Just as it was beginning to look as though the European Tour had managed to navigate a path through this pandemic, its return to Germany, where the government has strict rules it will not bend for professional golfers, has forced a change of plan. Quite how they've got this far, 11 months on from those off-camera events in neighbouring Austria, I'm not sure. It's been an almighty effort and if you were in doubt as to why Keith Pelley and co needed to spend fortnights at Celtic Manor, in Cyprus, Kenya, Dubai and Tenerife, here's your answer.
That the European Open will go ahead at all is testament to the Tour's doggedness. It will have been enormously frustrating to have this popular, Porsche-backed event delayed by 48 hours, to allow time for those arriving from both the UK and Denmark. But rather than postpone until later in the year, deny a good chunk of the field their chance to play, or cancel altogether, instead it will be 54 holes from Saturday to Monday and, as Thomas Bjorn alluded to during the Made In Himmerland, you will hear very few complaints.
Whether headline acts Paul Casey and Abraham Ancer meet their commitments to play remains to be seen, although the former won here in 2019 and the latter does drive a lovely-looking Porsche. Presumably, Ancer will therefore turn up and do his bit, knowing that he has ample time to return home to Texas and prepare for the US Open, which begins a fortnight on Thursday. Casey meanwhile will surely relish the chance to play the lead role and will have designs on his second win of a strong 2021.
Preparation time is what everyone here at Green Eagle will lack, because nobody arrives until Friday, less than 24 hours before tee-off. You'd think that will be more of a problem for those without a look at the course previously, but as one caddie told me at the weekend, 'it's right there in front of you' and won't take much learning. What it might take is power: Green Eagle can stretch beyond 7,800 yards, and five par-fives (two of which are over 600 yards) lend a definite advantage to bigger hitters.
"It's long, I think that's the first thing that comes to mind," was the response of Xander Schauffele when he played here a couple of years ago. "It's probably the longest course I've ever played in my life." He wasn't kidding, and while Richard McEvoy defied a distance handicap to famously down Bryson DeChambeau in 2018, focus more on those behind him, those competing with Casey a year later, and the 2017 play-off between Jordan Smith and Alex Levy, and you'll get a pretty clear picture.
In fact I would put Green Eagle right alongside Albatross in Prague, and perhaps Royal Greens in Saudi Arabia, as one of the most bomber-friendly courses on the circuit. Combine that with the aggression which is demanded by a 54-hole shootout, if it can be termed that way on what is a difficult layout, and you have a formula which almost makes things appear straightforward.
Then you remember you've still got to find the right ones but I'm hopeful this could be ideal for TAPIO PULKKANEN and he's the headline selection at around the 150/1 mark.
This big-hitting Finn had been struggling before his debut in this event three years ago, but shot three good rounds to sit on the fringes of the top 20 before a difficult Sunday. A couple of starts later he contended at Albatross before going on to place in the Dunhill Links, where calm conditions and generous pins helped him bully his way to a big cheque.
In 2019 he was again playing poorly before missing the cut, so the message is that what he's achieved in the European Open may not tell us the whole story. And if you dig into his Nordic Golf League form you'll see that he actually won here, comfortably, back in 2015. That may not sound like a particularly worthwhile guide, but in third was Christopher Blomstrand, whose best European Tour finish came back here when runner-up in 2018. Per Langfors has also won an NGL event at Green Eagle, and his standout European Tour performance in terms of ranking points earned came here, too.
One of the best drivers on the circuit and among the most prolific birdie-makers in 2020, Canter can demonstrate that Green Eagle is ideal, something he hinted at when starting well back in 2017. At the time he was 655th in the world and clearly still figuring out how to make the most of what's always been enormous potential, yet he ended the week ninth in ball-striking and fourth in total driving and sat 19th at halfway.
Thanks to top-five finishes in Dubai, Italy, Portugal and Wales last year, he's now delivering what had long been promised and his form since returning from a rare start in the US has been both progressive and encouraging. Certainly, I would have this down as a much more suitable course for him than Himmerland, where he finished eighth on Sunday for his first top-10 since February, and it was pleasing to see his putter warm up to complement a consistently excellent long-game.
There's been rain around in Hamburg and there's more to come, another reason to believe long, quality driving will be important, and that's always been a staple of Fisher's game. It's partly why he's often come to the fore on longer, parkland courses, which in turn helps explain an excellent record in Germany in particular.
Fisher was out of sorts when making his debut here in 2019 but still fared pretty well to finish mid-pack, and this time arrives buoyed not only by Bland's win, but a first top-10 finish of the year. Like Canter, it was produced on a course slightly less vulnerable to his main weapons, and saw the former Ryder Cup player rank fifth in approaches having been 10th in the same category at The Belfry.
It seems that Nicolai, who don't forget was the first to make an impression on the European Tour when second at the KLM Open, is really putting things together and he too has some course experience, having outperformed Rasmus when making the cut here in 2018. Aged just 17, he sat 16th after round one, impressing along with Viktor Hovland, and returned a year later to miss the cut on the number.
Meronk is among the longest and best drivers on the circuit, ranking eighth in strokes-gained off the tee, so it's little wonder he does so much of his scoring on the par-fives. But the truth is right now his game has no obvious weakness, and that's translated to a run of excellent results in what's his second season at the top level.
Last week's share of 31st was up and down, Meronk shooting rounds of 66 and 65 but over-par on both Thursday and Saturday, however he was third on two of his previous three starts and I'm not at all convinced Himmerland will have been ideal for him. Green Eagle should be and if he can sharpen up his approach play, there's no reason he can't go well as he seeks to lock up a US Open spot having put himself in position to do just that.
Posted at 1730 BST on 31/05/21
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