SOREN, MONTY BEST BETS

Three of the world's top six golfers tee it up at beautiful Loch Lomond this week for the Barclays Scottish Open and all of Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott and Ernie Els have what it takes to win - if they bring their 'A' games in the week before the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

All three have relevant course form - Mickelson is a regular here and produced a career-best effort when beaten in a playoff 12 months ago.

Scott was T3 back in 2001 while we all know that this is one of the favourite weeks in the calendar for Els, a dual winner of the title to go along with a host of other podium finishes.

But I am going a little further down the betting for my first selection - the bang-in-form Dane Soren Hansen.

The only cut he has missed in 2008 came in the Masters at Augusta and a purple patch since then has seen him record four top 10 finishes from his next seven events.

Two of them have come in the last fortnight in France (3) and at the European Open (5) in Kent and there seems no obvious reason why he won't be in the firing line once again.

This is a regular stopping off point for Hansen and from eight starts he has put together some solid if unspectacular results with five top 30s - three of those top 20s.

Such is his current game, he looks worth following at 33/1 to get himself into the shake-up.

At seven points bigger I like the look of Colin Montgomerie, who seems back to his scowling best with a recent second place in the French Open behind runaway winner Pablo Larrazabal.

A huge cheque in Paris has got his chase for a Ryder Cup spot back on course and despite his own creeping self-doubt, you still get the feeling Monty has a tournament of this nature left in the locker.

Like Els, Montgomerie relishes playing here and admitted recently he is "very much looking forward to returning" - this was also the venue for his recent wedding, so I am certain he will be keen to put on a show for the Scottish galleries who adore him.

He has not sparkled at the course over the past few seasons but the 1999 champion can very much put that record straight.

It is back to Scandinavia for my final seclection - Mikko Ilonen.

The Finn has turned into a quality performer over the past couple of years and 2008 is proving to be another consistent campaign with just two missed cuts from 17 tournaments played.

The closest he has come to a win was in a Challenge Tour event when he led going into the final round of the SK Golf Challenge in his homeland only to card a closing 72 and slip into a tie for fourth.

That was disappointing to be fair considering he was taking a drop in grade, but it still highlighted the fact he is in some form - he also boasts a couple of top 15 results from his last three outings on the main Tour.

A T8 in this event 12 months ago was a vast improvement on any previous course efforts - the first time he had actually made the weekend - and at 90/1 I reckon he can go well once more.

Preview posted at 2045BST on 07/07/2008.