Genworth Stats Pack - Preview Report

Ernie Els has competed in this event 17 times before, winning on two occasions (back in 2000 and 2003). He arrives in tremendous form off the back of a 4th place finish at the US Open and a win at the BMW International Open. Looking at his Genworth Statistics since the beginning of March, the 43 year old Big Easy ranks lower than expected for Driving Accuracy and Greens in Regulation, but they are as a result of an extremely difficult schedule of events. Considering that point, it makes his ranking of 2nd for Par 3 Scoring and also for Par 5 Scoring all the more impressive, plus his overall Stroke Average ranking of 4th is once again, tremendous. Don't be surprised to see the 28 time European Tour winner collect yet another title this week, or perhaps next, where he claimed The Open Championship the last time it was staged at Muirfield in 2002.

Paul Casey has competed in this event 5 times before (with a best of 10th in 2003) and he arrives off the back of a win at the Irish Open. Looking at his Genworth Statistics since the beginning of March, the 35 year old Englishman actually ranks 1st out of all the players for Greens in Regulation, plus he is hitting 17.7% of the Par 5 greens in sub-regulation (two shots). The 12 time European Tour winner has been growing in confidence for a while now and as his putter warms up then the rest had better watch out. Back to back wins are most definitely on the cards.

Thomas Björn has competed in this event 16 times before, winning back in 1996. He arrives as perhaps the most consistent player on tour over the past month or so, with finishes of 2nd / 2nd / 18th / 8th from his last four starts. Looking at his Genworth Statistics since the beginning of March, the 42 year old Great Dane is driving the ball straight, hitting lots of Greens in Regulation and putting extremely well. Thomas is also making lots of birdies and comparatively few mistakes, all leading to an overall Stroke Average ranking of 7th. There is no reason why the 13 time European Tour winner should not continue this high level of consistency.

Matteo Manassero has competed in this event twice before (with a best of 36th last year) and he arrives with finishes of win / 4th / cut / 22nd / 25th from his last five starts. Looking at his Genworth Statistics since the beginning of March, the 20 year old Italian Maestro is performing steadily with the longer clubs, but his touch on and around the greens has been sublime. He is scoring well across the different hole types (especially on the Par 3 holes), plus he is regularly converting eagles and birdies and limiting the drop shots, all leading to a Stroke Average ranking of 11th.

Richard Sterne has competed in this event 7 times before (with a best of 4th in 2007) and he arrives off the back of a runner-up finish last week in France. Looking at his Genworth Statistics since the beginning of March, the 31 year old South African seems to be holing his fair share of putts, but it is his Par 5 play that stands out most of all. He is driving the ball long and hitting 22.4% of the Par 5 greens in sub-regulation (two shots), leading to a Par 5 Scoring average of 4.53. Richard has a habit of stringing good performances together over the years, so don’t be surprised if he contends or even takes the title this week.

Alex Noren has competed in this event 6 times before, with a best of tied 3rd here at Castle Stuart last year. Looking at his Genworth Statistics since the beginning of March, the three time European Tour winner is performing very well in most categories except for his Driving Accuracy being a little low (but that has been a trend with his golf all season so far and it doesn’t seem to affect his scoring too much). Most impressively, out of all the players, the Swedish talent ranks 1st for Par 3 Scoring and 2nd for overall Stroke Average. He will enjoy his 31st birthday this Friday during the tournament (a good omen perhaps).

Bernd Wiesberger has competed in this event twice before (both times at Castle Stuart) and is yet to make the cut. But don’t let that fool you into thinking he has no chance this week because his Genworth Statistics since the beginning of March are astounding. The 27 year old Austrian golfer is averaging 302 yards for Driving Distance and 71.4% for Greens in Regulation, plus he is converting more Birdies per Round than any other player except for Mikko Ilonen. He also ranks 2nd for Par 3 Scoring and also for Par 4 Scoring, and sits aloft at the top of the Stroke Average rankings for the period.

Paul Lawrie is the first of three Scottish players featuring in today’s preview report. Having competed in this event 21 times before (with a best of 9th in 2008) he arrives in steady form, but he is awaiting a big finish to really get the year moving. Looking at his Genworth Statistics since the beginning of March, the 44 year old Scottish golfer ranks lower than last year in numerous categories, but what should we expect after such a heroic 2012. There doesn't seem to be any specific weakness, yes the lower Driving Accuracy will have a knock-on effect through the game, but his Par 3 Scoring could also do with being a little better. Everything considered, the 8 time European Tour winner is still looking good for Dubai at the end of the season and could light it up at any point.

Our second Scottish feature player, Stephen Gallacher, has competed in this event 15 times before (with a best of 4th on 2010) and he arrives off the back of an 8th place finish last week in France. Looking at his Genworth Statistics since the beginning of March, the 38 year old Scottish golfer is driving it long and hitting 72.4% of the Greens in Regulation. The only area where a little improvement may perhaps help his scoring is on the greens, as he ranks quite low for each of the Genworth Putting Statistics categories. The year 2013 could well end up being Stephen’s best on tour.

Our third and final Scottish feature player, Marc Warren, has competed in this event 8 times before with a best of tied 3rd here at Castle Stuart last year. He arrives off the back of a solid performance last week in France so confidence should be high. Looking at his Genworth Statistics since the beginning of March, the 32 year old Scottish golfer ranks 27th for Stroke Average, 21st for Greens in Regulation, 12th for Scrambling and 8th for Par 3 Scoring with a 2.98 average (under Par on the Par 3 holes is excellent scoring on tour courses). With all the home support this week, Marc could well be a dark horse.