Not as common as it used to be, but appearance money is alive and well on the European Tour. How else can you explain the exodus from the US Tour for this week's Lancome Trophy in Versailles where the field will include such luminaries as David Duval, Mark O'Meara, Jesper Parnevik and Fred Couples?
The invasion of sorts doesn't mean that those who ply their trade on the American circuit will have it all their own way, though. Indeed, the Europeans have plenty of heavyweights of their own, not least Colin Montgomerie who is very much back in the picture in terms of winning a sixth successive European order of merit after his win in the British Masters.
Monty and Duval are installed as 10 to 1 joint-favourites for the title, but Mark O'Meara, who won the title last year, could be worth following at generous enough odds of 16 to 1. The horses-for-courses theory also applies to Montgom erie and, given his recent woes, he showed a healthy return to form in the Forest of Arden. However, O'Meara gets the nod, with an each-way saver on Ignacio Garrido who showed a belated return to form in the British Masters, which he would have won but for his caddie putting a 15th club in the bag and so incurring a four-stroke penalty for his master.
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