We have reached the halfway stage of the Irish Open which means that we are set for ‘Moving Day’ in the tournament at Ballyliffin Golf Club on Saturday. The tournament host and a number of big names have made the cut to add to the spectacle ahead.
Nine shots separate the entire field after the cut was made so everyone who made it to the weekend is very much in with a chance of winning this tournament which makes for an exciting third round.
Round 2 Recap
At the end of the second round we have three men leading the way in the tournament on eight under par. They are Ryan Fox, Matthieu Pavon and Erik Van Rooyen and they are a shot ahead of Joakim Lagergren and two shots back are Sam Horsfield, Zander Lombard and Danny Willett. Lee Westwood is the only other player within three of the lead.
It was an ordinary day for us betting wise on Friday with Marc Warren claiming a share of his three ball but Padraig Harrington having a day to forget to get us much more back towards level for the week than we would like. That gives us work to do over the weekend.
Saturday Betting
This field is far too condensed for me to be getting involved in any markets to cover the end of round leader. Literally anyone in the field could shoot something substantial and be in touch should anything happen to the leading trio so with that in mind I’m going to head towards the two ball bets and hope that in terms of long-term punts Mikko Ilonen and George Coetzee can have good rounds from six back.
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Saturday 2 Balls
Thankfully the three balls are done in this tournament and the players who made the cut go out in twos on Saturday with the final group of Ryan Fox and Matthieu Pavon out at 13.20 BST. The group before them sees Erik Van Rooyen and Joakim Lagergren go out at 13.10 but it could be the 13.00 pairing of Danny Willett and Zander Lombard or the one before it of Lee Westwood and Sam Horsfield that get most of the attention. It is the final group that has caught my eye from a betting point of view.
Matthieu Pavon vs Ryan Fox
Match tees off at 13.20 BST
It is set up to be a big weekend for both Matthieu Pavon and Ryan Fox when they begin their third round on Saturday. Not only do they have a genuine chance of winning this tournament but they also need a big weekend for the opportunity to play in The Open in two weeks.
Both men have been decent enough this week and are in the positions they are in on merit but I like the way Fox has gone about his business so far. He is taking the golf course on with the driver and 11 birdies suggest he is doing it very well. To be fair Pavon is going well too and is the best putter in the field this week but with favourable pins expected on Saturday I’d like him to be hitting more greens. Fox is hitting plenty of greens and with pins able to be shot at and him shooting shorter irons into them I’m expecting him to lead the scoring in this pairing on Saturday.
Tips
WON – Back R.Fox to beat M.Pavon for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with Betfair
Back him here:
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