Genworth Stats Pack - Open de España Preview

Sergio Garcia arrives in excellent form off the back of an 8th place finish at The Masters last week. From five starts so far in 2013 the 33 year old ten-time European Tour winner sits aloft at the top of the Race to Dubai with €750,272. Looking at his Genworth Season Statistics, Sergio ranks high in most categories including 5th for Stroke Average and 6th for Greens in Regulation. He will of course be the star attraction this week and is the one to beat.

Gonzalo Fdez-Castaño also arrives off the back of a decent performance at The Masters (finishing 20th). The 32 year old Spanish talent has played a very tuff schedule of events in the early season, which is distorting his Genworth Statistics. For example his 70.1% Greens in Regulation is actually very good when you factor in the tournaments and courses that he has played. As long as the transatlantic jet lag doesn’t hit him too hard, Gonzalo should go well.

Rafa Cabrera Bello has performed consistently in the early season without yet firing on all cylinders. The 28 year old Spanish golfer has finished inside the top 25 on six out of eight occasions and has suffered just one missed cut (last time out in Morocco). The same as Fdez-Castaño his Genworth Season statistics are slightly distorted due to a harder schedule than most, so it is better to again concentrate on the numbers rather than the rankings.

After an average start to the season Genworth Ambassador Pablo Larrazábal is now in a rich vein of form, with top ten finishes in each of his last two starts. When combining the Genworth Statistics from those events (Malaysia and Morocco) the 29 year old Spanish golfer is performing superbly in every category, including ranking 1st for the all-important Stroke Average (69.00 over the seven rounds). After finishing 2nd in the Open de España last year, Pablo seems to be brimming with confidence and is expected to contend once again.

The home contingency is extremely strong this week. José Maria Olazábal has made the trip back from The Masters to compete and two of Spain’s other biggest stars have not long returned from injury to support their national open as well (being Miguel Angel Jiménez and Alvaro Quiros). This will be the fourth event back for Alvaro Quiros following a three month layoff. The 30 year old Spaniard has already progressed to all but the top of the Genworth Driving Distance Rankings, and he is hitting more Par 5 greens in sub-regulation (two shots) than most.

Francesco Molinari has made the transatlantic trip following a missed cut at Augusta to defend his Open de España title. The 30 year old Italian golfer has not been quite so consistent this year compared to last, where he did not miss a single cut. Looking at his Genworth Season Statistics, Francesco has performed well off the tee as usual, with 70.8% Driving Accuracy so far in 2013 compared to 71.7% in 2012. However his approach play is where the difference lies, ranking 142nd so far in 2013 (66.3%) compared to 5th in 2012 (77.9%). Remember it is still early season though.

Matteo Manassero returns from Augusta to celebrate his 20th birthday on Friday this week (perhaps a good omen). The highly respected Parador de El Saler course (at just under 7,000 yards) could play into the clinical Italian golfer’s hands, who for the most part has been very consistent so far this year. Matteo ranks 33rd for Stroke Average, 28th for Driving Accuracy and 46th for Greens in Regulation. He is also Scrambling well and making very few mistakes.

Paul Casey returns to compete on the European Tour after a couple of months away. The 35 year old eleven time tour winner seems to be improving with every tournament following injuries and inconsistencies in his game. His Genworth Season Statistics highlight a very solid 70.31 Stroke Average and an excellent 77.1% Greens in Regulation. Paul is scoring well across the different hole types (Par 3’s / Par 4’s / Par 5’s) and he is hitting a high percentage of the Par 5 holes in sub-regulation (two shots).

David Howell is steadily climbing back up the Official World Golf Rankings with good result after good result (including top tens the last two times out). His Genworth Season Statistics highlight superb scoring across the different hole types and a sublime touch around the greens. The 37 year old Englishman is making lots of birdies and very few mistakes, all contributing to a world class Stroke Average of 69.52. Confidence is surely high.

David Horsey is another Englishman in form, with 6th and 2nd place finishes from his last two starts. When combining the Genworth Statistics from those events (India and Morocco) the newly turned 28 year old is strong in every category, but it is his scrambling and putting that really stands out. Over those eight rounds he has Scrambled 35/48 (ranking 3rd) and taken a total of just 207 putts (ranking 1st for Putts per Round), but most importantly he comes out 1st for Stroke Average (world class at 68.38).

Ricardo Santos has missed his last two cuts, but before that he finish inside the top ten on four out of five occasions, so he still gets a mention this week. Looking at his Genworth Season Statistics, the 30 year old golfer from Portugal ranks 17th for Stroke Average, 17th for Greens in Regulation, 41st for Putts per GIR and 15th for Birdies per Round. It will be interesting to see how Ricardo performs this week.

Victor Dubuisson has enjoyed an excellent start to his third full year competing on the European Tour, with three top ten finishes from five events. Turning 23 next Monday (following this tournament) the long hitting Frenchman ranks 16th for the Genworth Stroke Average statistic and 32nd for Greens in Regulation, and like David Howell, he is making lots of birdies and very few mistakes. Victor is one of those young players with bags of talent.