McIlroy Ready To Roar In Asia

Rory McIlroy has not won a tournament this year but that may change when the former world number one contests the BMW Masters at the Lake Malaren Golf Club in Shanghai.

Only Peter Hanson shot a better score than McIlroy in last season’s BMW Masters at the Lake Malaren Golf Club and so the Briton, who should have won last week’s Kolon Korean Open, makes a fair amount of appeal at odds of 10.00 with 888sport and Unibet to break his 2013 in the Chinese city.

McIlroy’s Kolon Korean Open third round of 75 proved very costly because, even though the Briton fired a final-round 67, he could not overhaul Sung-hoon Kang at the top of the leaderboard. McIlroy was delighted with how he played from tee to green in round four, remarking that he could have shot a 61 or 62 had he taken some of his many chances to birdie and eagle holes. The Kolon Korean Open was McIlroy’s first competition for a month so he should be totally ready to challenge in this week’s BMW Masters in the same region.

There is little in the way of course form on which to go for the BMW Masters but McIlroy’s numbers are easily the best. Not only did McIlroy finish second in the 2012 BMW Masters at the Lake Malaren Golf Club but also the Briton won the 2011 Lake Malaren Shanghai Masters when it was an unofficial event, beating Anthony Kim in a play-off after both golfers ended their four rounds 18 under par on totals of 270.

McIlroy is the only golfer who appeals in the BMW Masters tournament winner market but there are four golfers whose head-to-head odds against less well credentialed opponents stand out. In alphabetical order, they are Nicolas Colsaerts, Luke Donald, Jamie Donaldson and Ian Poulter.

Colsaerts is available at odds of 1.91 with BetVictor to get the better of Bernd Wiesberger. Colsaerts was 14th in last year’s BMW Masters at the Lake Malaren Golf Club and his last two strokeplay events have resulted in fourth- and 15th-place finishes. Wiesberger’s recent form is as good as that of Colsaerts but the Austrian was 40th in the 2012 edition of the BMW Masters at the Lake Malaren Golf Club and, therefore, he should be the underdog in this heat.

Donald was third behind Hanson and McIlroy in last year’s BMW Masters at the Lake Malaren Golf Club, his 17-under-par total concluding with his best round on the final day of the competition. Donald’s has not played a tournament for about a month but his last two starts resulted in fourth- and 18th-place finishes. Donald is trading at odds of 1.91 with Sky Bet to defeat Martin Kaymer, who ended up four strokes adrift of the Briton in the 2012 BMW Masters at the Lake Malaren Golf Club. Kaymer’s recent form is better than average but he is a false favourite versus Donald.

Donaldson is available at odds of 1.83 with Sky Bet to beat Francesco Molinari. Donaldson was six shots superior to Molinari in last year’s BMW Masters at the Lake Malaren Golf Club plus the Briton’s recent form figures read better than those of the Italian. Donaldson was sixth in the Portugal Masters last time out, whereas Molinari finished 17th.

Also up against Kaymer is Poulter, with BetVictor and Sky Bet offering odds of 1.91 about the latter defeating the former. Poulter loves competing in Asia, as evidenced by placing fourth and sixth in two appearances at the Lake Malaren Golf Club. Kaymer’s numbers are outline above.

Finally, if one does want to have a long-priced crack at the BMW Masters tournament winner market, Wen-Chong Liang is a golfer to consider at odds of 151.00 with Betfred. Liang’s last four local starts have resulted in four top-11 finishes and he was 20th alongside the likes of Ross Fisher and Soren Kjeldsen in last year’s BMW Masters at the Lake Malaren Golf Club. Liang is a live outsider.