Euro Tour > Irish Open 28 Jun -1 Jul

gecko6 · Legend Joined: 19 Oct 2006 Posts: 12167 Location: Adelaide

off to Royal Portrush and the Irish Open this week

K Bradley flies over to join the boy wonder, Gmac, Pod & Co

decent field assembled and a tough test for a change; plenty of players hitting form so should be very competitive

Win

The rabbit · Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 9:46 am Post subject:

I am going with Keegan Bradley ( 33/1 ) in this. He enjoyed a successful rookie season in 2011 with a victory in the HP Byron Nelson Championship and later won the final Major of the year which is the PGA Championship. He started the season reasonably well with three top 10 finishes in nine stroke play tournaments with his best effort being at the Northern Trust when he was beaten in a play off. He has not been playing so well in the last couple of months but I think that he will enjoy the fresh challenge of playing in Europe on a course which is different than the usual ones in the USA. I remember him performing well in windy conditions in Texas last year so he should be able to cope if it does get blustery at this Irish course this week.

Good luck

Pete

burrfoot · Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 3:23 pm Post subject:

Portrush is my hometown and my old man was secretary manager for Rathmore (the less posh club affiliated to Royal Laughing

)

Me and Poohbear will be glued to our tellies over the weekend and I dread to think how many empties will be littering our bins..

However onto the important stuff..

Alan Dunbar just won the amateur championship and is a Rathmore member.. GMac is Rathmore born and bred and Darren Clarke not far off.

So GMac (who I think holds the course record - but might be wrong) and Darren will be getting my money Each Way - they will be playing out of their skin and have amazing support + GMac is on form..

Dunbar will also tempt a few of my precious pounds as best amateur

gl folks Kiss (Thanks Very Much!)

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Wallsendlad · Group 1 Class Joined: 14 Apr 2009 Posts: 388

5 players carrying my money are Paul McGinley 50/1 with his resurgence of form and playing in Ireland, (although not Southern), I can see him having an excellent tournament
Peter Lawrie 50/1,has been finding some decent form this year and he could be lifted by an Irish golf course.
David Drysdale 125/1 is another who is having an excellent season, and being brought up on Scottish links courses, he may well be right at home on this fabulous course and the bad weather that is sure to play a part here. 100/1 1st round leader are tempting odds too.
Richard Green 70/1 is something of a long shot, but his last 2 visits to Ireland have seen him finish 5th and 2nd, so maybe the Irish air lifts him.
Finally, the most inform player,currently,taking part Niclas Colsaerts is far too good to ignore, and at 25/1 seems to be a real value bet, especially with those firms who are paying 6 places.

Good luck with whoever your fancies are. Win

mercer · Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 4:47 pm Post subject:

Stephen Gallacher 100/1 E/"W

Stephen Gallacher is a very good player and often just pops up and puts in a top effort He is Scottish and will love this links course and brought up on them back home and think he will put in a mighty effort this week Played well last week in the first round before fading but if he can get it together he can threaten the fancied ones Has two seconds on tour this season in the Maybank and Dubai Desert and came close to winning them Missed three of his last five cuts but made the last two and looks to have regained form at the right time Cracking effort here last year when third and looks great Each Way value "

Joel Sjoholm 125/1 E/W

Joel Sjoholm is impressing me lots and looks a promising player for the future Last few months looks really on top of his game and knows he can compete with the best on this tour and will be high in confidence after two top 10 efforts in three events Sjoholm will be kicking himself after last week when leading going into the last round but blew it final round with a poor round and knows he should have won Sjoholm seems to be improving all the time and only his second season on tour and think he will do well again with the form he is in and looks massive odds and great Each Way value"

andrew8 · Group 3 Class Joined: 19 Dec 2008 Posts: 62

Rory holds the course record 61.

Goin to this cant wait altho conditions looking like their gonna be tough this week with plenty of wind and lots of rain so might not be Rorys cuppa tea, def not at that price.

Darren Clarke cant be ignored as he lives here on his adopted home course, hasnt been in great form since his British open in fact its been bad but showing signs of coming back and will be up for it this week, and with the bad weather we know he revels in so 66/1 with SportingBet 6 places cants be bad.

