Back Bjorn For Inaugural Made In Denmark

This is the inaugural staging of the Made In Denmark, the first European Tour event to be held in Denmark since Ian Poulter pipped Colin Montgomerie to win the Nordic Open in 2003.

The prize fund is a modest one, and coming just a few days after the season’s last Major, it’s no surprise that most of the European elite have given it a miss, although the top Danish players will be supporting the event.

The Course
The Himmerland Golf and Spa Resort, Aalborg, is apparently the biggest golf resort in Northern Europe, but the course doesn’t look too challenging. It isn’t particularly long, the rough is not demanding, the fairways are reasonably wide and there aren’t too many hazards. It isn’t a coastal venue, but the course is exposed, with very few trees, so that could make things tricky if the wind gets up.

In The Bunker
There are fourteen Danish players lining up for this one, and in a limited field, they dominate the antepost betting. Thorbjorn Olesen hit an excellent final round of 67 at Valhalla last week and that may persuade some to back him in a weak event, but I’m not convinced. He’s yet to build on his considerable promise and has had a poor year, managing just one top ten finish since the start of February. I don’t think he’s one to rely on at the moment and even at 22/1 I’ll be looking elsewhere.

Recommended Bets
Whilst Olesen might be a risky proposition, his older compatriot is a safer bet. Thomas Bjorn goes into this event at the top of the market and it’s hard to argue against him.

The Great Dane lies second in the Race to Dubai, and although he had a bad time at Valhalla last week, he was in solid form at the Bridgestone Invitational.

He’s sure to put on a show for his home crowd and at 12/1 is a reliable favourite.

Kristopher Broberg burst onto the scene a couple of years ago when winning three Challenge Tour titles in four weeks. He didn’t make much impact on the main Tour last season, but the hard-working Swede has been improving steadily in 2014 and in recent weeks has managed top three finishes at the Scottish Open and the Irish Open and a solid effort at the British Open. He isn’t far away from that first Tour title and he’s worth backing at 22/1 to lift the silverware.

It could also pay to back Marc Warren in Aalborg. The Scot hasn’t won on Tour since 2007, but has found a bit of form this summer, finishing third at the Scottish Open and making the top fifteen at Valhalla. He’s overdue another tournament win and at 28/1 offers some value as an outside bet.