Three weeks of links golf kicks off with the latest Rolex Series event on the European Tour which is the Irish Open, which as ever is supported by the Rory McIlroy Foundation. This year the event moves to Ballyliffin in County Donegal for what should be a great week of golf.
Jon Rahm came over and powered away from a good field in this tournament last year and he is back to attempt to defend the title. Everything is in place for a really good event to begin the lead up to The Open.
Recent Winners
2017 – Jon Rahm
2016 – Rory McIlroy
2015 – Soren Kjeldsen
2014 – Mikko Ilonen
2013 – Paul Casey
2012 – Jamie Donaldson
2011 – Simon Dyson
2010 – Ross Fisher
2009 – Shane Lowry
2008 – Richard Finch
The Course
Ballyliffin Golf Club gets the chance to host the tournament this week. The course is a par 72 which stretches to 7,462 yards but with the absence of rain in recent times it is firm and fiery so it will not play anywhere near that sort of length.
Wherever I read I hear that the rough is up and is thick this week. The fairways are also said to be narrow so the driver might stay in the bag a lot this week. It appears imperative to stay in the fairways to hold the ball on these firm greens. The wind is not forecast to blow but that can change so having players comfortable should the breeze get up will be no bad thing but I’m looking for solid ball strikers and good putters.
The Field
Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy headline the field this week but there are a few top level players who are getting familiar with the links golf by teeing it up in this tournament. All the focus will be on the Irish players such as Shane Lowry, Paul Dunne, Graeme McDowell and Padraig Harrington.
There should also be some attention on those chasing Ryder Cup spots such as Rafa Cabrera Bello, Thomas Pieters and Thorbjorn Olesen while Matthew Fitzpatrick, Russell Knox and Andy Sullivan will be popular with the crowds too.
Market Leaders
Rory McIlroy is the 13/2 favourite to win his own tournament but he isn’t for me. Firm and fiery courses are not his forte and neither are tight tracks in truth. He’s good enough to win anywhere but if I’m taking that sort of price I want to know conditions suit and I’m not sure they do. Throw in all his media commitments and time constraints and he’s definitely a no from me.
Jon Rahm is 7/1 to win the tournament for a second time in a row. I’m not one for backing defending champions especially ones who defend on a different course but Rahm looked good for long periods in the main last week and if I was backing either of the front two in the market it would be him. That said his advantage on the field, noticeably the driver, may not be in play as much as he would like which is a concern.
Scottish Open champion Rafa Cabrera Bello is 18/1 to finally win the Irish Open this week. He has finished in the top eight in four of the last six years of this tournament and law of averages says he is due. I fancy he might get the job done on the Scottish links over the Irish ones though as his touch and imagination probably don’t have quite the advantage it might need here.
Matthew Fitzpatrick was my outright pick last week and he was in the mix until a poor final round cost both him and me and he is 22/1 to land the title here. If the wind doesn’t get up then the Englishman would have every chance here but I’d be concerned if it did. Not that he can’t play in the wind but others would be better suited. It is 25/1 bar.
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Main Bets
I’ll go with a couple of main bets this week with the first being a local player in Paul Dunne. He will know what is needed around this course and his short game and putting is in pretty good order. In fact he’s one of the best putters on the Tour and with length not an issue this week this might be as good a chance as he’ll get to win his home open. He’s won the British Masters on an exposed course so we know he’s fine in the wind so he’s worthy of main support.
Matthew Southgate finished hot to end up in the top five in France last week and now he returns to a tournament where he has successive top five finishes including a runner up to Jon Rahm last week. If we need more confirmation that he likes links golf we only need to look back to his top 10 in The Open last year and he was in the top 12 the year before that too. Southgate is finding greens and putting well and likes links golf. He should be there or thereabouts this week.
Outsiders
I’m going to roll the dice on a few outsiders at big prices this week with the first of those being Eddie Pepperell who I actually think is a massive price. Pepperell won in Qatar earlier in the year and there are similarities between that course and this in that you have to hit the greens and putt well on quick surfaces. Pepperell is another who comes alive on links tracks and he almost won this in extreme conditions three years ago. We know he hates using the driver so the fiery fairways will suit him perfectly here so he’s a big price at 80/1.
George Coetzee is another player who is rolling the rock really well at the minute which makes him a live danger at a three figure price. We know Coetzee can handle the wind and having won a tournament this year and had three other top 10s – two of which were on exposed, windy tracks, he should be full of confidence. I think he’s well worth an each way punt here.
Mikko Ilonen is a former winner of this tournament and on this course he should be right there again. He is one of the best putters on the tour when he is going well and there are signs that his form is coming back. He hasn’t put it all together for four rounds yet but if he is going to do that it might well come on a links course which is where he is most comfortable. He won’t need to pound it off the tee so if he can find the greens here he should go very well.
Austin Connelly showed his worth last year in The Open and I think he’s worth backing to go well here. He is another who is an excellent putter which will serve him well here. Almost all of his best form has come on either exposed tracks or places where the wind blows which should suit him this week. He can get it out there but it is into the greens and on them where his strength lies. At 200/1 he’s another worth a go.
Tips
Back P.Dunne to win Irish Open (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 34.00 with Unibet (1/5 1-6)
Back him here:
Back M.Southgate to win Irish Open (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 51.00 with Skybet (1/5 1-8)
Back him here:
Back E.Pepperell to win Irish Open (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 81.00 with Coral (1/5 1-7)
Back M.Ilonen to win Irish Open (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 151.00 with Coral (1/5 1-7)
Back them here:
Back G.Coetzee to win Irish Open (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 126.00 with William Hill (1/5 1-6)
Back him here:
Back A.Connelly to win Irish Open (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 201.00 with 888sport (1/5 1-6)
Back him here:
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