There are just two tournaments left for players to qualify for the DP World Tour play-offs, so competition should be strong at this week’s Andalucia Masters at Real Club de Golf Sotogrande in Spain.
Jon Rahm, who was beaten by Angel Hidalgo in a Spanish Open play-off recently, is set to go off as hot favourite, but there are plenty of other DPWT regulars with high hopes of turning the tables on the LIV Golf champion.
- THORBJORN OLESEN TO WIN (EACH-WAY)
- JORDAN SMITH TO WIN (EACH-WAY)
- JEFF WINTHER TO WIN (EACH-WAY)
Dane Finding Touch At Perfect Time
As well as a place in the play-offs for the top 70 players in the Race to Dubai standings, there are also 10 tickets to next season’s PGA Tour and Thorbjorn Olesen is coming to form at just the right time to claim one of them.
He is 12th in that list going into this week’s tournament and looks in the sort of nick that he can go on to make one of them his own, which means concentrating his efforts in Europe in the second half of 2024 has been a good tactic after just two Stateside top-20s this year.
Olesen finished 12th at both the Irish Open and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship before he was tied for second at last week’s Open de France, which was won by Dan Bradbury.
Further confidence is taken from Olesen’s ninth in Andalucia last year when he started with a 73, and this looks a good chance for him to claim a second win of the year to go with the Ras Al Khaimah Championship he secured in January.
THORBJORN OLESEN TO WIN (EACH-WAY)
Consistent Smith Could Lead The Charge
England’s Jordan Smith is in a similar position with a PGA Tour card in touching distance and the two-time DP World Tour winner, who last tasted success at the 2022 Portugal Masters, has had an excellent autumn.
He was 12th at both the British and European Masters, seventh at the Irish Open, 18th in a strong field at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and 13th last week in Paris.
Smith recovered to finish 34th last year after starting with a poor 74, so he should be able to get to grips with the demands of the track.
JORDAN SMITH TO WIN (EACH-WAY)
Winther Can Make His Presence Felt
A case could also be made for another Dane alongside Olesen, with Jeff Winther showing some strong recent form.
Winther should secure his play-off place from here as he is 56th in the standings, but he will be keen to build on the share of the runners-up spot he gained at Le Golf National last week.
That was only his second top-10 finish of the year, but 17th at the European Masters and 18th at Wentworth suggest it was not a flash in the pan.
He posted a similar finish in France last year before going on to finish sixth at Sotogrande and he may feel he has some unfinished business in this tournament, having seen his victory chance slip away 12 months ago when he carded a closing 74 after his Saturday 65 was the best of the day.
JEFF WINTHER TO WIN (EACH-WAY)
