The DP World Tour continues this week with a return to Scotland for the Hero Open at Fairmont St Andrews, Fife.
The 150 field, with the top 65, including ties making the cut, will all be competing for a share of the €1.75m prize purse with the winner collecting the Hero Open title and a cheque for €297,500.
Grant Forrest returns to defend his crown, it was the young Scot's maiden DP World Tour victory last year and remains his only title to date.
Last weekend we couldn’t single out the winner at the Cazoo Classic which was won by another Scot, Richie Ramsay but we did advise Marcus Kinhult at 66/1 EW and the young Swede duly obliged with a third-place finish.
The match bet Nap also landed yet again with Marcus Armitage successfully seeing off Alexander Bjork over 72 holes. It came down to one shot in the end but well done to everyone who collected.
Fairmont St Andrews will be playing 7,230 yards long this week, it’s a par 72 semi-links course and should be a paradise for big hitters with birdies a plenty on the scorecard.
The weather is forecast for showers with sunny intervals throughout. Friday should see the best of the weather with a nice warm sunny day. Breezes are expected to peak at around 16mph.
This event will be screened on Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main Event with live coverage starting at midday on Thursday.
So let’s move on with this week's Hero Open Betting Tips.
Adrian Otaegui
For my first and main pick at Fairmont St Andrews, I’m going to single out Adrian Otaegui 22/1 Paddy Power 1-7 places.
The 29-year-old from San Sebastián arrives with plenty of course experience having won the Scottish Championship here in 2020.
That was the third victory for the Spaniard on the DP World Tour having previously won the Belgian Knockout and the Saltire Energy Matchplay.
This year Otaegui has five Top 20 finishes with three of those being inside the Top 10. He was T5th at the Qatar Masters, T3rd at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship and runner-up at the ISPS Handa Championship in Spain.
On the stats, front Otaegui ranks 25th on the DP Tour for Driving Accuracy at 60.36 and these figures will be important come Sunday evening.
It’s going to be a big hitters' paradise this week up at Fairmont St Andrews with plenty of birdies available so I’m going for Adrian Otaegui to carry on from where he left off here in 2020 with another victory in Scotland on a course he has mastered in the past.
David Law
For my next pick, I’m going to advise David Law at 40/1 EW Betfair 1-7 places.
The 31-year-old Scot from Aberdeen seems to thrive playing in his homeland and it seems to bring out the best in him. He made the cut at both links events north of the border recently at the 150th Open Championship and at the Scottish Open.
He also finished a very respectable T4th at the Irish Open just a few weeks back so he does arrive with some form in the bag, better than most in this field.
He also has a DP World Tour title when winning the ISPS Handa Open which again is more than most at this event can boast.
The stat that sticks out for David Law is the sand save percentages where he ranks inside the Top 20 on the DP World Tour. With bunkers galore at Fairmont St Andrews, it’s going to be crucial to have the sand wedge in full working order. I just have a feeling that David Law is going to arrive in St Andrews and he’s going to put on a show in front of the home supporters producing some fine links golf that suits his game to a tee, pardon the pun.
Antoine Rozner
For my next selection, I’m going to point you all in the direction of Antoine Rozner 33/1 EW BetFred 1-7 places.
The 29-year-old Frenchman from Paris already has two DP World crowns in the bag and could make it a hat-trick this coming Sunday.
He has already collected the Qatar Masters and the Golf in Dubai Championship. His best performance this year was at the ISPS Championship in Spain where he finished in 5th place.
It’s his most recent efforts that have attracted my attention though, 13th at the Irish Open and 15th at the BMW International Open.
Rozner is averaging 309.38 yards Driving Distance and it’s this stat that could set him up to bag his third title. He has the short game where his greens in regulation figures read 67.14 so if he can put those two together this week then for sure he will be challenging on the back nine on Sunday possibly on his way to collect the Hero Open title with another victory at St Andrew's.
David Law v Callum Shinkwin
For my final selection, it’s the customary match bet Nap and this week I’m going to advise David Law again but this time to beat Callum Shinkwin over 72 holes 10/11 Nap Bet365.
Hero Open Betting Tips
- Adrian Otaegui 22/1 Paddy Power 1-7 places
- David Law 40/1 EW Betfair 1-7 places
- Antoine Rozner 33/1 EW BetFred 1-7 places
- David Law to beat Callum Shinkwin in the match bet 10/11 Nap Bet365
