The run of very good tournaments on the DP World Tour continues this week when the show heads over the Irish Sea for the Irish Open, one of the more popular stops on the circuit and one which often delivers some top class golf.
That was certainly what was played by Vincent Norrman last year when he took this title down. The Swede is in the field looking to make a successful defence of his title but he will make that attempt on a different track to the one which he won on.
Recent Winners
2023 – Vincent Norrman
2022 – Adrian Meronk
2021 – Lucas Herbert
2020 – John Catlin
2019 – Jon Rahm
2018 – Russell Knox
2017 – Jon Rahm
2016 – Rory McIlroy
2015 – Soren Kjeldsen
2014 – Mikko Ilonen
The Course
We are back at the Royal County Down Golf Club in Newcastle in County Down this week. That means we are north of the border and should be in for a great week. This track last staged the tournament in 2015 when Soren Kjeldsen prevailed in absolutely brutal conditions in the final round and the field will be hoping they see nothing like that this week. The course is a par 71 which stretches to 7,186 yards so it isn’t overly long.
This is a pure links test and many stars have often played this course in the past to gear up for The Open. The rough here is very penal, the greens are fast as links greens often are and they are domed shaped so whoever wins this week will have a good short game. The bunkers are true links ones too with lips made of grass and heather so they are a real hazard here. If the wind blows off the sea this place can get really tricky but we are looking for accurate sorts with a decent touch around the greens this week.
The Field
With the main PGA Tour season having finished now we will find a few PGA Tour stars will make their way over to the DP World Tour for the coming weeks and that is certainly the case for this tournament as it has the profile of Rory McIlroy teeing it up to take it to the next level. PGA Tour winners Aaron Rai and Robert MacIntyre are also in the field this week while other Irish players looking to win their home open include Shane Lowry, Seamus Power and Tom McKibbin.
This is a big week for plenty of players because we are entering the closing part of the DP World Tour season so those high up on the Race to Dubai standings will be wanting to make the most of the four days. Thriston Lawrence sits second on those rankings and he’ll hope to close in on the leader McIlroy this week as will Sebastian Soderberg who lies fifth at the start of the week. Niklas Norgaard Miller and Rikuya Hoshino are the others in the top 10 looking to make their move here.
Market Leaders
As you would expect, Rory McIlroy is a warm favourite to win as he always is when he comes down to this level. He is 6/1 to win the tournament for the second time but as someone who has often competed here he only has two top 10 finishes to go along with his win in 2016 so he might not be the guaranteed winner that he often is when he plays on the DP World Tour. He isn’t exactly bringing amazing form into the tournament with him either. I’m happy to pass on him at the prices.
Shane Lowry won The Open when it was held in Ireland and he’ll be looking to add a second Irish Open title to his CV this week. Since he won this in 2009, Lowry has gone close a few times and has been in the top 10 of the tournament in the last two years. He has the experience of having played here in 2015 so there will be plenty who like him at 12/1 this week and if he can put some putts into the hole he shouldn’t be far away but that putter has been colder than an iceberg too often.
Aaron Rai capped off a brilliant season on the PGA Tour by winning the Wyndham Championship last month and he is 16/1 to follow up with a second win just five weeks later. He very much ticks the long game accuracy box and having won the Scottish Open and finished second in this tournament in the past, albeit on a different course, there is a lot to like about the Englishman. The test will come on the greens but if he can chip and putt well he shouldn’t be far away.
Robert McIntyre won twice on the PGA Tour in 2024, one of which was the Scottish Open and having taken down that title he should be more than capable of doing the Celtic double and landing the Irish Open here. McIntyre was second in the Scottish Open last year and has a couple of top 10 finishes in The Open, and a bunch of top 25 finishes in the Dunhill Links Championship so we know that he is something of a links specialist. There is a whole lot to like about the 18/1 shot this week it must be said.
Main Bets
I really like Robert MacIntyre this week. He would have won successive Scottish Open titles had Rory McIlroy not holed a monster putt on the last hole in that tournament last year. He won the event this year and has won the Canadian Open as well. MacIntyre has a wonderful links record and he really should go well on a track where you have to hit the ball straight and then use the touch on the greens. We know that the Scot can handle his golf ball when the wind blows and with his added status now that he has a couple of PGA Tour wins I really think he is the one to be on this week.
Bernd Wiesberger hasn’t won yet since his return to the DP World Tour but having taken him a couple of times when he looked likely earlier in the season, I feel like I need to be on here just in case this is the week it comes good. The Austrian has plenty of form which tells us that links golf doesn’t disagree with him and we only have to look back to this tournament on this course in 2015 to know that he can tame it even in tough conditions. He lost out in a playoff that year but we got a reminder of how he can operate in tricky conditions last week when only four players outscored him on the Saturday where things were tough. He has previous around here and in all in the Irish Open he has a record of 4-T2-T58-T2 so he loves this event and he is another obvious bet.
Outsiders
The other player who lost out in that playoff here nine years ago was Eddie Pepperell, a player who hits the ball very straight, can handle things when the wind gets up and has a links record which not a lot of others can match so he is an outsider that I want to be on here. Pepperell was eighth at halfway in Switzerland last week before it went wrong in the second part of the weekend but a player who has shown signs of good scoring and can keep his ball flight down when the wind gets up feels like a better chance than a three figure price.
The other bet that I like is Max Kieffer. Kieffer was tied for second here nine years ago before he struggled in the tough conditions but I think he could be worth a go here because in those first three rounds he had carded a 67 and a 65 and if he has either of those rounds with him here then he is going to overtake a lot of players. Earlier in the season, the German finished T21 in the Scottish Open where the field was the best of the year so there is something about links golf in the British Isles and Ireland that seems to get him going. I don’t think the toughest of the conditions here are going to be as hard as they were on that Sunday in 2015 so I’ll pay to see if the German can deliver something at a massive price.
Tips
Back R.MacIntyre to win Irish Open (e/w) for a 2/10 stake at 19.00 with William Hill (1/5 1-6)
Back him here:
Back B.Wiesberger to win Irish Open (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 26.00 with Betfair (1/5 1-8)
Back E.Pepperell to win Irish Open (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 101.00 with Betway (1/5 1-7)
Back M.Kieffer to win Irish Open (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 226.00 with Betfair (1/5 1-8)
