Following the Tour Championship two weeks ago, several of the world's best non-European players are taking an extended break from the game to rest and recover from a gruelling season on the PGA Tour.
However, back on the continent, the DP World Tour continues, and this week, one of its most popular events is set to take place at the Amgen Irish Open. The tournament feels even more special this year as it is set to take place at Royal County Down Golf Club, one of the oldest and best golf courses on the planet.
The course is located in Newcastle, County Down, Northern Ireland, and is a links course, which makes things even more interesting given how rare it is for the game's elite to tackle these courses in professional competition.
The field is also strong this week, with Rory McIlroy unquestionably the headline act. This is a home event for the Northern Irishman, and he will be desperate to do well after missing the cut the last time the tournament was held here in 2015.
Check out our Irish Open betting tips below for the early start on Thursday morning.
Irish Championship betting tips
Shane Lowry (Eight places) – 9/1
Shane Lowry has a lot going for him this week, not the least the fact that the Irish Open is one of the tournaments that means the most to him given that he was born in Clara, County Offaly. Lowry famously won this event as an amateur back in 2009 and he will now be looking to repeat the feat as a professional 15 years later.
Of course, this isn't the first time that Lowry has attempted to win a second Irish Open but given how good of a links golf player he is, he will be fancying his chances more than ever this week. Recent impressive showings on links courses include The Open in July where he led the tournament for much of the week in precarious weather conditions.
Lowry's one and only major success also came at a links golf course in Northern Ireland at Royal Portrush so all the signs are there that the 37-year-old will have a good week.
Aaron Rai E/W (Eight places) – 14/1
Aaron Rai has had his best year as a professional golfer to date and recently broke his duck on the PGA Tour with a win at the Wyndham Championship last month and it wasn't a result that came out of the blue. He recorded three top-seven finishes on the tour in the six weeks prior to his maiden victory and made it all the way through to the Tour Championship.
One of Rai's best displays of the season came at the Genesis Scottish Open, an event co-ran by the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. The tournament was held at Renaissance Club, a links golf course, and Rai battled well against the elements to finish in a tie for fourth after being in contention all week.
Thomas Detry (Eight places) – 28/1
Thomas Detry has spent the vast majority of his season on the PGA Tour, with his only appearance on the DP World Tour so far, which came at the Scottish Open in July. Detry has had a mixed season, but his game is well-suited to the challenge that presents itself at Royal County Down Golf Club.
Scrambling proved to be a very important metric the last time the event was held here. The best ten players that week all finished inside the top 20 for scrambling, which indicates that getting up and down when missing the sloped green at Royal County Down is the route to victory.
Dentry lead the way for scrambling at the Scottish Open, getting up and down for par or better 75% of the time. With that experience under his belt, he is a good dark horse pick this week.
Irish Open singles
- Shane Lowry E/W (Five places) – 9/1 @ Betfred
- Aaron Rai E/W (Five places) – 14/1 @ Betfred
- Thomas Detry E/W (Five places)– 28/1 @ Betfred
Andy is tipster who has been calling Golf tournaments for several years across many different platforms. He has covered all tournaments from the Asian Tour to the Masters.
