Kudos to tournament organizers for sticking with it so the European Tour could contest the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open this week. First it was on, then it was off due to the global pandemic, and now it’s back on the schedule, albeit in a different location than originally planned. Galgorm Castle Golf Club makes it ET debut, though it should be a familiar sight to many since it has been part of the lower-tier Challenge Tour rotation since 2013. In fact there are a few players in the field that competed here just a few weeks ago when Galgorm staged the Northern Ireland Open. Shane Lowry, who won this event in 2009 and last year’s Open Championship at nearby Royal Portrush, opened as the betting favorite and with long odds in his matchups. Visit BookMaker.eu for updated matchup odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Matchup Odds at BookMaker.eu
Shane Lowry -163 vs. George Coetzee +130
Shane Lowry -235 vs. Ryan Fox +183
Shane Lowry -195 vs. Jason Scrivener +154
George Coetzee -154 vs. Ryan Fox +123
George Coetzee -146 vs. Jason Scrivener +116
Ryan Fox +108 vs. Jason Scrivener -138
Connor Syme -133 vs. Wilco Nienaber +103
Connor Syme -135 vs. Garrick Higgo +105
Wilco Nienaber -109 vs. Garrick Higgo -121
Joost Luiten -123 vs. Lucas Herbert -107
Joost Luiten -149 vs. Laurie Canter +119
Lucas Herbert -144 vs. Laurie Canter +114
Wil Besseling -134 vs. Johannes Veerman +104
Wil Besseling -102 vs. Aaron Rai -128
Johannes Veerman +120 vs. Aaron Rai -150
John Catlin -104 vs. Justin Harding -126
Joakim Lagergren -128 vs. Jack Senior -102
Callum Hill +100 vs. Marcus Kinhult -130
Jordan Smith -131 vs. Mikko Korhonen +101
Sebastian Soderberg +105 vs. Sean Crocker -135
Antoine Rozner -110 vs. Scott Jamieson -120
Dean Burmester +100 vs. Richie Ramsay -130
Jazz Janewattananond -160 vs. Clement Sordet +127
David Horsey -131 vs. Masahiro Kawamura +101
Lucas Bjerregaard +121 vs. Joachim B. Hansen -152
Adri Arnaus +100 vs. Min Woo Lee -130
Callum Shinkwin -103 vs. Robert Rock -127
Craig Howie +105 vs. Nicolas Colsaerts -135
Jeff Winther -144 vs. Padraig Harrington +114
Wade Ormsby -109 vs. Julian Suri -121
Steven Brown -130 vs. Cormac Sharvin +100
Soren Kjeldsen -117 vs. Marcus Armitage -113
Fabrizio Zanotti -115 vs. Julien Guerrier -115
Matthew Southgate -113 vs. Richard Bland -117
Need to Know
The tournament was first scheduled for late May but was postponed in March over COVID concerns. It was reintroduced after the Ryder Cup was delayed. So here we are at Galgorm Castle for the Euro Tour debut. The tree-lined venue stretches to less than 7,100 yards at par 70 and has been a regular stop on the Challenge Tour since 2013. It hosted the Northern Ireland Open just a few weeks ago with Tyler Koivisto earning a two-shot win at 13-under. Wide fairways, generous rough and bunker-guarded, undulating greens present scoring opportunities. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a number of players in the -15 range. The course is built around rivers so water will come into play on a majority of holes.
Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Matchup Picks
Padraig Harrington +114 vs. Jeff Winther
Instead of serving as European team captain at the Ryder Cup, Harrington will be playing competitively for the first time since March. That’s why he’s listed at plus-odds in this matchup. The three-time major champion is probably a bit rusty from the inactivity, but he is a three-time major winner and he’s nearly in his backyard. Harrington likely won’t contend for the individual title, but a home game in this matchup at that price is tantalizing.
David Horsey -131 vs. Masahiro Kawamura
The price is steep, but it’s hard not to like Horsey after his recent showings. Besides, he has the metrics that say he should perform well this week. He hasn’t won on Tour since 2015, but a top-10 at Valderrama is something to be looked at. He also has a T6 at the Celtic Classic and has survived the cut in his last three starts. With solid form coming in on a course that fits his skill-set, I’ll back the Englishman at his current price.
John Catlin -104 vs. Justin Harding
Catlin is making his debut at Galgorm, but anyone who can emerge victorious at Valderrama should be considered on what is a much easier test. A T8 at the Portugal Masters following his victory was Catlin’s third top-10 in his last five starts. His accuracy has been deadly during his run and will serve him well on a new layout. Hopefully he hasn’t cooled off after skipping last week’s event.
Laurie Canter +119 vs. Joost Luiten
Luiten is one of the bigger names in the lineup this week, but recent struggles have me leaning the other way. Luiten has missed the cut in three of his last five starts while placing outside the top-50 in the other two. With Canter at plus-odds this is theft. The Englishman is coming off a runner-up at the Portugal Masters and has two top-5s among three top-15s in his last three starts. And since the restart he’s gone 6 for 7.
Garrick Higgo -121 vs. Wilco Nienaber
Some might say the tournament is void of big-name talent. Don’t tell that to these two. Rising stars on the circuit are likely to put on a show, which is why I wavered in my pick. I could have and probably should have looked elsewhere, but these guys are fun to watch. Nienaber leads the Tour in driving distance and is second in strokes gained: off the tee. However, Higgo won the Portugal Open last week and the deciding factor was his T7 right here two weeks at the NIO.
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