The DP World Tour continues this week with the European Open from Germany, where several Ryder Cup hopefuls will be looking to push their claims for a place on Team Europe.
| What | European Open |
| Where | North Course, Green Eagle, Hamburg, Germany |
| When | From 06:30, Thursday, June 1, 2023 |
| How to watch | Sky Sports Golf and bet365 Live Golf Tracker |
| Odds | Victor Perez 18/1, Rasmus Hojgaard 18/1, Jordan Smith 20/1, Yannik Paul 22/1, Thorbjorn Olesen 25/1 |
Victor Perez is hoping to make a Ryder Cup debut in September and the Frenchman knows that he needs to perform in events like the European Open if he is to earn a place on Luke Donald's side to face the USA.
Perez did his Ryder Cup bid the world of good by finishing 12th in the US PGA earlier this month, but that bold effort was followed by a missed cut in the KLM Open last week.
For inexperienced players like Perez, automatic qualification is probably needed for the Ryder Cup, as wildcard picks may be reserved for bigger names.
Perez is 18/1 to win the European Open and cement his place in the European Ryder Cup qualification spots.
Rasmus Hojgaard can be backed at 18/1 as he looks to throw his name deeper into the Ryder Cup chat. Hojgaard and his twin Nicolai could follow in the footsteps of the Molinari brothers as siblings competing in the Ryder Cup.
Nicolai is in Ohio this week, teeing up in the Memorial, but Rasmus is at the North Course, Green Eagle, Hamburg, looking to win the European Open. Rasmus finished third in the KLM Open last time out, so will be a popular choice this week.
Rasmus was scheduled to play in the Hero Cup at the start of the year – a team competition pitting Continental Europe against Great Britain and Ireland – but injury ruled him out
Nicolai replaced him on the Continentals team and performed superbly. Donald may be tempted to pair the twins against the USA in the Ryder Cup.
Jordan Smith is 20/1 for European Open glory. Smith won the tournament in 2017, so the North Course is a happy hunting ground, and the 30-year-old Bath boy landed a second DP World Tour title in the Portugal Masters last season.
Each-way terms of a quarter the odds, the first five places are available for the European Open, as well as alternative options, like a fifth the odds, the first eight places, in the Each Way Extra section.
European Open course details
The North Course, Green Eagle, Hamburg, Germany is a 7,457-yard track which can stretch even longer from the back tees.
The par 73 has six par-fives, with only seven par-fours, so the long drivers in the field have a great opportunity to make an impact.
Bernd Wiesberger, Romain Wattel and Kalle Samooja are the course-record holders, all having carded a 64 in previous European Opens.
This enormous layout has water in play on 17 holes and extremely undulating greens, so it provides a significant challenge.
It has hosted this event from 2017 onwards. Chilly mornings should be followed by pleasant afternoons, with temperatures peaking at 19C. This is the most difficult course in Germany and a real slog for short drivers.
Three to follow:
Yannik Paul (22/1)
Greens-in-regulation machine Yannik Paul has been a popular choice this week and the 22/1 chance will be relishing the opportunity to tee up in his home country at a track where tee-to-green skills are all important.
Paul, who won his maiden DP World Tour title in the Mallorca Open last year, has become a leaderboard regular on his home circuit. He finished 18th on his European Open debut last year and can contend more seriously this time.
Antoine Rozner (25/1)
Another rock-solid tee-to-green operator – Antoine Rozner – may also shine on this long, demanding layout. The Frenchman, available at 25/1, is a three-time DP World Tour champion. His latest triumph came in the Mauritius Open just before Christmas.
Rozner, who has finished in the top six three times this year, was 29th in the KLM Open last week and seems likely to be in the thick of things come Sunday.
Matti Schmid (60/1)
Another German may join Yannik Paul on the European Open leaderboard – Matti Schmid could be set to show his class.
The two-time European Amateur champion has been competing in the much higher grade of the PGA Tour this year, and struggling, but 60/1 about him beating a DP World Tour field could be seen as generous.
