Bernd Wiesberger looks the top choice at the Porsche European Open

David John thinks Bernd Wiesberger can put up a a bold bid to justify favouritism in this week's Porsche European Open.

The European Open returns to the European Tour after a six-year hiatus and is staged at Golf Resort Bad Griesbach - the Beckenbauer course has been designed by veteran Bernhard Langer (who is in the field this week) and will be played as a par of 70 by the pros rather than the usual 72 for amateur visitors.

It is quite rare for me to tip up a market leader but I feel that Bernd Wiesberger from neighbouring Austria should be very much in the mix over the weekend and is worth a win-only investment. 

Wiesberger has enjoyed an excellent 2015 campaign and got his just rewards for some solid efforts in the first half of the season with victory in the Open de France in July.

Anyone who can shoot 66-65 over the weekend at the testing Le Golf National gets a thumbs up from me and although his form has been a little patchy since, he hinted he was still in pretty good nick with a T14 last weekend in Italy.

That came after a month off - he missed some tournaments he likes but felt it was prudent to have some sort of break following a busy summer with a lot of travelling - and was very much involved heading into the final round in Milan.

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Perhaps that extended spell of rest finally caught him out on Sunday as he made no further progress in a level par round of 72 - but I am tempted to go with him again now he has that outing under his belt.

Unfortunately, most of the bookmaking fraternity feel the same way and there is not a great deal of margin for error in his price. So the advice is to go with Wiesberger on the nose as that victory in Paris should have done him a world of good in terms of  knowing that he can get the job done in very good company. 

It is hats off to David Howell who has littered his season with a host of good finishes and the consistent performances show no signs of halting just yet as we close in on the Final Series.

Safely ensconced inside the top 60 and heading to Dubai at the end of November, Howell has amassed almost one million euros in 2015 and just requires a victory of some description to finally put the icing on the cake.

He has finished runner-up on three occasions and has seen his chance of glory slip away with the odd loose shot when the pressure was at it's greatest.

But Howell seems to take it all in his stride with the right attitude and a smile on his face - like Wiesberger, he elected to take some time off after the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits and then come back with a couple of eyecatching efforts at the KLM Open and then in Italy.

Those should have him cherry ripe and a glance at his form in Germany is excellent - he has been a regular visitor at the BMW International Open for two decades and posted seven top 20s and a victory back in 2005.

He closed with a 66 in Italy and also fired a 63 in Holland so if he can transfer that sort of effort to here then he must surely give himself a great chance of finally sticking is head in front where it matters. 

Rikard Karlberg added his name to the list of Nordics triumphant in events this year on the European Tour and perhaps that will kick-start Finland's Mikko Ilonen into action.

It was just under 12 months ago that he came out on top in the Volvo World Match Play at the London Club, the second of two titles in 2014, but this year has seen him not come anywhere near adding to his tally.

He has managed just two top-20 finishes but picked up some decent cheques at the big events along the way which leaves him in 64th place currently on the Race To Dubai.

Ilonen needs to get moving then to make the top 60 but he revealed recently that much of the summer has seen him bothered by a neck problem which left him playing rather conservatively in a bid to protect it.

He has now managed to shake off the problem and rounds of 64 and 62 at the KLM Open certainly suggest he is moving in the right direction with his game despite a couple of less stellar 71s along the way.

That is what you can get with Ilonen - but he is a quality performer when everything is right and if those injury issues are truly behind him then he looks a lively contender with plenty still to play for this season.