With the 2022 Presidents Cup in the books, the focus of the golfing world now shifts back to the continuing PGA and European Tours, both of which are holding events this weekend. The marquee fixture will be in Europe, as players descend on Scotland for the annual Alfred Dunhill Links Championship to be played at three links courses across the country.
We'll preview the Euro Tour event below as well as giving a couple of betting tips from the PGA Tour event this weekend, the Sanderson Farms Championship.
Alfred Dunhill Links Betting Tips
Location: Scotland
Venue: Kingsbarn Golf Links, Carnoustie, St. Andrews
Date: Thursday 29th September - Sunday 2nd October
The Field
The field for the Euro Tour event this week boasts a lot more star power than the PGA Tour, which is understandable given the top tier players from the USA will still be relishing their victory in the PResidents Cup.
The No.2 player in the world, Rory McIlroy, headlines the event from Scotland this week, looking to add his first Alfred Dunhill Links Championship to the trophy case. Alongside Rory as the other main contenders this week include major champions in Matthew Fitzpatrick, Shane Lowry, Danny Willett, Louis Oosthizen and Francesco Molinari.
Big names in Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Billy Horschel and Alex Noren headline the rest of the field.
The Courses
It's a unique event this week as the championship will be played across three different courses. Players will play each of the three courses over the Thursday, Friday and Saturday rounds before returning to St. Andrews for the final round on Sunday.
Kingsbarn Golf Links
Kingsbarn could be considered the baby of the trio, having only opened their doors for play back in 2000. Designed by Kyle Phillips in 1997, the course is the most unique of the three, offering good points of difference to the two more traditional courses.
Carnoustie
Nicknamed 'Carnasty' by professional players around the globe, this venue is by far the hardest of the trio, though it likely won't be set up to the difficulty levels we are accustomed to seeing it when the Open Championship is played there. Designed by Allan Robertson, Carnoustie is one of the most famous courses in Europe and with its difficulty, it could be where the tournament is won or lost this week.
St. Andrews (Old Course)
A treat for golf fans this weekend as we return to the most famous course in Europe for the 2nd time this season. It was just a few months ago that we saw Cam Smith lift the Claret Jug at the Old Course and although it won't be playing as tough this time of year, watching golf at St. Andrews is always a special occasion.
Betting Tips
Rory McIlroy ($5.00 at Ladbrokes)
How can you look past the No.2 player in the world this week. He is the dominant betting favourite in the market but with his form at the moment and a proven track record at the Old Course, he demands all of that respect.
18 of his last 22 rounds across both the Euro and PGA Tours have been in the 60s, and that is including high pressure situations at The Open and throughout the FedEx Cup.
Tyrrell Hatton ($15 at Ladbrokes)
The Englishman has a love affair with this event, having won twice in 2016 and 2017 as well as adding another two 2nd place finishes over the last three editions. At around $15, I think he is great value this weekend.
Eddie Pepperell ($41 at Ladbrokes)
Another Englishman here is my first darkhorse of the event as Eddie Pepperell comes into this week with solid form. In his last seven European Tour events, he has raced up six top 20 finishes as well as a 2nd place at the Hero Open. His last four trips to Scotland for this event have resulted in a 7th, 44th, 15th and 17th.
Joakim Lagergren ($101 at Ladbrokes)
The Swede is the other darkhorse I fancy this week. He doesn't come into the tournament with blistering form, but he has a great track record at this event, having racked up finishes of 4th, 4th, 12th, 3rd and 2nd to go along with one missed cut in his six events. Love him for a top 10/20 place this week.
Alternate Bets
Rory McIlroy Top 5 ($1.91) 5 Units
Tyrrell Hatton to Win ($15) 0.5 Units
Tyrrell Hatton Top 10 (2.50) 2 Units
Eddie Pepperell Top 20 ($2.63) 2 Units
Joakim Lagergren Top 20 ($4.50) 1 Unit
Rory McIlroy to win
$5.00 (2 Units)
PGA Tour: Sanderson Farms Betting Tips
Sam Burns to win ($10 at Ladbrokes) 1 Unit
Sam Burns Top 10 ($1.80 at Ladbrokes) 3 Units
Wyndham Clark Top 20 ($2.75 at Ladbrokes) 2 Units
Harris English Top 20 ($3.00 at Ladbrokes) 2 Units
