The Tour travels from South Africa and Mexico to Dehli and a new venue for the 2017 Hero Indian Open. The Gary Player course at DLF Golf and Country Club presents a very different challenge to that of Delhi Golf Club 12 months ago. With a back nine playing nearly 4,000 yards, sloping greens, vast bunkers and large water hazards, there will be a premium on tee shots and ball striking.
With no course form to talk about, who should you put in yourDaily Fantasy team? Our statistics expert suggest three names.
Pick of the favourites: Rafa Cabrera Bello
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It’d be a decision bordering on madness not to include Rafa Cabrera Bello in your team for this week’s Hero Indian Open. At 26th in the Official World Golf Ranking, the Spaniard is the highest ranked player in the field in Delhi having made 30 straight cuts on the European Tour, a run stretching back to 2015. The last time Cabrera Bello played at this venue back in 2011 – albeit on the Arnold Palmer course as opposed to this week’s Gary Player design – he finished in a share of 16th place. Cabrera Bello has hit more than 80 per cent of Greens in Regulation so far this season, has made fewer Putts per GiR than in each of his previous seven years on Tour, and with the back nine measuring almost 4,000 yards from the back tees, plus plenty of challenging hazards to contend with, the 32 year old’s long and accurate game should again suit DLF G&CC well.
Form horse: Peter Uihlein
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Length is sure to play an important factor this week, which is where defending champion SSP Chawrasia might struggle. In Peter Uihlein, though, we have an in-form slugger. Uihlein has averaged in excess of 309 yards from the tee this season while his putting has been equally impressive, ranking inside the top 25 on Tour in both Putts per Round and Putts per GiR. The 27 year old has been in fine fettle of late, too, with four finishes inside the top 15 in his last seven starts, including two top fives in his last four appearances, while he has broken par in 14 of his last 15 rounds. He “enjoys coming to India” according to comments in the build-up to the event and also finished fourth last week in South Africa so plenty of reasons to pick Peter..
Wildcard: Jorge Campillo
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Jorge Campillo will tee it up this week ranked inside the top 125 in the world for the first time in his career. The Spaniard’s game is more about consistency than high and lows and he arrives in India on the back of ten straight made cuts, including six top 25 finishes and a runner-up finish last week in South Africa. The 30 year old is averaging over 300 yards this season for the first time in his career, which should help around the lengthy, Gary Player designed course and he has a history of playing well in India. He broke par in all four rounds at the Hero Indian Open last year, finishing in the top ten, and finished tied second at the 2012 Avantha Masters which took place on the other of two courses at DLF Golf and Country Club, home to this week’s Indian Open.
Those are our picks, now it’s time to make yours. Good luck!
