Garrido (Sp).
25/1 - Raymond Russell (Scot).
33/1 - Eduardo Romero (Arg), Paul McGinley (Ire), David Gilford (Eng), Paul Broadhurst (Eng), Joakim Haeggman (Swe), Miguel-Angel Jimenez (Sp).
Selected other: 40/1 - Padraig Harrington.
Prices courtesy of Ladbrokes.
