Wood favourite to land first ever European Tour event in Sicily

Many of the 144 competitors that head to the Donnafugata Golf Resort & Spa this week will have never seen the course before, let alone have played it.

Which puts punters at a disadvantage as course form is always a good indication of a strong performance over the week, and with the favourite heading the betting at 16/1, the money suggests this tournament is up for grabs.

Chris Wood holds the outright favouritism at 16/1 and the 2009 European Tour rookie of the year is a good place to start.

Wood already has two top-tens to his name this season from his four starts including one last time out in Dubai in a field packed full of the world’s best.

Wood is yet to register his first European Tour win but two consecutive top-five finishes in two of the European Tour’s minor tournaments last year, and the Englishman probably deserves his favouritism.

But there are some really strong contenders behing Wood in the betting and in Soren Hansen (25/1), Jeev Milkha Singh (33/1), Robert Rock (33/1) and Simon Dyson (40/1).

Dyson has yet to hit form this season but these are the sort of events in which he relishes – three of his four European Tour wins have come in minor European Tour events – and at 40/1, the Yorkshireman is a big price with Ladbrokes offering 1/4 odds for a top five place.

Confidence will be a huge factor heading into the first European Tour tournament for a month, but while many of these players won’t have played for around five weeks, Ricardo Gonzalez, who shot a 64 in his final round in Dubai, will be itching to get back out there.

Yet to finish outside the top twenty this season, the Argentine is 33/1 to register a win here this week and is arguably the fields in-form player.

A £20 on Gonzalez winning the Sicilian Open would return £680. New customers can sign up here for a free bet worth up to £60.