Paul Lawrie Matchplay preview, picks & analysis

WE ALL love matchplay golf - it is, after all, the format that most amateurs enjoy with their friends. But professionals almost exclusively take part in 72-hole strokeplay tournaments, which is why the Paul Lawrie Matchplay is such a welcome addition to the schedule.

It takes place at Archerfield Links Golf Club, North Berwick, with 64 players competing for the title. With the Ryder Cup fast approaching, it takes on a special significance for a number of players who are on the verge of qualifying for Darren Clarke's team to take on the USA at Hazeltine in September.

Matt Fitzpatrick is amongst the favourites this week

Matthew Fitzpatrick, Chris Wood, Kristoffer Broberg, Alex Noren, Tommy Fleetwood, Peter Uihlein and Alvaro Quiros lead the field. Fitzpatrick and Wood are looking good to make their Ryder Cup debuts, and they start the week as warm favourites. Wood seems to have been around forever but, remarkably, he is still only 28 years old. Wood has won three times, most recently the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in May. He has progressed with each passing year, having finished third in The Open back in 2009 (he has two top five finishes in The Open), winning the Qatar Masters in 2013, the Lyoness Open in 2015 before taking the European Tour's flagship event. It represented a huge step up for the Bristol golfer and saw him rocket up both the world rankings and the Race to Dubai.

From nowhere, he suddenly found himself in the reckoning for the Ryder Cup. Wood has no weaknesses and is a brilliant long-iron player and has a fantastic short game. He has suffered more than his fair share of injuries in his short career, and the 6ft 5in Wood has had some neck problems recently, but he is now fully fit and would love to win this event.

Fitzpatrick won the British Masters in his maiden season last year and added the Nordea Masters earlier this year. Incredibly, the Sheffield golfer is still only 21 years old. He is a serial winner - he was British Boys champion in 2012, US Amateur champion in 2013 and the bad news for his opponents, is that he loves matchplay. Indeed, that was the format that gave him those titles in 2012 and 2013. Some fabulous golfers have won the US Amateur, including Tiger Woods. You don't win this event unless you have a very special golf game, and Fitzpatrick is getting better all the time.

He played magnificently at Augusta in finishing seventh at The Masters and then began to struggle with his game. He actually wasn't meant to be playing in the Nordea Masters but added it to his schedule because he wanted more competitive play. It was entirely typical of the man that he should then go ahead and win it. Fitzpatrick has set lofty goals for himself and will be bitterly disappointed if he should miss out on the Ryder Cup.

Richie Ramsey, of Scotland, is another Briton who won the US Amateur. He would be the first to admit that he hasn't kicked on as he would have hoped, but make no mistake - he is a terrific golfer, and he just loves playing in front of a home crowd. It would be no surprise to see him in contention for this title.

Tommy Fleetwood was tipped for big things by many people, your correspondent included. The 25-year-old from Southport is a former Walker Cup player who was once the world's third-ranked amateur.  He won the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles in 2013 and many of us expected that it would open the floodgates for him, but it hasn't happened and he seems to have lost his way in 2016. Perhaps a matchplay tournament is exactly what he needs.

To win:

Chris Wood. A class act

Each way:

Matthew Fitzpatrick. Has been struggling of late, but that won't last

Each way:

Tommy Fleetwood. In desperate need of a BIG week

Fantasy picks

Chris Wood. Confidence is sky high

Matthew Fitzpatrick. Best young player in Europe

Tommy Fleetwood. Has the game to win anywhere

Alvaro Quiros. If he can hole a few putts he will take some beating

Callum Shinkwin. Has shown some fine form recently

Marc Warren. The Scot has lost his way recently

Richie Ramsey. Always inspired by playing in front of a home crowd

Max Kieffer. Underrated German golfer

Peter Uihlein. One decent week can turn things around for the American

Alex Noren. Playing superb golf right now