It is the week where the stars of golf are joined by the best that the stage, screen and the world of sport has to offer as a week after the Ryder Cup the DP World Tour stages the Dunhill Links Championship, the popular pro-am event.
It was certainly popular for Ryan Fox last year as he prevailed on the three links courses in use for this tournament and the recent BMW PGA Championship winner will be out to make a successful defence here.
Recent Winners
2022 – Ryan Fox
2021 – Danny Willett
2019 – Victor Perez
2018 – Lucas Bjerregaard
2017 – Tyrrell Hatton
2016 – Tyrrell Hatton
2015 – Thorbjorn Olesen
2014 – Oliver Wilson
2013 – David Howell
2012 – Branden Grace
The Format
Each professional teeing it up this week is paired with an amateur partner where the pair play each of the courses once over the first three days of the tournament. The top 60 professionals after the third round play the final round at St Andrews on Sunday with the leading 20 pro-am teams also playing out the last 18 holes for their own individual title.
The Courses
Kingsbarns, St Andrews and Carnoustie are the three courses this week with Kingsbarns often the easiest of the rotation and Carnoustie the toughest although they are all set up easier than they would be if they were hosting The Open to allow for the amateurs to get by in a reasonable time limit. As we have seen in the past though, the toughness of all three courses will be determined by the conditions, especially the wind.
That wind is expected to be around at times but it is likely to be a little warmer than usual for this tournament. The worst of the weather looks like it will be around on Friday. Factor that in when making your selections this week. Green fingers are often a must in this tournament while a hot putter is never a bad thing. Being able to play in the wind is paramount and an enjoyment in tough conditions might help you separate the field too.
The Field
Given the courses that this tournament is played on a decent field is always assembled and we have no different this year. There are four players in the top 50 in the world rankings on show this week with Matthew Fitzpatrick the highest of those a few days after he won the Ryder Cup. Tommy Fleetwood and two of the last three winners of the BMW PGA Championship in Ryan Fox and Billy Horschel are the other players in the top 50 bracket.
A whole host of other players in the top 100 in the world rankings are in the field here too. Adrian Meronk was unlucky to be watching the events in Rome last week and might use that as fuel in his fire while Robert MacIntyre was a part of the Rome showpiece. Matt Kuchar probably should have won The Open at Birkdale a few years ago and will eye up this title. Former winners Victor Perez and Thorbjorn Olesen are in the field looking to regain the title while Jordan Smith, Rasmus Hojgaard, Thriston Lawrence and Yannik Paul make up the top 100 in the world entrants.
Market Leaders
Tommy Fleetwood was a winner in the Ryder Cup last week and he is 8/1 to follow that up with this title. He has an excellent record in this tournament with a pair of runner up finishes as well as three more top fives, another top 10 and two more top 15 finishes. That will make him popular but I can’t be having a Ryder Cup player this week. Marco Simone is a tough walk of a golf course and the emotions and celebrations from the week will still be too fresh let alone the physical aspect. Fleetwood would feel a little tight at the prices even without that so he isn’t for me.
We have joint second favourites at 14/1 in the defending champion Ryan Fox and the former US Open winner Matthew Fitzpatrick. I’m no backer of defending champions although there is no disguising the confidence Fox should exude this week after his win at Wentworth. I would favour him over Fitzpatrick who will surely be feeling the effects of last week, especially when it was his first win in the Ryder Cup.
LIV golfer Talor Gooch has a sponsors invite into this tournament and he is 20/1 to win it. That feels incredibly short for a player who has no real links pedigree and who has been operating in a bit of an uncompetitive field for a while. Gooch had a good spin at the BMW PGA Championship last year but that was only a 54 hole event because of the passing of the Queen. With no links record of note and no specialist skills in the wind he isn’t for me here.
Adrian Meronk is 22/1 to win the tournament this week. He might well be fuelled by his Ryder Cup snub but T22 last year was the best he has done in this event in three tries. It was the only time he has made the cut in the tournament which isn’t exactly encouraging although you could argue he is getting familiar with the test at hand. Meronk does hit a lot of greens but isn’t what you would call a links specialist so he isn’t for me. It is 25/1 bar.
Main Bets
I’ll go with a couple of main bets this week with the first of those being on the big hitting Dean Burmester who has a near identical profile to Ryan Fox who won here last year. Burmester is now a LIV Tour player but the one thing we know about them is when they are in events like this which carry decent world ranking points they are keen to go well. Burmester has been in decent touch too with top 10 finishes in three of his last five starts. One of those was on the Asian Tour at one of the St Andrews tracks which is immediately handy links form. He was in the top 10 the last time he played this tournament and feels like a player who can enhance a strong South African record in this event.
Rasmus Hojgaard was in Rome last week driving Thomas Bjorn around in a golf cart and with his brother in action in the Ryder Cup I would be amazed if he hasn’t taken plenty of inspiration from that and I expect him to have a good week this week. Hojgaard ticks the length box and anyone who can win his home tournament can certainly handle the nerves of winning. The Dane was T10 in the Scottish Open last season and T17 on debut here last year. Prior to the Ryder Cup, Hojgaard finished fourth in the Open de France and it feels like he is ready to deliver again.
Outsiders
Eddie Pepperell is a player with a very good links record both in this tournament and The Open and the various Scottish and Irish Opens which are played on this sort of test. The reason for that is because he is one of the better iron players in the game and on these greens his putter usually comes alive. Pepperell arrives in Scotland with top 10 finishes in two of his last five starts so he is going well and that, combined with his links record, makes him a potential leading light this week.
Matthew Jordan grew up on a links course as we heard regular at The Open at Hoylake and he is very comfortable on them so a three figure price on him is very appealing. Jordan has finished fifth in this tournament in the past and he had a decent spin in his home go at The Open having previously competed well in events like the British Masters when that was on a links course. Natural links players should never be ignored in this tournament and at this price I’m not ignoring Jordan.
There is absolutely nothing in the form of Joakim Lagergren to suggest he is going to go well here but in seven starts in this tournament he has finished inside the top four on four occasions so while he might not be in great form it is impossible to leave him out of the staking plan at a healthy price. He opened up the Open de France with a 66 a couple of weeks ago and you don’t shoot those sorts of rounds around there is there is nothing in your game. There is something about this tournament which seems to sit well with Lagergren and at the prices I’ll pay to see what he has to offer this week.
Tips
Back D.Burmester to win Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 26.00 with Sky Bet (1/5 1-8)
Back R.Hojgaard to win Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 34.00 with Sky Bet (1/5 1-8)
Back E.Pepperell to win Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 81.00 with Betay (1/5 1-7)
Back M.Jordan to win Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 126.00 with 888sport (1/5 1-7)
Back J.Lagergren to win Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 176.00 with 888sport (1/5 1-7)
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