European Tour Fantasy Golf Predictions – Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open

2018 Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open Preview

You can forgive us a wry smile in reflection of how matters panned out at the Irish Open last week.

Our $7,700 man, Ryan Fox, was pipped in a playoff by a player we drafted last week, Russell Knox. Oh, how the golf gods smile down….

The Scot landed some outrageous putts to cap a fine week from tee-to-green, and be under no illusions Knox is a contender at next week’s British Open on home soil.

Many of those hoping for major glory are in the field for this week’s Scottish Open, the final Links-based prep and a handy one at that. Gullane, the host venue, is just an hour away from Muirfield and will offer an insight into the sort of conditions the players can expect at Carnoustie – particularly if this heatwave, which has engulfed the UK for the past two weeks, continues.

Gullane, which hosted this event in 2015, gives with one hand and takes with the other. A short Par 70 at 7,133 yards, there are only two par 5s but three of the par 4s measure under 390 yards, and the run of holes from 15-18 are among the easiest on the course, so spectators can expect a thrilling finale.

Rickie Fowler hits off the fourth tee during the third round of the…

Rickie Fowler hits off the fourth tee during the third round of the Quicken Loans National at TPC Potomac on June 30, 2018 in Potomac, Maryland. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

It was Rickie Fowler who made the most of this closing act, playing the last four holes in a combined -9 to take the trophy at -12 from another pair of Links specialists, Matt Kuchar and Raphael Jacquelin.

Fowler returns to defend his honor against a stacked field that contains Justin Rose, Patrick Reed, Hideki Matsuyama, Ian Poulter, Kuchar and a host of other players typically found on the PGA TOUR, with the European Tour contingent represented by Tyrrell Hatton, Andy Sullivan and defending champion Rafa Cabrera-Bello.

Six of the last eight British Open champions had played the Scottish during the week prior, so this week is a chance to do some major scouting as well as accumulating some late-in-the-day DFS profits to roll over to next week.

So, who makes our draft?

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This Week’s Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open Fantasy Picks & Predictions

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This Week’s Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open Fantasy Picks

Tyrrell Hatton – $10,500 – A two-time winner of the Alfred Dunhill Links and second in the Scottish Open in 2016, few know their way around Links courses in this neck of the woods quite like Tyrrell Hatton.

There have been signs of life from the Englishman lately after a tough 2018, with a T6 return at the US Open followed by a T16 finish at the Open de France, where he ranked fifth for GIR.

Hatton finished T22 here in 2015 and closed out with a round of 66 in tough conditions; he is a red-hot contender this week.

Andy Sullivan – $9,600 – Andy Sullivan’s incredible run of form continues.

He has finished no lower than T35 in any of his last ten starts, has banked six top-20s and two T21s in that time and hasn’t missed a cut on the European Tour since October 2017.

Indeed, if Sullivan could string four good rounds together he would have surely added to his haul of three titles recently; an errant round of 72 at the Sicilian Open, and a slow start of 73-72 in Ireland last week, arguably costing him silverware.

His formline in Irish/Scottish Opens reads 6-9-20-6, and there was a T12 in the British Open of 2016 to call upon too.

Jorge Campillo – $8,100 – Speaking of in-form, Jorge Campillo has six top-10 finishes to his name in his last nine starts.

The Spaniard has shown himself to be adept at Links golf with his third-place finish last week, where he blitzed his way through the field on Sunday with a round of 65.

That is paired with a top-10 in the Scottish Open of 2016, and Campillo is a proven wind player as his desert form shows.

That first win is just around the corner; it’s just a question of when and where.

Adrian Otaegui – $7,500 – The Portuguese ace has two European Tour titles to his name and both have come in the matchplay format; he’s desperate to get off the mark in strokeplay too.

There are converging trends which offer support to that quest, too. He played at Gullane in 2015 and opened with a 65 before falling away over the weekend, and that is a nice memory for a player in the peak of form.

A winner of the Belgium Knockout in May, Otaegui has recently returned to form with a T12 return from the Open de France.

He banked top-20 finishes at the Irish and Scottish Opens of 2017, and so a bit of Links golf holds no fear for the 25-year-old.

Joakim Lagergren – $7,200 – The good times on Links continue for Lagergren, who has backed up victory at the Sicilian Open with a solid T12 at the Irish Open, where a closing 75 put paid to his chances of a second European Tout title in the space of a few months.

It’s reckless on the part of DraftKings to make him a $7,200 no-hoper then!

The Swede’s love of windy, coastal challenges was confirmed with his third at Trophee Hassan, as well as T12 at the Alfred Dunhill Links in 2017, and so at a venue where specialists should thrive Lagergren is a no-brainer of a pick.

Raphael Jacquelin – $7,100 – Twice a runner-up in this event at separate venues, Jacquelin’s love of Links golf knows no bounds.

The Frenchman bounded back to form with his third-place at the Shot Clock Masters, and kept that up with a T10 in the Irish Open last week, where he ranked first for Greens in Regulation.

A winner of the coastal Sicilian Open back in 2011, Jacquelin loves this kind of test, and while not an obvious winner he can far outperform this derogatory $7,100 price point.

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