European Tour Fantasy Golf Predictions – Dubai Duty Free Irish Open

2018 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Preview

While we are a couple of months away from the Ryder Cup, one name can almost be inked onto Thomas Bjorn’s team sheet.

Alex Noren tamed Le Golf National on Sunday in tough conditions to land the tenth European Tour title of his career, and more importantly secure his place in Team Europe’s starting line-up in what should be an enthralling edition of the competition.

Le Golf National provides a stunning test of all-round ball striking, and the nail-biting final few holes should provide a fitting conclusion to some world-class match play in September.

Of course, there are plenty of matters to attend to before the famous team battle; not least the British Open, the year’s third major which is now just two weeks away.

Preparations continue for that with another stern Links test this week at the Irish Open, which will make its debut at the Ballyliffin club, which is on the northern-most tip of the Irish Republic.

A general view of the 18th green from the back of the grand stand…

A general view of the 18th green from the back of the grand stand during a practice round prior to the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Ballyliffin Golf Club on July 3, 2018 in Donegal, Ireland. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

This layout hasn’t hosted a Tour level event in over 15 years, but the last time it did just five players finished under par! The Par 72, 7,462 yard stretch is a traditional Links layout, with open and exposed fairways, deep bunkers and wild fescue grasses, although – as ever – it’s chief defence is the wind, which can reach up to 40 mph.

The good news for those in the field this week is that the weather seems to be set fairly fair, or as fair as a Links stretch will get, with wind speeds at a manageable level. It will be interesting to see how those develop in the coming days.

And what a field this is, by the way. The Rolex Series events tend to be well supported – it’s amazing what a few extra million dollars can do, and of course the chance to prepare for the British Open in relevant surroundings cannot be passed over.

So, Rory McIlroy will duke it out with defending champion Jon Rahm, who took the spoils 12 months ago at the rather more forgiving Port Stewart.

Interestingly, McIlroy has a rather love-hate relationship with his home open having won at the K Club but missing the cut at Port Stewart, County Down and Fota Island, so he will be looking to make up for lost time this week.

But will he make our roster?

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This Week’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Fantasy Picks & Predictions

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This Week’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Fantasy Picks

Jon Rahm – $11,600 – The general consensus among those who have played the course is that it could be ripped up by the pros IF the wind doesn’t get up.

At the time of writing, the forecast is suggesting that the maximum wind speed will be around 12 mph; perhaps higher at the local level.

So maybe the challenge won’t be too taxing this week, and if that’s the case then big Jon Rahm has to be drafted once more.

We’re loathe to back the Spaniard in tough conditions – his short temper when he can’t land the ball where he wants to seemingly working against him, but if the set-up is benign then few, if any, in the modern game can outscore him.

Rahm won by six shots at Port Stewart 12 months ago, and if he gets a decent run of things at Ballyliffin then a similar scenario could unfold.

He loves competing and loves winning, and he was in fine fettle at Le Golf National last week: finding 70% of fairways with a drive average of 304 yards, and almost 75% of greens in regulation.

That, quite frankly, is title-winning form.

Chris Wood – $8,900 – ‘Tough to finish 2nd in France, my game is just not where I want it yet, round that golf course it will get you eventually!’

That was a tweet put out by Chris Wood after his runner-up finish at the Open de France. Now, if you’re not feeling happy with your game and still finish above the likes of Rahm, Sergio Garcia and Justin Thomas, and just one shot adrift of winner Alex Noren, imagine what you can do when flush with confidence!

The Englishman love Links golf; a love affair which started when he won the silver medal for best amateur at the 2008 British Open, which he followed with a T3 at the following year’s tournament.

Top-ten finishes in the Irish Open and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship continue the narrative, and Wood clearly loves being back in the UK: he is a former BMW PGA Championship winner, and has a top-ten in the British Masters to his name.

Ryan Fox – $7,700 – Even at this early stage in his career, Ryan Fox has built up a decent reputation on the Links.

Just last season he finished 6-4-4 in the French, Irish and Scottish Opens, which was a fantastic run, and one of his two wins on the Challenge Tour came at a typically Irish test in the Northern Ireland Open.

Even more pleasing is the fact that he is in good nick right now, having banked at top-ten in the Italian Open, making the cut in his first US Open and ranking fifth for GIR at last week’s Open de France.

Matthew Southgate – $7,600 – It sounds crazy to say given his status as a veritable journeyman of the game, but few in world golf enjoy a Links challenge quite like Matthew Southgate.

A top-five at last week’s Open de France – where he ranked second for GIR – followed two missed cuts elsewhere, and in 2017 he finished T2 in the Irish Open and T6 in the British Open.

Roll back to 2016 and we see T4, T11 and T12 finishes in the Irish Open, Open de France and the British Open; these results really are no coincidence.

Dylan Frittelli – $7,300 – After studying at the University of Texas and winning the notably blowy Mauritius Open, it would be fair to say that Dylan Frittelli is used to playing golf in the wind.

The South African also banked a pair of top-tens in the desert earlier in the season, and he looked back to somewhere near his best when finishing T12 at the Open de France last week; hitting more greens in reg than any other player in the field.

Last year was Frittelli’s first on the European Tour and saw a steep learning curve in the Links-based events, but another year older and wiser and it’s fair to say he is under-priced at $7,300 here.

Ashley Chesters – $6,700 – The year 2015 was a stellar one for Ashley Chesters: he finished T12 in the British Open at St Andrews as an amateur, and he won 3.5 points in Team GB’s victory over USA in the Walker Cup.

It’s been a fallow time since, but after finding form at the Shot Clock Masters in May the Englishman looks ready to kick on again; his T21 at the Open de France confirming an eye for Links golf.

T20 in last year’s Irish Open, Chesters has the game to break the top-20 once more; not bad for a $6,700 bargain buy.

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