Stenson’s Masters yips makes Olesen the value Scandinavian
Published:Henrik Stenson may have taken the golfing world by storm in 2013, wrapping up the ‘double-double’, but when it comes to the rigours of Augusta National the Swede has continually struggled.
Even during his mind-blowing campaign which resulted in his claiming both the FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai championships, he could only post an 18th-place finish in the year’s first Major – one place worse than his best ever result at Augusta from eight attempts.
This goes someway to explaining his odds of 33/1 to break his Major championship duck at a course where his last four appearances read as MC, MC, 40 and 18 – but it doesn’t stop Stenson being the strong 8/15 favourite to be the top Scandinavian contender.
However, there is another rising star of Scandinavian golf in that particular market who must be backed at 6/1 to follow up a stunning Masters debut in 2013 by capitalising on Stenson’s Augusta brain freeze.
Still only 24, Olesen shot to prominence with his maiden European Tour win in the 2012 Sicilian Open at just 22-years-old and, he followed that up by finishing ninth in only his second ever Open Championship the same year.
The precocious Dane then displayed a burgeoning affinity for Major-championship golf by overcoming a first-round 78 at last year’s Masters to shoot 70, 68, 68 to finish Sunday tied for sixth, one place behind Tiger Woods.
That made for a combined score of 10-under-par for his final three rounds, the best of anyone in the field.
Added to this, Olesen’s pre-Masters form this season trumps that of Stenson’s hands down.
While the European Golfer of the Year has struggled to rediscover his all-conquering touch, without a top-15 finish from five events in 2014, Olesen has turned in two top-five finishes from his last three Tour outings.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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