ISPS Championship In Spain Tips 2022

Getting the obvious out of the way nice and early, I can see no logical reason to oppose Rasmus Hojgaard here this week in Spain.

The other two at the very top of the market have solid credentials this week: Bernd Wiesberger is an 8-time winner on the DP World Tour, 2 of which were at Rolex Series level and a rung or two above this week’s test; Adri Arnaus may not be able to boast the same silverware of course, however 4 top-5 finishes in his last 5 starts confirms that he’s still knocking very loudly on the door for that first win.

For me though, Hojgaard holds all the cards here this week. What Bernd Wiesberger lacks in current form, Rasmus makes up for with finishes of 6^th and 18^th on the PGA Tour on his last two starts at the Corales Championship and Texas Open respectively. What Adri Arnaus lacks in victories, Rasmus makes up for having recorded 3 wins on Tour before his 21^st birthday, which was last month.

6^th here at the Lumine Lakes Open on the Nordic Golf League in 2019 and 5^th later that year at the Q-School Final, closing with a pair of 66s on the Lakes Course, suggests he enjoys the course and given what we’ve seen from his 3 career wins so far, adding another title here wouldn’t be remotely out of place.

The Dane’s breakthrough win came by the coast at the Mauritius Open and he backed that up with wins at The Belfry, which features water on half of the holes, and most recently at the sub-7,000 yard layout at Crans-sur-Sierre. With his twin Nicolai holding bragging rights in terms of Driving Distance, Rasmus is more suited to tracks that require a little more strategy and this week sets up nicely for the 21 year-old. RESULT: T69

I backed Hurly Long as recently as the Steyn City Championship last month to no avail, however I’m happy to stick with him this week after he’s had time for a little rest and recuperation after an impressive start to 2022.

Finishes of 18^th and 3^rd at the Ras al Khaimah double-header, followed up with a runner-up finish in Kenya, suggests that the door will open sooner rather than later for the talented German. 21^st the week I backed him was solid if unspectacular as the putter dropped off a little from the highs of the previous weeks, however hitting over 80% of fairways was a positive on the wider dimensions there and if he can avoid anything too destructive from off the tee this week then he should enjoy the Lakes course.

29^th here at Q-School in 2019 is handy experience for the 26 year-old, and with rounds of 65 and 67 on the Lakes in rounds 1 and 4, he was one of the top performers before the cut was made when it came to this track in particular. Performing in the vicinity of the sea shouldn’t surprise though – after all, he shot 61 as an amateur at Pebble Beach – and I suspect we’ll continue to see contending performances on wider, exposed layouts as his career progresses.

With 12 of the 18 holes classed as Par-4s this week, the fact that Long sits 12^th for the season so far in terms of Par-4 Scoring is positive and I can see him having a big week. RESULT: MC

Another player I’ve backed recently and am happy to support once again is Sami Valimaki.

40^th at the Qatar Masters following his 16^th place finish at the Steyn City Championship wasn’t what I quite had in mind as he trod water all week, however his approach play took another step forward – 19^th in the field was his best ranking in that respect for well over a year – and he seemed content enough on Social Media that progress was continuing to be made.

A 15-under total here at Q-School in 2019 was good for a tie for 8^th that week, the highlight of which was a 4^th round 65 here with 7 birdies and a single bogey, and given his record on Greg Norman designs, another bold showing here this week wouldn’t surprise me at all. 5^th at the Norman-designed Earth Course at the end of 2020 was his last top-10 finish on Tour, however his solitary victory to date was on another Norman track at Al Mouj in Oman, when he broke our heart by beating Brandon Stone in a play-off. RESULT: MC

With Bernd Wiesberger taking the plaudits in recent times when it comes to Austrian golf, it’s easy to forget his compatriot Lukas Nemecz who deserves more than an honourable mention here this week.

3 wins on the Alps Tour between 2017 and 2020 was followed by 3 runner-up finishes on the Challenge Tour last year, and the 31 year-old earned his stab at the upper tier this year by virtue of his eventual ranking on the Race to Mallorca.

From the relatively few starts he’s made on the DP World Tour thus far, there’s been plenty to like. 26^th for Driving Accuracy for the season is positive if he’s going to keep himself out of the water this week, and 28^th for SG Approach is also encouraging if he’s going to take advantage of some of those fairways he finds. 3^rd at the Ras al Khaimah Championship is his best result at the upper tier to date, however he impressed again on his last start when sitting in 6^th place heading into the weekend in Qatar before fading to 27^th.

Success last week back home at the Audi Circuit with rounds of 66, 63, 69 and 65 won’t appear on his OWGR record, but suffice it to say that he’s kept himself active since the last DP World Tour event. With a 5^th place finish here at Stage 2 Q-School in 2015 to provide positive vibes, perhaps he can push on again here this week. RESULT: T15

Finally I’ll have a speculative punt on Spaniard Alejandro Canizares who might just surprise on home soil at a huge price.

Given prior Q-School finishes here at Infinitum of 1^st in 2018 and 3^rd in 2019, the only explanation for such a big price is recent form – and a cursory glance at his 2022 outings confirms suspicions. Finishes of 57^th and 60^th in South Africa last month rate as the 39 year-old’s best efforts this term, yet there’s just enough in those 2 outings to give us a little hope that he’s playing better than his results suggest. 66 to start at the MyGolfLife Open followed by a 3^rd round 67 is acceptable enough, and he went a step further the following week in Steyn City when he produced a 2^nd round 65. Both were on long, altitude courses and I suspect that this shorter affair should suit better.

Despite his relatively poor start to the 2021/22 campaign, Madrid-born Canizares still ranks inside the top third of Tour players for SG Approach, and given his positive record on home soil – which includes 3 runner-up finishes over the years – he could outperform expectations here this week. RESULT: MC