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The BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth is both the preeminent event in the world this week while also serving as a nice warmup for the European Ryder Cup team. All 12 member of the European squad, fresh off a scouting trip to Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome on Monday, will tee it up at Wentworth on Thursday with all but Robert MacIntyre at shorter than 50-1 odds, according to SportsLine consensus, to win the event.
Obviously, the tournament is headlined by Viktor Hovland, Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm, by far the three best players in the field and winners of 13 events worldwide over the last 12 months; however, the European team includes the top seven favorites to win the tournament this week.
- Viktor Hovland: 13/2
- Rory McIlroy: 7-1
- Jon Rahm: 8-1
- Tommy Fleetwood: 12-1
- Matt Fitzpatrick: 16-1
- Tyrrell Hatton: 18-1
- Shane Lowry: 20-1
“As I said to somebody earlier, it’s an amazing month to have ahead of you,” Lowry said last week at the Irish Open. “Obviously, this week is our fifth major and … I do treat it like that, and then I’m defending at Wentworth, which is one of my favorite events.”
Last year, Lowry held off Rahm and McIlroy by one shot to win at 17 under, which, as far as ending to tournaments go, is up there. It also marked the second-to-last time Lowry finished in the top 10 in an event until his T3 last week in Ireland. He is finding form, it seems, at the best possible time for his teammates and the worst possible time for the U.S. side.
“Then buildup for the Ryder Cup the week after that,” said Lowry. “Yeah, it’s kind of dream stuff and something that I’m looking forward to the challenge the next few weeks, and very excited for what it could bring.”
There are other stories to follow, as well. Can Hatton find something after a bad missed cut in Ireland and a largely tepid run since this summer? Will Fleetwood capitalize on his great play with the biggest win of his career? Do three…
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Source : cbssports
