Paul Lawrie Match Play predictions and betting tips
- Matthew Southgate vs. David Drysdale
- Based on my analysis of these two players in the previous slide, it should be obvious who I’m rolling with here. Southgate (No. 124) has Drysdale (No. 238) edged in World Ranking and Race to Dubai (20 vs. 46). Southgate also won a match at the Match Play last year, while Drysdale was a first round exit. A T7 at Bad Griesbach at the European Open in 2016 doesn’t hurt, either.
- Richie Ramsay vs. Richard Bland
- Richard Bland owns T9 and T7 finishes at Bad Griesbach in stroke play. The good vibes will help him the 44-year-old land an upset of Ramsay, who was disqualified in his only start on site. A trip to the championship isn’t bad for a guy who thought he’d be playing professional soccer, reported the Express.
Finals
Matthew Southgate vs. Richard Bland
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I’ve got Southgate hoisting the stone winner’s trophy this week as Bland finally runs out of gas in the championship. Southgate’s story has been inspiring. According to the Telegraph in a 2016 story, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2015. His game was miring and he entered a crossroads at age 27 with his Tour card in jeopardy.
“I knew I had to qualify for my card or that was that. I had to say to myself ‘look you’re not 17 any more, you’re 27 and this can’t go on forever,'” Southgate told the Telegraph. “‘You’re a man now and you’ve got to start making a living.'”
Since then, he’s played fantastic golf to keep his card and was declared cancer-free in a follow-up story by the Telegraph after the Open Championship.
Southgate’s climbed the mountaintop of mortality. This seems like the week he could ascend for his first European Tour win.
United States fans can follow the action of the Paul Lawrie Match Play and the Fiji International on Golf Channel. First round play begins Thursday, August 17, with Fiji International coverage beginning at 4am and Paul Lawrie Match Play at 6:30am ET.