China Open

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Pablo Larrazabal to beat Rafa Cabrera-Bello 8 points @ 10-11 (Spreadex)

The Genzon Golf Club hosts the China Open for the first time and we have little knowledge of the course. The information we do have suggests it is held in very high regard but, despite it being 7100-yards-plus contains some very reachable par-5s and a few sub-380-yard Par-4s. As such, expectation is that low scoring by good second-shot players handy with a wedge and a putter will owt.

Most of the top eight or so in the betting hold serious claims but for me Cabrera-Bello is the weakest of the lot, often putting in form bursts of a few events and then going missing. After a decent Qatar swing, he only has the 5th in Morocco to boast about and that after falling away under third-round pressure. Even then, the Spaniard ranked 65th for putting, an aspect that has to be vital this week on a new type of green, and the missed-cut when hotly fancied at Malaysia will not help self-belief. His record in this part of the world doesn't stand up to that of his oppo with just an 8th in the BMW earlier in 2013 and he has a particularly poor record in this event over the years.

Larrazabal comes here with more notoriety than he would have hoped, having become an overnight youtube sensation following his escape from a swarm of hornets last week in Malaysia. To then go on to record 68 in that second round was impressive stuff, and following that up with a 70/67 weekend was almost beyond belief. That he was determined to go low on the Sunday is testament to the man's will to play the whole event in top form and he will enjoy coming back to the China Open, an event where he has a record of 5/18/10/8, enhanced with a 5th in that same BMW event. Latterly Larra's approach play and putting have improved, coinciding with a new grip that he says is coming to fruition and this is a perfect oppertunity for him to build on last weeks 8th place finish. Pablo is strongly fancied to contend this week and to leave his compatriot in his wake and ranks a very strong wager.