Ballantine's guide

Dave Tindall's in-depth preview and best bets for the Ballantine's Championship in South Korea.

Dave Tindall's in-depth preview and best bets for this week's Ballantine's Championship

After a one-week stay on the European mainland, the Tour heads back to Asia for the Ballantine's Championship in South Korea. This is the sixth running of the tournament and the third in succession to be held at Blackstone GC in Icheon. The two previous winners on this track were Lee Westwood with 12-under in 2011 and Bernd Wiesberger with -18 last year. Due to military tension in the region and fears of conflict with neighbouring North Korea, two American players - Dustin Johnson and Zach Johnson - have withdrawn. That leaves the field light on quality, with Louis Oosthuizen the star name and market leader. The course Blackstone Golf Club is a tree-lined, undulating layout in the north of the country. The fairways are usually generous and the four-year-old venue has plenty of water in play. The par 72, which opens and closes with a par five, measures 7,281 yards. The weather The forecast suggests sunny conditions will be mixed with cloud and showers throughout the tournament. Sunday faces the biggest threat of rain. Winds could be a factor too and the temperatures may be more European than Asian. Last year - Bernd Wiesberger The Austrian secured his first ever European Tour title - and the first of two in 2012 - with an emphatic five-shot victory over Richie Ramsay. He opened with a steady 72 but then pressed the accelerator with two middle rounds of 65 (course record). He completed the job with a four-under 68 in the final round, the victory moving him into the world's top 100 for the first time. The leading contenders (and Sky Bet odds) Louis Oosthuizen (10/1): A bang in-form Oosthuizen would definitely be single figures here. But a missed cut at the Masters (74-76) - his third weekend off in his last five tournaments - means fans of the South African can get 10/1. This is his debut in the tournament but he did win for the first time in Asia last year when he followed his play-off loss at Augusta by jumping on a plane and capturing the Maybank Malaysian Open. The stats suggest his putter has gone cold over the last couple of months. Alex Noren (16/1): It's a surprise that the Swede should be so close in the betting to world number seven Oosthuizen. The reason is due to a strong mix of course and current form. Noren was fifth here on debut in 2011 after leading going into the final round and again showed his liking for the track when seventh in 2012. He was sixth in Malaysia on his most recent start, a solid tied 20th in the WGC-Cadillac Championship in March and fourth in the Qatar Masters back in March. Richie Ramsay (22/1): The Scot finished runner-up here last year thanks to a closing seven-under 65 while he was also tied 13th in 2011 after starting the final day in the top five. In fact, he seems to be a bit of a specialist in this part of the world with two second places and a fourth in his last five Asian Tour starts. His best finishes this year are a ninth in the limited field Volvo Golf Champions in South Africa and a 15th in the Trophee Hassan II at the end of March. Bernd Wiesberger (25/1): Last year's winner appears to be coming back into form again as he prepares to defend a European Tour title for the first time. He heads to South Korea after his "best ball-striking week of the year so far" when fifth in the Trophee Hassan II. He also added in his press conference this week: "I've been working on the other parts of my game to put a score together, and I think I'm now at that point where if I get a good feel on the greens and hole the odd putt, I can really compete for another victory." Victor Dubuisson (25/1): A closing 66 gave the big-hitting Frenchman third place in this tournament last year and he should relish this track much more than the fiddly and windy El Saler where he could only finish 61st in last week's Spanish Open. Before that he was in fine form with a fourth in the Malaysian Open and top 10s in the Qatar Masters and the Avantha Masters in India. He shot 68-75-68-66 here last year so one poor day cost him the chance of victory. Kiradech Aphibarnrat (28/1): A hot short game helped the 23-year-old Thai capture his first European Tour title at the Maybank Malaysian Open last month.It was the culmination of a great run of performances which had featured a string of five successive top sixes on the Asian Tour. After that win he added another top five in his native Thailand before, surprisingly, missing the cut in the Japan Tour's Token Homemate Cup. On this track he was 15th last year (third round 61) and 27th in 2011. Best of the rest YE Yang (33/1): The local hero and Asia's first men's major winner has yet to contend in this tournament. He was 43rd and then missed the cut when it was held at Pinx while in the two years at Blackstone he missed the cut in 2011 and was 15th last year. He can cut it on home soil (he has a win, a third and a fourth in his last five starts in South Korea) so maybe the course just doesn't suit. He says he's come home early to prepare better this year but his recent form (missed cuts at The Masters and Tampa Bay) isn't encouraging. David Howell (40/1): Howeller has been dropping numerous hints that a win could be around the corner soon and so far in 2013 he's had four top 10s and hasn't missed a cut in eight starts. Interestingly, he snuck a 12th place here last year inbetween missed cuts so he could be one to watch closely this week with his form so much stronger. Oh, and by the way, check out his blog. A great read! Pablo Larrazabal (40/1): The Spaniard missed the cut in his national Open last week but prior to that was fourth in Morocco and sixth in Malaysia in his previous two starts. He hasn't played at Blackstone but should enjoy the course and he has a strong record in Asia. Since 2009 he has 11 top 25s in co-sanctioned events in Asia and that's one of the best records around. Conclusion: The withdrawal of Dustin and Zach Johnson has shortened up the odds on the rest of the field, making it a tricky week for punters. However, the 40/1 about David Howell seems a fair each-way price given his consistent form this season. Even last week when he was only 44th in Spain (his worst result of the season), the Englishman was fifth going into the final round so basically it was just one bad day at the office. Had it been a good one he'd have been 33/1 or possibly shorter, so let's try and cash in on Howell and cheer him back to the winner's circle. At the same price, Pablo Larrazabal is worth a look. Forget his performance in Spain last time and focus instead on his back-to-back top sixes in his previous two starts. Finally, defending a title isn't easy but I fancy Bernd Wiesberger to shine again on a course where he won in a canter last time. He may have turned the corner with a fifth place in Morocco and he won't mind the cooler weather whereas some of the Asian players might. Tips: 2pts e.w. David Howell at 40/1 (1/4 1,2,3,4,5)
1pt e.w. Pablo Larrazabal at 40/1 (1/4 1,2,3,4,5)
2pts e.w. Bernd Wiesberger at 25/1 (1/4 1,2,3,4,5)