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Perth International: A preview and best bets for this week's European Tour event

Brody Ninyette of Australia tees off on the 8th hole
Image: The 8th hole at Lake Karrinyup

The European Tour heads Down Under this week for the ISPS HANDA Perth International at Lake Karrinyup CC in Perth.

Major champions Jason Dufner (2013 USPGA), Charl Schwartzel (2011 Masters) and Geoff Ogilvy (2006 US Open) are three of the headline acts for the third edition of the event - the last before the start of the four tournament season-ending Final Series.

Also making their way to Australia are Ryder Cup winner Victor Dubuisson and American Peter Uihlein while Danny Willett, Edoardo Molinari, Thorbjorn Olesen, Marcus Fraser and Raphael Jacquelin make up the remainder of the top ten in Sky Bet's odds.

Tournament form

Market leader Schwartzel missed the cut (71-76) on his only previous start in this event in 2012 while that same year Dufner finished runner-up to fellow American Bo Van Pelt.

Jin Jeong of Korea holds aloft the trophy after taking victory last year
Image: Jin Jeong of Korea holds aloft the trophy after taking victory last year

The top nine in 2012 featured those two Americans, two Englishmen (Paul Casey in third and David Howell T5), Spaniard Alejandro Canizares, New Zealand's Michael Hendry, Scotland's Scott Jamieson, Welshman Rhys Davies and Argentine Emiliano Grillo.

More from Perth International 2014

Last year, victory went to Korean Jin Jeong, who overcame  England's Ross Fisher in a play-off. Little-known Aussie pair Brody Ninyette and Dimitrios Papadatos shared third place with England’s Danny Willett.

Jeong, who won with 10-under, ranked 11th for Driving Accuracy and 6th for Greens In Reg for the week. 

It was a similar story with 2012 champ Van Pelt, who was third in Driving Accuracy and 6th in Greens In Reg.

The course

As we're in Australia, Lake Karrinyup's card is measured in metres. The total of 6,531 equates to 7,142 yards, with the par 72 featuring the usual quota of four par fives (3, 7, 11 and 15). The European Tour website also highlights a few more features: All bunkers are natural sand, the wide fairways boarded by gum trees are the feature of the course while also expect to see lots of kangaroos and native ducks on course!

Kangaroos bound across the sixth fairway
Image: Kangaroos bound across the sixth fairway

Conclusion

In a very difficult tournament to call, it could be worth chancing Tom Lewis at a three-figure price.

The young Englishman's bare results aren't anything special but nine cuts out of 11 is decent and his last five rounds read 67-71-68-71-69.

The added area of interest on his CV is that he played very well in Australia as an amateur in 2010.

Still in his teens, Lewis came over for two events and finished runner-up in the New South Wales Open (losing to Peter O'Malley in a play-off) before posting a very creditable 12th place and winning the Silver Medal for top amateur in the Australian Open.

Tom Lewis: Good memories of Australia
Image: Tom Lewis: Good memories of Australia

"The golf courses have been wonderful and the crowds in all tournaments have been excellent towards me,” said Lewis back then, so hopefully some of those positive memories will return.

Another fresh-faced Englishman who could go well is Oli Fisher.

Like Lewis, the 26-year-old is already a European Tour winner and he's shown some decent form over the last couple of months.

He was fourth in the Made in Denmark event and also registered top 10s in the Open de France and the KLM Open in the Netherlands.

Fisher can also bring a bit of course form to the table having finished 18th at Lake Karrinyup in 2013.

He's a player, whose price can drop to offputting levels if he's recorded a top 10 the previous week but the 60/1 on offer from Sky Bet for this event seems attractive enough.

At the front of the betting, it's hard to get too excited about anyone.

Jason Dufner, for example, goes into the event having not played competitively for 11 weeks and also admitting that he took such a break from all things golf that he "didn't watch one minute of the Ryder Cup." Taking him at 16/1 requires a leap of faith.

But, on current form, Edoardo Molinari might just be worth a play at 25/1.

Players who had previously seen battle in Ryder Cups (Oli Wilson, Nicolas Colsaerts) seem to have been invigorated after watching Europe's latest win at Gleneagles (a reminder of the heights they once hit?) so Molinari might be another.

The Italian, who played in the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor, has a 4th, 11th and 13th in three of his last four starts on the European Tour so is knocking at the door.

The added bonus is that he has some past experience of the course, having finished 28th in 2012. 

Best bets

1pt e.w. Tom Lewis at 100/1 (1/4 1,2,3,4,5)

1pt e.w. Oli Fisher at 60/1 (1/4 1,2,3,4,5)

2pts e.w. Edoardo Molinari at 25/1 (1/4 1,2,3,4,5)

Watch the Perth International live on Sky Sports 4 on Thursday morning, with coverage from 4.30am.

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