The Bullseye – The Shot Clock Masters

Last week was a better week for picks, but we didn’t hit the winner, Thorbjorn Olesen. That was a huge win for him, and a giant step towards him earning a Ryder Cup captain’s pick. Although he’s still a deep outsider, Olesen’s kinship with Ryder Cup captian Thomas Bjorn could go a long way in earning him a selection. But on we march to Austria.

This event is not nearly as attractive as the past few we’ve seen on the European Tour, and the strength of field suffers dramatically. It’s going to be a stars and scrubs week for sure, because a handful of players are in a different class than the rest of the field. This week, the venue is Diamond Country Club, about an hour outside of Vienna, Austria. The course is challenging in all aspects of players’ golf games: it features four par 5s (two reachable, two most likely not reachable), four par 3s (including the finishing hole), a couple of island greens, and tons of water hazards throughout the course. Although some bombers have had strong finishes here, accuracy is definitely at a premium. Because of this, we don’t see many of the bombers playing this week. Additionally, the top players in the world are in the States, prepping for the U.S. Open. Our field just lost its two headliners, Dean Burmester and Erik van Rooyen, so it’s literally one of the worst fields of the season.

Because this is a ball-striker’s course, I’m going to focus on consistency and accuracy. We tend to see a lot of the same names play well on these narrow, parkland courses, and this should be no exception. With the addition of European Tour strokes gained stats, we have some extra data to help us find guys who have been playing well of late. Statistically, here’s what I’m targeting at the Shot Clock Masters:

• Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green
• Strokes Gained Approach
• Greens in Regulation
• Birdie Average

And now on to the picks!

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