Cazoo Open supported by Gareth Bale is the new name of the Wales Open. This year the tournament has a prize fund of €1,000,000.00 and will be played at The Celtic Manor Resort as usual.
Who are the favorites?
Aaron Rai
Aaron Rai at The 149th Open - Previews © Getty Images
Aaron Rai finished inside the top 20 in two of his last four starts. The Englishman tied for 19th at The Open last week after three rounds in the 60's. Rai's last top 10s finish was in October at the Scottish Championship presented by AXA.
Sam Horsfield
Sam Horsfield © Getty Images
Sam Horsfield is not in the form from the beginning of the year and posted only one top 10s finish in his last eight starts. The Englishman broke par only once last week at The Open and finished tied for 67th. The Celtic Manor Resort is a course which suits Horsfield's game and a course he knows pretty well. Won the Celtic Classic last August which was played on the same course.
Matt Wallace
Matt Wallace at The 149th Open - Day Three © Getty Images
Matt Wallace spent the last few months on the PGA Tour where he carded two top 10s in 12 appearances. Wallace, 58th in the world, is the highest ranked player in the field this week in Wales. The Englishman played solid last week at The Open and finished tied for 40th. Wallace hasn't won on the European Tour since the 2018 Made in Denmark.
Form-horse
Marcel Schneider
Marcel Schneider at The 149th Open - Previews © Getty Images
Marcel Schneider missed the cut on his major debut last week at the Open, but the German is playing some very good golf recently. Schneider won the Kaskáda Golf Challenge (Challenge Tour) in early July, two weeks after finishing tied for seventh on home soil at the Porsche European Open (European Tour).
Wildcard
David Dixon
David Dixon at the ISPS HANDA Wales Open - Day Four © Getty Images
At 44 David Dixon is now considered as a veteran on the European Tour. Dixon won his lone European Tour title back in 2008 at the Saint-Omer Open. The Englishman has significantly reduced the number of tournaments he plays a year. Dixon now plays mainly on the EuroPro Tour and the Challenge Tour in the last few seasons. The Englishman finished tied for third at last year's Wales Open.
