Surely a win must be on the horizon for Soren Hansen. Finished an agonizing single shot behind the playoff places last week, sharing third with three others. Hansen is on fire with his new Titleist irons and as one of the few big names set to tee it up in Fontana, he wont get a better chance to claim his first win since 2007. Interestingly that victory was the Mercedez Benz Championship held on this week two year ago. Soren has also come close at Fontana in the past, finishing second behind Brier at the BA-CA event in 2006 thanks to a final round 65. Top tenned also last year.
Your average snow loving Austrian might list among their sporting heroes guys like Franz Klammer or Hermann Maier, but when it comes to minority Summer sports such as golf they don't come much bigger than Markus Brier. The home favourite first won at Fontana in 2002 when The Austrian Open formed part of the Challenge Tour schedule, then repeated the victory in 2004. Brier went to became the first Austrian golfer to win on the main European Tour claiming the BA-CA Golf Open again at Fontana. Has struggled of late but finished a respectable tied 23rd last week and remains the horse for the course. Wears more patches than Captain Jack Sparrow!
It's a case of last one out turn the lights this week as most of the Tour's top stars have decided to take a week off. The prize fund of one million euro is one of the smallest on the recession hit tour but for those journeymen in the field there is still exits the possibility of a big payday and a tour title. Swede Martin Erlandsson falls into that category and a after a week off last week he will be eager to continue his good form. Known as a Summer streaker, Erlandsson has retained his card every year since 2006 by earning big in the Summer. This years run started on his home turf at The SAS Masters where he tied fourth even following a disastrous final round 76. Followed that performance with a fourth round 63 at the KLM and 62 at Gleneagles to come second. Erlandsson likes Fontana, surging through the field with a Sunday 65 to finish tied third last year.
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