Golf: Ace’s Scottish Open Tips

THE host of this year’s Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, Dundonald Links, has undergone a revamp since 2015. Several of the greens have increased in size and three have been levelled in certain areas to soften the contours.

With this being the precursor to The Open you would expect there to be a good field but if you didn’t know better you would think it is The Open, not Scottish Open, with Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson, Adam Scott, Rickie Fowler and Patrick Reed among the notable entrants.

Along with last week’s Irish Open, Dundonald could be a good pointer to who could eventually win at Royal Birkdale.

With three top fives in his last four outings Fowler is another whose form is top notch. I still think he’s got it in him to win a Major and he plays well on links courses (I shall be picking him for The Open but more of that next week). He won at Gullane two years ago and in 2014 he gave Rory a run for his money when finishing T2 at Hoylake so no problems on the links.

Since missing the cut in April at the Valero Texas Open for a third time in a row, Reed has had seven top 20s in nine outings. He finished a good T13 at the US Open and followed that up with a T5 at the Travellers the next week.

He made two top 20s in his last two outings at The Open, was also a Junior Open winner in 2006, so links courses don’t seem to phase him. I think he’s on a good run and well worth a punt this week.

Six top-10 finishes from his last eight outings show Ross Fisher is back up there among there fighting for titles. A few years ago Ross was being tipped for big things but it hasn’t turned out that way and hasn’t won since the Tshwane Open in 2014. Last year he had a T2 at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and has always look comfortable on links courses.

Recommended Bets

1.5pts ew Rickie Fowler (Ladbrokes, 8-1)

1.5pts ew Patrick Reed (Betfred 22-1)

1.5pts ew Ross Fisher (Bet365, 33-1)

Ace Venturer