Who are the favorites?
Aaron Rai
Aaron Rai finished inside the top 20 in two of his last four
starts. The Englishman tied for 19th at The Open last week after three rounds
in the 60's. Rai's last top 10s finish was in October at the Scottish
Championship presented by AXA.
Sam Horsfield
Sam Horsfield is not in the form from the beginning of
the year and posted only one top 10s finish in his last eight starts. The
Englishman broke par only once last week at The Open and finished tied for
67th. The Celtic Manor Resort is a course which suits Horsfield's
game and a course he knows pretty well. Won the Celtic Classic last August
which was played on the same course.
Matt Wallace
Matt Wallace spent the last few months on the PGA Tour where
he carded two top 10s in 12 appearances. Wallace, 58th in the world, is the
highest ranked player in the field this week in Wales. The Englishman played
solid last week at The Open and finished tied for 40th. Wallace hasn't won on
the European Tour since the 2018 Made in Denmark.
Form-horse
Marcel Schneider
Marcel Schneider missed the cut on his major debut last week
at the Open, but the German is playing some very good golf
recently. Schneider won the Kaskáda Golf Challenge (Challenge Tour)
in early July, two weeks after finishing tied for seventh on home soil at
the Porsche European Open (European Tour).
Wildcard
David Dixon
At 44 David Dixon is now considered as a veteran on the
European Tour. Dixon won his lone European Tour title back in 2008 at
the Saint-Omer Open. The Englishman has significantly reduced the number
of tournaments he plays a year. Dixon now plays mainly on the EuroPro Tour and
the Challenge Tour in the last few seasons. The Englishman finished tied for
third at last year's Wales Open.
