Dan Roebuck’s Johnnie Walker Championship preview

In just over a year’s time Gleneagles will host the Ryder Cup, but this week punters will be able to sneak a peek at the Centenary Course as it stages the 15th renewal of the Johnnie Walker Championship.

Francesco Molinari, who has good course form but isn’t a former champion of this tournament, heads the betting at 14/1. However, as the winner of each of the last five renewals of this event has ranked inside the top dozen of the putting averages – and the Italian is a perennial struggler with the flat stick – it could pay to swerve the market principle.

Marc Warren is a past winner at Gleneagles, having captured the title back in 2007, and while he has made the top dozen only once since, the Scot will be full of confidence after finishing 12th in the USPGA Championship last time out and cannot be ignored.

Warren’s putting has been better in the last six months or so, and with three top-20 finishes in his last five starts, against better opposition than he’ll encounter this week, he is a confident choice at 25/1.

Simon Dyson’s return to form continued last time out in Russia, where the Yorkshireman racked up a third consecutive top-12 finish. His spell in the doldrums looks over, with solid form at Gleneagles, including when sixth three years ago, marking him out as a player to follow also at 25/1.

Finally, JB Hansen looks the best of the bigger priced runners at 80/1. The Dane was third in the Scottish Open before following up with another placed effort in the Russian Open a fortnight later.

Hansen topped the all-round ranking in Moscow, and in each of his last four starts in which he has made the cut he hasn’t ranked worse than 15th in putting average.

My three to follow – Warren, Dyson and Hansen

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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