The absence of any significant prizemoney - the pot of £350,000 is one of the smallest on the European Tour - allied to the need for a "breather" in preparation for a string of big-money tournaments for the rest of the month means a somewhat lightweight look to this week's Turespana Masters at Santa Ponsa.
In fact, Bernhard Langer's reappearance in Europe for the first time since his American travels means he has been installed as a raging hot 4 to 1 favourite for the tournament.
With so many of the so-called "big guns" taking a rest, there is an increased likelihood of a springer emerging from the pack. Alexander Cejka, a previous winner of this tournament, looks to be a tempting bet at 25 to 1. Sentiment should never rule the head in golf betting, but it is hard to resist the lure of Seve Ballesteros on this occasion and, at 40 to 1, he represents each-way value for those brave enough to part with a few bob.
4-1: Bernhard Langer (Ger).
12-1: Miguel Angel Martin (Sp), Sven Struver (Ger).
16-1: Ignacio Garrido (Sp), David Howell (Eng), Miguel Jimenez (Sp).
25-1: Alex Cejka (Ger), Paul Broadhurst (Eng), Sergio Garcia (Sp).
33-1: Peter Mitchell (Eng), Jose Coceres (Arg), Stephen Alker (NZ).
40-1: Tom Gillis (USA), Angel Cabrera (Arg), Seve Ballesteros (Sp), Matthew Goggin (Eng).
50-1: Anders Forsbrand (Swe), Katsuyoshi Tomori (Jap), Mark Davis (Eng), Michael Long (NZ), Ross McFarlane (Eng), Santiaga Luna (Sp). Prices supplied courtesy of Ladbrokes Ireland.
