Features

Bjorn captains strong Europe

Author: John Harris
Date: 26/09/2009
Golf betting

Great Britain & Ireland are looking for their fifth successive win when the Seve Trophy returns this week.

Now known as the 'Vivendi Trophy with Seve Ballesteros' following a sponsorship agreement with the French media giant, the event brings together GB&I and Continental Europe in a Ryder Cup-style team format.

But despite GB&I's recent dominance, it is Continental Europe that have been made favourites in the online betting markets to win this latest staging.

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Golf de Saint-Nom-la-Breteche on the outskirts of Paris is this year's host venue and a glimpse down each team's line-up certainly suggests that Europe have the stronger hand.

Captained by experienced Dane, Thomas Bjorn, the continental team boats the highest-ranked player in the world in Henrik Stenson of Sweden.

The world number five is joined by the likes of compatriots Robert Karlsson and Peter Hanson, Danish trio Anders Hansen, Soren Hansen and Soren Kjeldsen, Spaniards Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Miguel Angel Jimenez plus big-hitting debutant Alvaro Quiros.

In contract, GB&I are led by Ireland's Paul McGinley with their headline players being Northern Ireland duo Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell and Ross Fisher of England.

The rest of the team is made up of lesser lights like Robert Rock, Anthony Wall, Steve Webster and Simon Dyson.

In terms of members of the last Ryder Cup team, Europe outnumber GB&I by a score of four players to two and the defending champions - on paper at least - appear weaker than in previous years.

GB&I won by a 16.5-11.5 scoreline in Ireland two years ago and have enjoyed a comfortable winning margin on every occasion apart from Continental Europe's one and only win (13.5-12.5) the first time the trophy was contested at Sunningdale in 2000.

Even one of GB&I's most experienced campaigners, Nick Dougherty, believes his team may have lost their edge this year.

"In the past I've always felt our GB&I team's had the edge and has been very strong compared to the Continentals, but I don't think that's the case this year," admitted the Englishman.

"I think they're very strong but, at the same time, we also have some great players. I think it will be a very close contest and being in Europe that might help them a little."

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