The Dubai Duty Free Irish Open was on the calendar, then it was off when COVID hit, and now it’s back on. When the Ryder Cup was cancelled a few months ago, Ireland’s national open returned to the European Tour schedule, though at a new course and with much less prize money. Galgorm Resort in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, will play host this week for the first time, though it’s not entirely new. Many players who came up through the Challenge Tour probably had a go since Galgorm has been a part of that tour’s rotation since 2013. One of the more recognizable names in the field, Shane Lowry opened as the betting favorite. Three-time major winner Padraig Harrington makes his first start since March and is positioned well down the odds list. BookMaker.eu has a complete list of betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
Odds to Win Dubai Duty Free Irish Open
Shane Lowry +810
George Coetzee +1010
Jason Scrivener +2200
Ryan Fox +2200
Wilco Nienaber +2500
Connor Syme +2500
Garrick Higgo +2800
Laurie Canter +3000
Lucas Herbert +3000
Joost Luiten +3300
Aaron Rai +3300
Wil Besseling +3300
Johannes Veerman +3500
John Catlin +3500
Justin Harding +3500
Marcus Kinhult +4000
Jordan Smith +4000
Jack Senior +4000
Joakim Lagergren +4500
Antoine Rozner +4500
Calum Hill +4500
Sean Crocker +4500
Sebastian Soderberg +5000
Mikko Korhonen +5000
Jazz Janewattananond +5000
Dean Burmester +5500
Richie Ramsay +5500
Scott Jamieson +5500
Lucas Bjerregaard +6000
Min Woo Lee +6600
Masahiro Kawamura +6600
David Horsey +7000
Clement Sordet +7000
Adri Arnaus +7000
Odds Analysis
Garrick Higgo +2800
There aren’t many golfers out there hotter than Higgo right now, which makes me think twice about backing him. He’s gotta cool off at some point, right? Well, I’m going to ride the wave until it crashes. Higgo got his first ET win in last week’s dual-ranking Open de Portugal shooting 19-under. The kid was stoic with a bogey-free 7-under 65 across the final 18-holes. Two weeks earlier Higgo grabbed a share of seventh at the NIO at Galgorm. He also has a runner-up and T6 in four starts before that. He’s in good form heading in.
Dean Burmester +5500
Burmester has the metrics that scream success on this layout. Distance off the tee can make the course even shorter, and his putting has always been strong; Burmester ranks 22nd on Tour in putting average. Those stats will shine on the Galgorm layout as long as Burmester can make them work. He’s made the cut in four consecutive starts with a T6 at the English Championship his best finish. He’s not far off with one poor round or a few bad holes being his undoing. Clear that up and Burmester is hanging around the top of the leaderboard.
David Horsey +7000
After some of his recent outings I’m a bit surprised Horsey was priced this high. He’s won on Tour four times and most recently navigated the hellish Valderrama layout to earn a well-deserved top-10. Horsey ranks among the top-40 on Tour in categories that should stand out this week. He’s 24th in putting average, 39th in scrambling and 40th in strokes gained: approach. That doesn’t mean he’s going to do well, but he does have a head start over the field.
John Catlin +3500
Three top-10s among four top-25s in his last five starts has Catlin still looking good. Anyone who can emerge victorious at Valderrama deserves a tip of the cap and the American is riding a wave of good form. I typically don’t like to wager on recent winners since there are so many players to choose from and it’s just hard to win tournaments in bunches. I’ll make an exception for Catlin, however. He followed up his win at the Andalucia Masters with a T8 at the Portugal Masters before taking last week off. Hopefully he hasn’t cooled off.
Marcus Kinhult +4000
There’s a lot to think about when placing a wager, like do I really want to invest in Kinhult? There are others who stand out more. Shane Lowry enjoys playing his national open with a victory in this event. And he won The Open last year just a short distance from Galgorm. George Coetzee in on fire with three wins across two Tours over the last few months and Ryan Fox and Joakim Lagergren both have CT wins at this lot. So, I’m going to back Kinhult anyway because the price moved into a range that makes betting on him worth it.
Course: Galgorm Castle Golf Club – 7,087 yards, Par 70
Just a few weeks ago Galgorm hosted the Challenge Tour’s Northern Ireland Open and has been a constant on the CT since 2013. However, the 7,087-yard layout makes its debut on the Euro Tour. Tyler Koivisto won the NIO by two-shots at 13-under. The field is looking at a straightforward layout that shouldn’t pose too many problems. Wide fairways are tree-lined, the rough is reasonable but not penal, and undulating greens are guarded by strategically placed bunkers. Situated close to rivers, water does make an appearance on upwards of 12 holes and possibly more if tee shots are off target.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel
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