The DP World Tour continues this week with the ISPS Handa World Invitational at both Galgorm Castle and Massereene, Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
The 132 field with the top 60 including ties making the cut will all be competing for a share of the $1.5M prize purse with the winner collecting the ISPS Handa World Invitational title and a cheque for $250,000.
Galgorm will be playing 7,151 yards long this week while Massereene will be playing much shorter at 6,817 yards. Both are par 70 parkland layouts where the key to success will be accuracy with a hot putter pivotal.
Daniel Gavins returns to defend the crown he won last year when seeing off his closest challenger David Horsey with one shot to spare.
The weather is forecast to be sunny and warm on Thursday and Friday with overcast conditions forecast for the weekend. Breezes shouldn’t pose any problems this weekend peaking at around 8mph.
This event will be screened on Sky Sports Golf with live coverage starting at 1 pm on Thursday afternoon.
So let’s move on with this week's betting tips for the ISPS Handa World Invitational.
ISPS Handa World Invitational Betting Preview
Marcus Kinhult
For my first and main selection in Northern Ireland, I’m going to advise Marcus Kinhult 35/1 EW SportNation. The 26-year-old kid from Sweden has had three Top 10 finishes this year on the DP World Tour and finished T3rd at the Cazoo Open last weekend.
His other Top 10 places include T3rd at the Qatar Masters and T8th at the Magical Kenya Open .
The young Swede can also boast a victory on the DP World Tour when claiming the British Masters in 2019 so he does know what it requires to get over the line on the DP World Tour. A hot putter will be required this week in Ballymena and Kinhult has been impressive on the dance floors recently where he ranks 25th on the DP World Tour for Average Putts per round at 28.56.
If Kinhult can forget about the seven missed cuts this year and produce the same effort as last week at the Cazoo Open then he could well be on his way to doubling up with another victory when he bags the ISPS Handa World Invitational this weekend.
Conner Syme
For my next suggestion, I’m going to point you all in the direction of Conner Syme 20/1 EW Paddy Power. The 27-year-old from Kirkcaldy, in the kingdom of Fife, was so unlucky last weekend at the Cazoo Open where he finished runner-up to eventual winner Calum Shinkwin.
The young Scot has three Top 10 finishes this year with the other two being T3rd at the Betfred British Masters and T6th at the Ras Al Khaimah Classic.
He is still looking to bag that maiden title on the DP World Tour but has won previously on the Challenge Tour. He does however arrive in Ballymena with a stat in the bag that matters around here. Syme is currently ranked 10th on the DP World Tour for Greens in Regulation and if he can get a little hotter with the putter then he may well enhance his chances to finally get what he deserves when he claims his maiden DP World Tour title in Northern Ireland.
Ewen Ferguson
For my next pick, I’m going to single out another young Scot who’s performing well at the moment, Ewen Ferguson 25/1 EW 10Bet. It’s already been an amazing year for the 26-year-old kid from Glasgow when he claimed his maiden DP World Tour title at the Qatar Masters just a few months back.
Other notable performances this season include T8th at the Magical Kenya Open and the one that caught my eye 12th last week at the Cazoo Open where he’d be the first to admit it could have been much better if not for the four double bogeys.
I watched him play last week and some of his ball striking was sublime. It’s all going to be about accuracy and greens in regulation figures this week in Northern Ireland.
So here’s a little secret, Ewen Ferguson ranks 3rd on The DP World Tour for Greens in Regulation and his Driving Accuracy is also way up there at 61.73%. That could be the clues right there to solving the puzzle at Galgorm Castle when Ewen Ferguson is crowned ISPS Handa World Invitational Champion on Sunday afternoon.
For my final selection, it’s the customary match bet and for this week's Nap in Northern Ireland I’m liking the look of David Law beating Richard Bland over 72 holes 10/11, Bet365.
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ISPS Handa World Invitational Predictions
- Marcus Kinhult 35/1 EW SportNation
- Conner Syme 20/1 EW Paddy Power
- Ewen Ferguson 25/1 EW 10Bet
- David Law beating Richard Bland over 72 holes 10/11, Bet365, Super Banker NAP
