A punters account of weekly golf bets and free tips on the European Tour (now DP World Tour) and the PGA with some LPGA & Challenge Tour selections. This blog is intended for readers over 18 years of age
Just 2 selections for me for the 3M Open this week in what will be just the third staging of this event in Missouri.
Just the selections this week for the Cazoo Open or is it the Wales Open ?? Not sure of the status but regardless its Celtic Manor for the week ahead in what looks a poorish field headed by Matt Wallace.
Sandwich hosts the Open this year where Ireland's Shane Lowry defends having won on Irish soil two years ago at Royal Portrush. I fully expect "Shano" to challenge again this week.
Whilst tournament favourite, Jon Rahm, quite rightly heads the market and can boast links pedigree having won 2 Irish Opens at Portstewart & Lahinch, I do feel this is very open this time round and have such chanced a few outsiders.
Of the market leaders, I cannot dismiss easily the chances of Spieth, DJ & Rory and if we get benign conditions Thursday & Friday they just might get the starts required to challenge the weekend when their experience will make a huge difference.
From the pack, I am aware of Henrik Stenson's form of late but an Open Championship is a different ballgame and I think he can show that experience at The Open counts for a lot and put a good week together. Winner at Troon back in 2016, the Swede can also boast a further 6 TOP-20s in 11 starts of which included a runner up placing and 2 3rd place finishes. Greg Norman & Tom Watson are recent proof that the "older" guys can turn up here and contend and I'm more than happy to have small stakes @ 250/1 - 11 places
2018 Champion, Francesco Molinari has shown signs of late to suggest he too can put in a good challenge and he's included @ 140/1 - 10 places
Shane Lowry is value I feel @ 35/1 - 10 places as is Tommy Fleetwood @ 40/1 - 8 places but its Sergio Garcia & Adam Scott that I think could have a great week @ 55/1 & 66/1 respectively paing 11 places that I like most of all.
I wanted to get Rory, DJ & Spieth on board but in the end opted for DJ @ 20/1 - 11 places based on price. A US Open winner and unlucky not to have won more, the American can win this if he finds his A-game which wouldn't be a surprise should he find it this week and go slightly better than his previous 10 attempts as highlighted below
Dustin Johnson Open Results 2019 --->> 2010
Thanks to yet another calendar change for the Irish Open this year I find myself not on holidays this time round and I might even get to watch some of it this year albeit on TV as restrictions are in place still in Ireland for attending sporting events. We have had very good weather in Ireland the past 3 weeks so you can expect the first ever Jack Nicklaus design in Ireland to be in immaculate condition this week as Mt.Juliet hosts for the first time since the WGC came here back in 2004. The forecast is also good for the remainder of this week, so with generous fairways to be hit, we can expect a birdie-fest. This is a parkland course so it means a break from the links on offer that most would associate with Irish Opens and its a course that Rory McIlroy should gobble up in pretty much the same way he did at the K Club when winning this title 5 years ago.
It's a decent field too this week, just two weeks out from the long awaited Open, where it's defending champion, Shane Lowry will look for a solid week ahead of his defense and take the opportunity to catch up with family & friends. I fully expect Shano to contend well here this week and he & Rory are deserving market leaders.
The 11/2 about Rory McIlroy may not be everyone's cup of tea and it's certainly a price I would normally pass on, but Mt Juliet is just a course I think sets up perfectly for him and if should the Ulsterman start well, I can see him pressing the pedal in search of a 2nd Irish Open title. To be brutally honest, if he does start well, I cannot see much in the way of a challenge and therefore is a win only bet for me this week.
Of the challengers and those of value, I had shortlisted Shano along with Ryan Fox, Justin Harding, Adri Arnaus,Jason Scrivener, Masahiro Kawamura, Calum Hill and Wilco Nienaber, Christian Bezuidenhout,Thorbjorn Olesen and Mike Lorenzo-Vera. Despite Rory,Shane & Padraig winning the Irish Open in "recent" times, the home players haven't really fared well at their National Open so I'm happy to leave recent tour winner and in-from Jonathan Caldwell out. Olesen was of interest given he has decent form on Irish soil and I can't pass up on him @ 60/1 - 10 places. Form hasn't been great recently but the price probably allows for that.
I have backed Justin Harding a couple of times recently and despite posting 6 TOP-20s from his 14 starts in 2021 as per table below, he can be backed @ 50/1 - 10 places. Aussie, Scrivener I have tried to catch once or twice before and yet to capitalise, but he could take to Mt.Juliet and as highlighted by datagolf.com, Jason is trending perfectly ahead of the event and same can be said with a number on my shortlist as showing up on the trend list...e.g. Fox, Hill, & Kawamura. I'm backing the Aussie to challenge in the Marble County @ 45/1 - 8 places.
