Former winner has outside chance of Swiss glory

The European Tour stars have descended on the Swiss Alps for this week’s Omega European Masters. There are some big-name stars in the field, with Rory McIlroy the 9/2 favourite –  but could an outsider claim the spoils?

Lee Westwood is a former winner of the event – albeit 20 years ago – but the Englishman proved at the Open Championship that, despite his advancing years, he is still no pushover.

Now 46, the former Ryder Cup ace managed a share of fourth at Royal Portrush, rolling back the years to when he was a regular contender at the top of leaderboards around the world.

The winner of 24 European Tour titles, including the 2018 Nedbank Golf Challenge – a Rolex Series event, the Worksop-born veteran seems as hungry as ever to keep playing at the highest level and claim further silverware.

He can be backed at 35/1 to lift the trophy while fellow Englishman Eddie Pepperell is available at 50/1.

The 28-year-old has a couple of European Tour titles under his belt but has not been in the winner’s circle since October last year when he claimed the British Masters.

It has been a mixed bag for the Oxford-born world number 42 this season, with only three top-10s but he was runner-up in the defence of his British Masters title and fourth in the Irish Open, proving he can mix it with the best.

He has not played that much during the past few months and could be ready to strike at Crans-sur-Sierre.

Frenchman Alexander Levy has endured a torrid season, with nine missed cuts and just two top-10 finishes, struggling with both injury and a loss of form.

However, the 29-year-old is a much better player than those statistics suggest and is trending in the right direction.

He finished 18th at the Czech Masters and was tied for fifth in last week’s Scandinavian Invitation – a true reflection of his ability.

He can be backed at 100/1 to win this week, a price worth considering for someone on the way back, especially with Betfred paying out seven places on each-way bets.

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