G Mac. how can u not back a man whos been a member of the place all his life and is in pretty good nick after his 2nd in the US. maybe his price will put u off at 10s

Also doin S Lowry holder of event won in awful weather few years back on a different track. 80 SportingBet
A Dunbar won british amateur last week in windy links weather and plays his golf on this course 125gen 150skybet

also Paul McGinley around 50s, who will know this course well playing it many times in irish golf, inform with his performance last week in the European

aubreyhoney · Group 2 Class Joined: 08 Feb 2010 Posts: 242

hi all,
2 for me this week are PAUL MCGINLEY, 3rd last week & 6th at the wales open mcginley has to be punted, he's a good price too with top 6 places avaliable.
PADRAIG HARRINGTON is very short i know @ 12/1 but he is on his way back i think, he's been playing great lately finishing 11th last week & 4th at the us open with a 13th & 15th mixed in there too. he's a winner waiting to happen although i'm abit worried that he has played alot of golf lately.
good luck all. Fingers Crossed

jimmywomble · Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 10:01 pm Post subject:

Hi all

The European Tour heads to Ireland for the Irish Open. For the first time in 65 years it is heading to Northern Ireland and Royal Portrush. Winner last year was Simon Dyson at the Killarney Golf & Fishing Club.

Royal Portush did host the event back in 1947, & also the Open in 1951, but I'm not sure that course form is relevant. However there will be some with experience of the course namely the Northern Irish major winning triumvirate Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell & Darren Clarke. The latter two are honorary members and from the town, whilst Rory has the course record.

Rory is the hot fave for this and he found a little form at the St Jude Classic after missing 3 cuts, but then missed the cut again at the US Open. GMac has been inconsistent with 2nd at the US Open and the Matchplay in Spain but missed the cut at the two events in between & just before the matchplay. The worst of the 3 is Darren who's dropped right back off the radar since his Open win.

Perhaps slipping under the Irish radar is Michael Hoey who was born a few miles inland from Portrush at Ballymoney. I’m sure therefore he will have played the course many times in his youth and amateur days. Already won this year in Morocco and won twice last year at the Madeira Islands Open and the Alfred Dunhill Links in Scotland. Definitely one for links & windy conditions then as the Madeira Islands course was based around the cliffs of the Island. Current form has dropped since he win just 2 cuts made in 7 with a best of 55th at the recent Nordea Masters, but then had not better than a 48th before his Alfred Dunhill Links win.

Another to tempt is the defending champ who has shown by his wins at the KLM Open he is happy to defend a title, and that’s Simon Dyson. Seems to be showing some form with 12th last week, after making his first US Open cut, did withdraw from the Players but was 12th in Spain just before that. Another Alfred Dunhill Links winner (09) as well, and had a top 10 at The Open last year, underline the fact he says he likes links golf.

Ok to pick time and of the 3 Irish lads at the start then I think I will have to say GMac is the fave for me of those 3. Whilst Hoey was getting into my thinking until I saw his current form which doesn’t bode me with confidence despite the fact he has won before off a missed cut. So I think my pick will be Simon Dyson, in good form and likes links golf, whilst the top 3 in the betting have lengthened the others in the field & so I think 33-1 is good value. Other slight advantage he might have over GMac & Co is that he is likely to have less pressure & outside influence on him to affect his game.

Cheers

Jimmy
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Micko70 · Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 10:43 pm Post subject:

Marcel Siem - EW @ 35/1
Marcel Siem has already had 6 top 12 finishes this year to his name including 3 of his last 4 events played, the Spanish Open, BMW Pga & the BMW International.

He finished 17th in this event last year but started really well with 2 x 66's and sat at 10 under after 2 rounds and held a 1 shot lead.

He posted 2 x 73's over the weekend to drop away but given his recent current form, if he can start as good as last year he can stay there for the weekend and challenge for the win.

In all 6 of his top 12 finishes this year he has shot his best in one of the first 2 days, a similar score this week would be great news

Stephen Gallacher - EW @ 100/1
It's been 8 years since Stephen Gallacher won his only European Tour event, that was when he won the Dunhill Links Championship in October 2004.

Since that win he had a few poor years when he couldn't really challenge for many events, but has always had at least 1 high finish, in 2005 he only had 1 top 3 finish.

In 2006 he finished 2nd in the British Masters, and in 2007 he had 3 top 10 finishes, he had 4 top 10's in 2008.

2009 was his worst year to date when he only played the weekend in 4 events all year, but he seemed to turn his form back round in 2010 with no fewer than 4 top 6 finishes and only missing the weekend in 3 of his last 18 events of the year.

Last year he had another 3 top 6 finishes including a 3rd place in this event and this year he has already had top runner up spots and looks set for another good week in Ireland.

surfsup · Group 2 Class Joined: 13 Mar 2007 Posts: 128

Just a question for anyone who knows the area and course well.....

I see there is a ton of rain forecast for this event esp for the first couple of days. On a scale of one to ten, with ten being it drains very well, one being it drains very poorly.....how good is the courses drainage?

Not much fun placing alot of bets then have them drag out due to play suspensions and delays. Thanks in advance.

burrfoot · Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2012 10:38 am Post subject:

8
Haven't really heard of rain being a problem

The windier the better for the local boys though Win

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brewster39 · Triple Crown Winner Joined: 29 Dec 2006 Posts: 2178

What Micko said.... Siem and Gallacher!
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