Tiger Woods doesn't often play golf the week before a Major and that routine has worked extremely well for him over the years, as his 14 'big ones' will testify.
Backfired
I tipped Pablo Larrazabal to win last week's Alstom Open de France - and that backfired spectacularly with the Spaniard shooting 80 on day one, 77 on day two and missing the cut on 15-over-par.
Pablo had been featuring on many leaderboards and a win seemed around the corner yet things went completely the other way - but Le Golf National can do that to you; a couple of poor shots on the wrong holes can result in triple bogeys and then you can't come back.
Graeme McDowell earned the victory in Paris and his recent run of form - he has either missed the cut (5) or won (3) in his last eight events - is very peculiar and very unlike him because he usually bumbles along and then hits a hot streak.
I'm sure he can't explain it but it is actually better to win or miss the cut than have eight top-tens in a row and it means that Graeme is not going to panic if he has a horrific two days and does not make the weekend of an event.
The Ws have been there and after playing superbly in France he will be right amongst the runners and riders at the Open. I don't think Woods and Rory McIlroy will be, though, but more on that next week...
ROB'S SKY BET TIPS
Paul Casey needs a fantastic performance at the
Scottish Open to get into the Open Championship and I think he will get one; he is in confident mood after winning the Irish Open and will enjoy Castle Stuart. He's around
22/1 with Sky Bet.
Scott Stallings, meanwhile, is my man at the
John Deere Classic; he was in position to have a pop on the final day at the Greenbrier and even though it didn't come off, he birdied 16, 17 and 18 to finish tied for 23rd. That shows me he is not throwing the towel in and that a win is around the corner. He's great value at
33/1.
