Stars of sport, stage and screen get the chance to emulate their heroes this week when they compete with the finest golfers in Europe in the Dunhill Links Championship.
This tournament, played as a professional tournament and with the pros getting an amateur partner each for a pro-am element to it, is played on three of the finest and most iconic Scottish links courses there is.
St Andrews, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie are the courses in use this week with each pairing playing each course once over the first three days before those who make the 54 hole cut get to play another round at St Andrews on Sunday to determine the champion.
The courses are set up much easier this week than when they host The Open. Amateurs are encouraged to be involved this week so the course will play fair to keep them competitive which means the tournament is often low scoring. Although it isn’t going to be particularly warm this week it isn’t expected to get windy so there is no defence for either course.
The prize fund for this tournament is a cool $5,000,000 which matches the BMW PGA Championship so this tournament carries the largest regular European Tour event prize fund and that has brought the best of Europe out to play. With no tournament in America the tournament is boosted further by even more big names.
Martin Kaymer won this tournament in 2010 and he starts this year as the 16/1 favourite. The 2012 champion Branden Grace is next in the betting at 18/1 ahead of 20/1 shots Brooks Koepka and Danny Willett. Shane Lowry is 22/1 to win here and it is 30/1 bar that quintet.
Clearly players with good links records are needed this week but we also need players who have the ability to go low because I don’t see this being won with a score worse than -20 given the anticipated conditions.
I’m not convinced all is well with Martin Kaymer. He has bungled two substantial final round leads in 2015 and I’m not rushing to see if it can be third time lucky for him. Initially I liked Branden Grace. He’s a great links player but he hasn’t played since the Wyndham which is a negative. Similar can be said about Shane Lowry.
When I look down the betting the man who stands out to be is Danny Willett. Willett will be feeling really good about life at the minute having revealed on twitter earlier in the week that his wife is expecting a child. That will put a spring in his step for sure and we also saw on social media that he has arrived at the home of golf early so he is chomping at the bit to get going.
Willett has been in brilliant form this year. It started when he won the Nedbank and more recently he won the Omega European Masters too. He took some time off after the USPGA but finished fairly well in the Italian Open and that should have primed him for a good week here. Willett was right in the hunt for The Open at St Andrews but he can finally land a title on the Scottish links here this week given that he has plenty in his favour not least form and the shape of his game.
The beauty of this field is given the strength of it there are some cracking bets at medium range prices and the first of those is Eddie Pepperell. Pepperell has enjoyed life on links courses this year having lost in the playoff in brutal conditions in the Irish Open and he followed that up with a top 5 in the Scottish Open too. He was in the mix at the halfway stage of The Open so we get the picture that he likes links golf.
It isn’t just on the links that Pepperell has been going well either. He was in a tie for fifth in the KLM Open recently which shows his game is currently in good order and at 50/1 he looks overpriced this week.
David Howell is a former winner of this tournament and I’m going to back him again. He went well enough in the defence of his title last year and was in the top 10 of the Scottish Open so his win here in 2013 was no fluke he clearly knows how to play links golf. He showed that again in the Paul Lawrie Matchplay where he made the semi-final. He is one of the best putters in the game and in these calm conditions he should really enjoy himself. He’s definitely a big price on his best form.
I was torn between the woods for my next pick. Both Tommy Fleetwood and Chris Wood have good records here but the form of the latter gives him the edge for me. Wood has been in the top 15 here in the last three years and with a couple of top five finishes in The Open his links form stands up well.
Wood won the Lyoness Open earlier in the year and was in the top five of the flagship event the BMW PGA Championship so we know he can perform in these strong fields and at 70/1 he’s a no brainer bet here.
Mikko Ilonen has been slowly coming back to form and I’m going to chance him this week despite his amazing collapse over the last few holes in Germany last week. Ilonen is accustomed to links golf and when he is on form his putter is red hot so we know he can score.
Ilonen was in the top 20 in the KLM Open a few weeks ago and he would’ve been safely in there and more with a normal finish last week so after a nightmare year where he has totally lost his form since winning the Volvo Matchplay last year there are enough signs he’s coming back to his better stuff. I’ll take a chance on him at the price.
Finally I’m going to take a shot in the dark on someone at a huge price in Anthony Wall. Wall has already banked top 12 finishes in the Irish Open and The Open in rough conditions and has had a really good year overall with a number of top 20 finishes.
There was a stage in The Open where he hit the front but in such rich company he couldn’t quite hold on and get it done. In this company if he gets the lead he might not relinquish it so easily. Wall is a former runner up here so we know he can play these courses and I’ll take a chance on him at a huge 200/1.
Back D.Willett to win Dunhill Links Championship (e/w) for a 1.5/10 stake at 21.00 with Ladbrokes (1/4 1-6)
Back E.Pepperell to win Dunhill Links Championship (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 51.00 with Bet365 (1/4 1-6)
Back D.Howell to win Dunhill Links Championship (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 67.00 with Stan James (1/4 1-6)
Back C.Wood to win Dunhill Links Championship (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 71.00 with Stan James (1/4 1-6)
Back M.Ilonen to win Dunhill Links Championship (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 81.00 with Stan James (1/4 1-6)
Back A.Wall to win Dunhill Links Championship (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 201.00 with BetVictor (1/4 1-6)
