There will be no shortage of storylines at this week’s Made in Denmark. The event at Silkeborg Ry Golf Club is the last opportunity to earn points to qualify for Thomas Bjørn’s European Ryder Cup Team, with just one automatic spot remaining. Thorbjørn Olesen currently occupies the final place and will tee it up in his native Denmark hoping to seal his place at Le Golf National.
While Matt Fitzpatrick and Eddie Pepperell have a chance to usurp Olesen’s spot with victory, potential Captain’s pick Thomas Pieters is also in the field and will be keen to impress. Any player looking to lift the trophy this week will need to hit plenty of fairways and greens on a course that measures just 6952 yards.
Our stats guru has combed through the numbers and selected three players to include on your Fantasy team this week…
The plan is simple, but executing it will be anything but. Thorbjørn Olesen knows that a win in his home championship would guarantee him a berth in the European Ryder Cup team. The 28 year old has been in sublime form since winning the Italian Open in June. In the subsequent eight events, Olesen has finished in the top six four times and also recorded a share of 12th at The Open Championship. His last competitive action was two weeks ago at the Nordea Masters, where he finished outright fourth, meaning he arrives in Denmark as a man in serious form.
Olesen’s Stroke Average of 69.87 is the 15th best on the European Tour in 2018. This season he’s hit 68.9% of Greens in Regulation, which could serve him well on a course that is likely to reward accuracy. In what is expected to be a pressurised week for the Dane, don’t be surprised to see him rise to the occasion.
Over the last few weeks, it has felt like Lee Slattery is improving with age. The 40 year old has back-to-back top tens on tour, finishing in a share of fourth and tenth at the D+D REAL Czech Masters and Nordea Masters respectively. Slattery has posted six sub-70 scores in those eight rounds and is a cumulative 23 under par for those events.
He dropped just five shots last week in the Czech Republic and is undoubtedly one of the form men arriving in Aarhus. A strong week with the irons in Prague (hitting 77.8 per cent of Greens in Regulation) could serve him well heading into this week’s tournament. The man from Southport is certainly trending in the right direction.
Erik van Rooyen has enjoyed a superb rookie year. With four top tens, including runner-up spot in just his second event of the season, the tall South African looks a solid bet to win on the European Tour sooner rather than later. He has two top 20 finishes in his last three tournaments, most notably a tie for fourth at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open hosted by the Rory Foundation. He also earned an impressive tie for 17th at The Open, proving he can mix it with the best in the game.
Van Rooyen, who is 37th in the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex, ranks fourth for the season in Greens in Regulation (75 per cent) and 14th in Strokes Gained Tee to Green (1.488). Another solid week in those categories could see the 28 year old pick up his first title in Denmark.
