BMW International Open preview

By David John Last updated: 24th June 2009

The BMW International Open has a prestigious roll of honour in recent years and it will probably pay not to stray too far from those towards the head of the betting when searching for the 2009 champion.

The waters are muddied somewhat by the US Open going into extra time on Monday with the likes of market leaders Henrik Stenson and Rory McIlroy having to make the dash back to Munich from New York.

It is hard to be dogmatic about how players will perform considering the modern touring pro spends so mych time travelling around the world but it can't be ideal preparation - certainly Ross Fisher has decided to give himself a week off to rest up having originally been in the field.

I am going to take a punt on Thomas Levet being fully primed despite having completed all four rounds at Bethpage Black and closing with a 76.

Levet seems to be playing with a renewed enthusiasm this season having shaken off the bout of vertigo that plagued him for sometime and could well have jeopardised his career in the long term.

A win in Spain in early May has been followed by excellent efforts in Ireland and at Wentworth and he seemed to be enjoying his time at the US Open playing with compatriots Jean-Francois Lucquin and Raphael Jacquelin despite all the delays and disruption.

I would be less keen on Levet at 33/1 considering his recent exertions but his form in the event really sticks out with a brilliant four top-nine finishes from his last five outings at Nord-Eichenried.

That rather negates his need for a sighter via a practice round I reckon and the fact that Levet seems to be playing with such verve at the moment now he is healthy again counts for such a lot.

A class act, Levet is sure to go well once again.

I had a strong liking for defending champion Martin Kaymer - who missed the cut in America - until I saw his price.

That may have done him in a favour in terms of fatigue as he will surely want to put up a stout defence in his homeland after becoming the first German to win this in its 20-year history.

But 16/1 looks short enough and I am keen to look for a bet elsewhere from the home contingent - more of that shortly.

Dane Soren Kjeldsen certainly does catch the eye though at almost twice the price.

The Dane has been outstanding during 2009 and has not rested on his laurels since securing victory in Andalucia back in April.

He has performed very well since, including grabbing third at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and eight top 25 displays here in 11 starts (best of T4 in 2005) suggests his good run has an excellent chance of extending further.

It is understandable why Kjeldsen does well as this course measures in at under 7,000 yards - the trees to protect the fairways have now matured and means that the Dane's neat and tidy game should be ideal.

Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano is available at a bigger price still (66s, Sportingbet) but like, Kjeldsen is enjoying a very good campaign.

He too revelled in the atmosphere at the US Open despite missing the halfway cut and I reckon normal service can be resumed now back in Europe.

He has twice finished runner-up this season in Portugal and China and certainly can't be far away from getting across the finish line in first spot.

His course form may not be as compelling as others but he did open with a 66 a couple of years ago whe he rolled in eight birdies, admitting he found the greens very much to his liking .

He remains very much a player to follow at the moment and it would be no shock to see him in the shake-up again come Sunday afternoon.

Those looking for the potential upset could do worse than an interest on exciting German talent Florian Fritsch at 200/1.

Hailing from Heidelberg, he is sure to have bags of home support and he looks a real star for the future.

He nearly followed in the footsteps of Kaymer by winning on his debut on the Challenge Tour in France (2nd) this year and he has since followed that with another T2 in Austria.

That is obviously at a lower level but it showed the huge potential he has and I would not be surprised in the least to see him rise to the occasion and show what he can do with both Kaymer and the legendary Bernhard Langer both in this field.

We have already seen wins in 2009 from the likes of Danny Lee and Shane Lowry, so I would not be put off by Fritsch's lack of experience.

As well as our four outright picks, I am tempted to get involved with couple of other markets this week - Top English player and Top Scandinavian.

For the former, I am interested in David Lynn at 18/1 while Martin Erlandsson catches the eye at the same price in the latter.

Lynn hardly sets the pulse racing but he is a solid and consistent performer and clearly loves this venue.

He has played here 10 times, made 10 cuts and posted six finishes inside the top 26, including a couple of top 10s.

His recent T21 in Wales was his best effort for a while and that should be a springboard for a decent week here.

He can come out on top in a pretty weak market headed by Luke Donald.

Erlandsson is in need of a decent week and this could be the place considering he has two top six results and a T16 from five efforts here (has always made the cut).

He has form also in neighbouring Austria so clearly likes this part of Europe and could be an interesting option to the likes of Stenson, Niclas Fasth and Johan Edfors.

David John