Fans of links golf are in for a treat as the European Tour begins a two-tournament stretch leading up to the Open Championship with a trip to Ireland for the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open. The Lahinch Golf Club kicks off the links triple header and plays host to the tournament for the first time. The second Rolex Series event of the season has attracted a strong field with 2017 Irish Open champ Jon Rahm the betting favorite at online sportsbooks. A star-studded group of players also provides a plethora of enticing matchups with odds for those listed below.
Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Matchup Odds at BookMaker.eu
Ross Fisher +102 vs. Victor Dubuisson -132
Erik Van Rooyen +114 vs. Haotong Li -144
Jordan Smith -137 vs. Eddie Pepperell +107
Richie Ramsay -131 vs. Pablo Larrazabal +101
Padraig Harrington +101 vs. Tom Lewis -131
Abraham Ancer -152 vs. Lucas Bjerregaard +121
Marcus Kinhult +127 vs. Matthias Schwab -160
Justin Harding +112 vs. Julian Suri -142
Martin Kaymer -129 vs. Graeme McDowell -101
Russell Knox -144 vs. Joost Luiten +114
Thorbjorn Olesen -145 vs. Bernd Wiesberger +115
Rafael Cabrera Bello -125 vs. Ian Poulter -105
Lee Westwood -150 vs. Christiaan Bezuidenhout +120
Louis Oosthuizen -112 vs. Tyrrell Hatton -118
Shane Lowry -108 vs. Louis Oosthuizen -122
Ryan Fox -105 vs. Andrea Pavan -125
Andy Sullivan -165 vs. Paul Dunne +131
Danny Willett -122 vs. Graeme McDowell -108
Jorge Campillo -123 vs. Thomas Pieters -107
Jon Rahm -201 vs. Matt Wallace +158
Danny Willett -109 vs. Martin Kaymer -121
Jon Rahm -139 vs. Tommy Fleetwood +109
Tommy Fleetwood -166 vs. Matt Wallace +132
Shane Lowry -103 vs. Tyrrell Hatton -127
Robert MacIntyre +139 vs. Thomas Detry -175
Need to Know
I had a losing week on matchups last week going 2-3 on my five picks. I will take solace in knowing that I came close to having a spectacular 4-1 week with Sergio and Joost Luiten each falling by one shot to their matchup partner. There was nice payout in the pick of Beef Johnston, who upset Matthias Schwab and made up for the losses. Let’s move on to this week. Often described as the St. Andrews of Ireland, Lahinch Golf Club plays host to the Irish Open for the first time. It’s a traditional links-style course that plays at par 70 and measures 7,036 yards. Not long by any standards. Course form is a non-factor but take a look at players who excel on links layouts. Recent form is also a plus. Set up along the beach of Liscannor Bay, wind will likely be a factor this week.
Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Matchup Picks
Jon Rahm -139 vs. Tommy Fleetwood
Considering the odds and Fleetwood’s play on links layouts, this might be a risky pick. But I can’t overlook what Rahm has done at this event. His six-shot win in 2017 was the largest in 22 years, and his title defense last year produced a T4. He’s a remarkable 36-under par over eight Irish Open holes going over par just once. He’s also riding some nice form with a T3 at the U.S. Open and a runner-up showing in his home country of Spain last week.
Shane Lowry -108 vs. Louis Oosthuizen
There’s something about playing at home and Lowry comes in playing wonderful golf. He’ll be remembered for winning the Irish Open as an amateur back in 2009 and he is 8 for 10 with a top five and three other top-25s. Oosthuizen plays the links frequently and has performed well in the past. However, Lowry has never been in such good form heading into his home Open.
Bernd Wiesberger +115 vs. Thorbjorn Olesen
Making up for lost time after an injury cost him almost a year on Tour, Wiesberger appears to be getting the form back that had him at the top of Euro circuit two seasons ago. He was T16 at the BMW International in his last outing and enjoyed the thrill of victory at the Made in Denmark before that. He made the cut at the U.S. Open and played well considering he was late to the field. I like Wiesberger’s game and his links play has been good with a runner-up finish in 2015.
Graeme McDowell -101 vs, Martin Kaymer
The motherland is well represented and McDowell comes in having won on the Lahinch layout as an amateur in 2000. He comes in off a T8 at the Canadian Open and a T16 at the U.S. Open is hoping strong recent form helps him overcome his surprisingly poor results in this event. McDowell has just one top-10 in 17 starts, but it looks as though he’s ready to break out on home soil.
Russell Knox -144 vs. Joost Luiten
We haven’t had a repeat winner at the Irish Open in over two decades, so the odds are long for Knox to turn the trick. However, finishing ahead of Luiten in a head-to-head is much more likely, as the odds suggest. A dramatic finish at Ballyliffin last year propelled Knox to a playoff victory. He also finished runner-up in his only other start in 2016. He grew up playing links courses and has had some nice results. Recent form hasn’t been too bad, either.
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