3 minute read
The DP World Tour hits Ireland and County Kildare’s K Club for the Irish Open, fresh off the back of the European Masters in Switzerland.
A parkland course with a par of 72, reaching the greens at the K Club in as few as shots possible by avoiding all the hurdles will be key. Some holes will demand long drives straight on, others some crafty shots from the fairway.
It’s the first time since 2016 that the club has hosted the competition, and that was also the last time Rory McIlroy won the competition, hitting a –12.
Always one of the favourites, his 2016 win means McIlroy is even shorter odds for this event than usual. For an outright win he can be found at around 21/5, but each way through five places can be found at 4/1 and could represent the best value available. A top-five finish is priced at 11/10.
Shane Lowry, of course, is up there too- perhaps partly based on romanticism rather than form. He’s in at 17/1, but buoyed by his wildcard Ryder Cup inclusion he could put on a solid display- a top-ten finish at 2/1 is worth a punt.
Other notable names include DP World Tour number three Adrian Meronk (27/1 win, 14/5 top ten), number five Alexander Björk (30/1, 16/5) and Min Woo Lee (19/1, 21/10).
All three are interesting punts with good stats to back them up and should be backed for those top ten finishes, but it’s Björk who captures the imagination.
He enters the Irish Open after a solid European Masters display, finishing second and only two shots off his winning countryman Ludvig Aberg. He leads the tour for shots gained total (+1.91, Meronk second with +1.85) and shots gained on approach (+1.01), tipping him for a good tournament at the K Club.
A top-five finish at 13/2 represents solid value, while each way through five places is priced at 28/1.
Moving outside the top ten, have a look at English golfer Jordan Smith. He finished a commendable T12 at the European Masters and has some more solid finishes to his name this season such as a T6 at the European Open and the same at the Championship in Japan.
Crucially, he is +9.71 ahead of the field average for Greens in Regulation on the approach- the best on the Tour. He’s also third for shots gained green to tee, seventh shots gained off the tee outright, and tenth shots gained total.
He is 50/1 to win, but what would be an unsurprising T10 finish is value enough at 9/2.
