The winner of the 2016 Open Championship Henrik Stenson returns with lots of golf betting momentum to the 2017 BMW International Open (June 22-25). The Swede has enjoyed his fair share of success at this event in particular and in events that include the letters BMW in their title in general. Stenson tied for second place with Grégory Havret and Rafael Cabrera-Bello in the 2014 BMWIO (won by Fabrizio Zanotti) and was the solo runner-up of the 2015 edition (won by Pablo Larrazábal). Additionally, he became the fourth two-time winner of the BMW International Open in 2016, ten year after his first win. This year the tourney will switch back Golf Club Gut Lärchenhof from Golfclub München Eichenried, but Stenson shouldn’t be sweating that; he is also the only golfer to have won it at both locations.
Moreover, Stenson tied for 10th place in the 2015 BMW Championship, and finished T3 at the 2015 BMW Masters and the 2017 BMW PGA Championship – none of which should be confused with the BMW International Open. BMW sure gets around. Stenson wasn’t the first Swede to win the BMWIO but he wasn’t the first; that honor went to Robert Karlsson in 1997. The Scientist has fallen on some hard times, missing five straight cuts and six overall on the European Tour this year. In other words, Karlsson is what people who bet on golf like to call a long shot.
Like Sweden, Spain has been one of the best-represented countries in this golf betting event. As mentioned above, Pablo Larrazábal beat Stenson in the 2015 BMW International Open, which was his second win in that tournament – the first coming in 2011, when he defeated fellow Spaniard Sergio Garcia – and also his fourth and hitherto last win on the European Tour. This year, Larrazábal tied for second place in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and finished 3rd at the Volvo China Open. Prior to Larrazábal becoming the first Spanish golfer to win the BMWIO twice, Miguel Ángel Jiménez became the first Spanish golfer to win it in 2004. Jimenez has missed the cut in the two events in which he has participated this year. His last win was in the 2014 Open de España (unless people who bet on golf count the PGA Tour Champions Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic. And they don’t).
And of course Sergio Garcia, who as stated in the preceding paragraph was the runner-up in 2011, won the 2017 Masters Tournament as well as the 2017 Omega Dubai Desert Classic, and currently ranks 5th in the World Ranking. All things considered, Garcia is probably the strongest golf betting favorite to win the 2017 BMW Invitational Open. Though people who bet on golf should not discard other contenders such as Dutchman Joost Luiten – who has five wins on the European Tour and defeated Jimenez in the 2013 KLM Open – or German Marcel Siem who has won European Tour events – including the 2014 BMW Masters. Which brings back full circle to Henrik Stenson.
