Written by @Matt_Cee for @Hollywoodbets. Follow them both on Twitter and Facebook now!
The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship | Thursday 02 October – Sunday 05 October | St Andrews / Carnoustie / Kingsbarns
After the excitement of the Ryder Cup, focus will remain in Scotland for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, an event that has become incredibly popular with punters over the years. It’s not every day that you see the likes of Sir Ian Botham, Sir Bobby Charlton, Mark Boucher and Hugh Grant mixing it up with the best. The tournament is played over three courses and every player will play at each venue. When Sunday arrives, the top sixty head to St Andrews to claim victory. As usual, the tournament has drawn a field of top quality players. In the past few years it has been a tough tournament for punters, with winners difficult to pick. Last year, David Howell won this one seemingly out of the blue and the year before that Branden Grace romped home for victory, leaving most scratching their heads. If that’s the case this year then it may well be time to re-examine our strategy. But for now, I’m sticking to the tried-and-tested method of finding a winner at St Andrews and asking the question, who can make the most birdies? Scores here are generally very low and all three courses play quite easy.
To Win Outright
Rory McIlroy 4/1
Martin Kaymer 14/1
Charl Schwartzel 20/1
Joost Luiten 22/1
Victor Dubuisson 22/1
VALUE BETS
Tommy Fleetwood (25/1 a win, 11/2 a place)
Everyone seems to fancy Tommy Fleetwood this week and I’m going to jump on the bandwagon and agree that he has a real chance here. His current form is outstanding and in his last five events he’s found himself inside the Top 5 three times. Those finishes include a very close second in the Welsh Open and you can rest assured that he will arrive here eager to go one better. He loves links courses and always seems to be in the mix in this event come Sunday. He may find it difficult against a very strong field but he cannot be ignored this week. Each way looks like the way to go for me.
Shane Lowry (25/1 a win, 11/2 a place)
A lot of similarities can be drawn between Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood this week and it would be remiss of me to tip one and ignore the other. Lowry has found himself in the Top 10 in three of his last six starts and shared second with Fleetwood in the Welsh Open. He’s also known as a links specialist and thrives in this tournament, having finished third here last year. 25/1 looks a fair price and I’m going each way on the Irishman.
Ernie Els (40/1 a win, 88/10 a place)
When the betting for this one came out Ernie was available at a very generous 60/1 but the shrewd punters out there made quick work of that and Els has now been backed into 40/1, a price that looks a lot more reasonable considering his tournament form. He loves it here and has managed four Top 10s in the past and with his game in pretty decent shape he could be the surprise package of the week. He showed that he still has what it takes to mix it up with the best when he finished T7 in the PGA Championship, so don’t be surprised to see him near the top of the leaderboard come Sunday.
TOP BET: Marc Warren (45/1 a win, 10/1 a place)
I was on Marc Warren when he won the Made in Denmark in August and it looks like he may claim his second victory of the year in Scotland this week. He is in form at the moment and arrives here on the back of a fourth place finish in the Wales Open. He also loves the tournament and recorded a fifth place finish here in 2011. He proved he has the pedigree to do well on links courses at the Scottish Open this this year and at 45/1 looks an incredible each way bet. Based on the price, Warren is my Top Bet this week. Get on.
Bet on this tournament now at Hollywoodbets.net! Haven’t got an account? Open one here now!
