Just a few days after the wonderful scenes at the Ryder Cup, a number of the players who featured in Paris are back in singles action when the European Tour stages its annual pro-am, the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Stars of stage, screen and sport match up with a professional golfer for one of the busiest weeks of the year across three of the best links courses in Scotland. Tyrrell Hatton won the title for a second successive time 12 months ago and he is here to defend the title.
Recent Winners
2017 – Tyrrell Hatton
2016 – Tyrrell Hatton
2015 – Thorbjorn Olesen
2014 – Oliver Wilson
2013 – David Howell
2012 – Branden Grace
2011 – Michael Hoey
2010 – Martin Kaymer
2009 – Simon Dyson
2008 – Robert Karlsson
The Format
Each professional gets given an amateur partner with the pair playing a different one of the three courses in use over the first three days. The professional plays the main tournament and his score also goes with the team score with the leading 20 teams at the end of the third day progressing to play St Andrews on Sunday. The top 60 pros qualify for the final round of the solo event.
The Courses
We visit the same three courses again for this tournament. Kingsbarns, St Andrews and Carnoustie are the three courses on the rotation with many players seeing Carnoustie for the second time in three months after The Open was held there. That is seen as the hardest of the three courses with Kingsbarns traditionally the easiest of them. St Andrews can blow hot or cold.
Speaking of blowing hot or cold the wind is expected to blow strong this week and that must be factored in when we are picking players this week. That might see the scoring remain a little higher this year but the courses will still be set up easy so the amateurs can get around so we are still looking for players who are comfortable on the links courses and who have a number of birdies in them. Scrambling might be more important this year.
The Field
There are some massive names in the field this week headed by the US Open and USPGA champion Brooks Koepka. Defending champion Tyrrell Hatton goes in search of a hat trick of victories while man of the moment Tommy Fleetwood is also in the field. Tony Finau is another player who represented his country at le Golf National to tee it up this week.
Seasoned campaigners such as Shane Lowry, Martin Kaymer, Soren Kjeldsen, Chris Wood and Ross Fisher are joined by the South African pair of Branden Grace and Louis Oosthuizen while Matt Kuchar is another top overseas star in the field this week. Matt Wallace will be looking for another win this week while Padraig Harrington could be a dark horse.
Market Leaders
Brooks Koepka is 10/1 to win the tournament but with the fall out from him hitting a spectator last week gathering pace I’m not sure I would want to be on him here. I wouldn’t want to be on anyone who played last week anyway but Koepka is certainly one to avoid this week I think even though he is one of the better travellers out of America.
Tommy Fleetwood has a wonderful record in this tournament without having won it and it is easy to see why he is 14/1 to deliver the goods. He is comfortable on the links and in the wind and he’s in fantastic form but we saw on Sunday just how much last week had taken out of him and that is more than enough of a warning to stay well clear of him this week.
Defending champion Tyrrell Hatton has owned this tournament for the past couple of years and if he can complete the hat trick backers will be rewarded at 16/1, the same price as Tony Finau. Finau doesn’t convince me if the wind gets up so he’s an easy swerve. I’ll swerve Hatton too but only because he was involved last week which I really do see as a huge negative.
Shane Lowry has always been comfortable in the wind and on links courses so it isn’t hard to see why he is rated a 20/1 shot this week but in truth it has been a while since we’ve seen four solid rounds from the Irishman and that is a big concern for me. He may well run this close but in this company the price doesn’t really reel me in given his current form. It is 22/1 bar.
[the_ad_group id=”3624″]
Main Bets
Two men absolutely jump out at me this week with the conditions expected to be a lot tougher than usual. Eddie Pepperell loves a links course and I still remember Ireland a couple of years ago when he threatened in some of the worst weather I’ve seen a final round played in. Pepperell has already won at a windy Qatar this season and finished second in the Scottish Open. He was sixth at Carnoustie in The Open and second in Portugal last time out. He was in the top 10 here last year and looks a leading contender this week given he hasn’t got Ryder Cup hangover to deal with.
Branden Grace is a former champion of this tournament and I don’t think too many will be surprised about that. He is so comfortable in the wind and these courses are more than playable for his style. He can scramble as well as anyone which will be important and on the days when the wind is a little calmer he can tear these setups up for dinner. Grace has only played back on the regular European Tour four times this year with a second, fifth and a top 15 to show for his efforts. He’s a cut above this tour and has conditions to show it this week.
Outsiders
Joakim Lagergren has a wonderful record in this tournament with a couple of top fives and a top 15 finish in the last three years and now that he has broken through as a tournament winner I’m expecting to see some of his best golf once again this week. He is another who won’t be fazed by the wind getting up and with his credentials in links golf and his liking for the way this tournament is played he is vastly overpriced at 80/1.
Oliver Fisher made history in Portugal last month when he shot the first 59 on the European Tour so we know he is striking the ball nicely. We also know from his exploits in Qatar when he chased Eddie Pepperell home that he is competent in the wind. He was in the top 10 here last year and I don’t think the tougher conditions will be a bad thing for him. At a three figure price he needs to be supported in the hope he catches fire as he did in Portugal.
Marc Warren is another one with a decent record around here. His success comes from not having to force it off the tee and allowing his wedge game and short game to deliver the goods. I was on him here last year when he placed and he is almost double the price this year. His form isn’t as good this year as it was 12 months ago but it wasn’t great two years ago and he was in the mix on Sunday. Again he’s too big at a three figure price.
Chris Paisley went over to America to try his hand for a PGA Tour card via the Web.com tour finals but he failed to come home with the bacon despite shooting a 61 in the final event. That shows he is hitting the ball well enough and as one of the best putters on the European Tour he should be well suited to the test this week. His win in South Africa and top five finishes in Abu Dhabi and Dubai highlight his worth at this level and if he can get the putts to drop he shouldn’t be too far away.
Tips
Back E.Pepperell to win Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (e/w) for a 1.5/10 stake at 26.00 with Coral (1/5 1-7)
Back him here:
Back B.Grace to win Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 29.00 with Betfair (1/5 1-7)
Back him here:
Back O.Fisher to win Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 101.00 with Boylesports (1/5 1-7)
Back C.Paisley to win Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 126.00 with Boylesports (1/5 1-7)
Back them here:
Back J.Lagergren to win Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 81.00 with Betfred (1/5 1-7)
Back M.Warren to win Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 126.00 with Betfred (1/5 1-7)
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2018
