January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
West: Cabrera's the favourite
West: Cabrera's the favourite
That's the verdict of club pro Eric West, who knows the new course better than anyone.
West believes that of the three major winners inked in for the Grand Slam so far, it is burly Argentinian Cabrera, who won this event at Mid Ocean in 2007, has the game to conquer Port Royal.
"If he's driving well he'll be hard to beat, It is easy to forget how long these guys hit the ball. Cabrera hits it 310, 320 yards off the tee.
"Like everyone I was surprised to see him take the driver on virtually every hole at the Mid Ocean two years ago.
"If he does that again he'll be playing a pitching wedge for his second shot on most of the holes round Port Royal."
West believes the redesigned course in Southampton will demand greater accuracy.
And he cautioned that Cabrera would have to keep the ball on the fairways to shoot a really low score.
West believes Stewart Cink, who won the Open Championship on Sunday, has all the tools to challenge.
"He's one of the most under-rated players on the tour. He's really long and really accurate. His putting has let him down in the past but he has been working on his short game with my coach Mike Bender and also on his long game with Butch Harmon."
West admitted he knew much less about Lucas Glover who burst on to the scene with his surprise US Open win.
"I don't think he'd made the cut in a major before. He won the John Deere Classic a few years ago but this was really his first big win.
"To play well for four days at the U.S. Open you've got to be accurate off the tee. I don't think he missed a fairway the first three days in that competition and that will be the most important shot in the Grand Slam as well."
West believes the greens will play more consistently than at the Mid Ocean and will be much more similar to what the major winners are used to on the tour.
But ultimately he believes the wind will determine how tough the course will play.
"I've played it in 40mph winds when shooting four or five over would be a good score. On a flat calm day you'd be looking at four or five under.
"The course is a lot more exposed than it used to be and the wind is a big factor."[[In-content Ad]]
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