The Tips returns this week to provide more expert insight to help you choose your Fantasy team ahead of the Horizon Irish Open.
Joining regular host Ollie Silverton this week are golf writers Tom Jacobs and Niall Lyons, who outline their picks for the Horizon Irish Open, which you can find here: https://linktr.ee/dpworldtour.
If you have not done so already, you can sign up to play the official 2023 DP World Tour Fantasy game and submit your six-man team before round one gets under way on Thursday: https://fantasy.dpworldtour.com/
The 2023 season-long winner will win a trip to the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai next year, enjoy a lesson with a DP World Tour professional and a round of golf on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates. For more information on this amazing prize and others, read here.
The DP World Tour arrives in Ireland for the Horizon Irish Open at The K Club, which has previously played host to the 2006 Ryder Cup, multiple European Opens and Rory McIlroy's victory at the 2016 Irish Open.
It's a venue well known for placing a premium on accuracy off the tee and solid approach play, and our experts explained that ahead of their choices they were looking at strategy, form from a similar test at last week's Crans-sur-Sierre, coupled with players that consistently find greens.
"The K club's absolutely brilliant and it's a tough driving course, it really is and the rough will be thick as well, the rough will be lush," said Lyons.
"It's not the longest of golf courses, but you will need to keep the ball in play. It's more of a strategic golf course for sure.
"The last three winners on this golf course have led the field in Greens regulation, even going back to Rory in 2016," added Jacobs, before going on to explain that there are strong similarities between form in Switzerland and here.
"You wouldn't necessarily think of an Irish golf course being the same as one in the Swiss mountains, right? But the things are there. Bradley Dredge was second here in 2016, he'd won at Crans; Graeme Storme has been second at both; Constantino Rocca won and Crans and was second here, Mathias Grönberg won both, Per-Ulrik Johansson had won twice here and fourth at Crans. Then you've got Jiménez and Bjørn that had won at Crans multiple times and contended here and Lee Westwood won at both. I think the idea is that the game is similar so it might not be that the course is similar, but you need to be good with your approaches and that will generally help you everywhere.
"Generally speaking Irish Open form has been quite consistent for players over the years too and that's certainly what I've gone with. So yeah, just that Irish open formula, a little bit of Crans-sur-Sierre form. I think the fact that it's going back to back is great. Niall talked about how tough it could be driving and I think that is definitely true, but I've just focused on the approaches and how much they can find themselves on the green and how regularly."
Adam Scott
NL: It was a difficult start of the year, but he definitely found form in the last six to eight weeks. He didn't make the final 70 at the FedEx Cup Play-offs on the PGA Tour unfortunately, but it was close. He did give a good account of himself at the Wyndham. He was seventh there, previous to that he was fifth at Quail Hollow then ninth at the Memorial. So yeah, he's got four top tens in his last nine. I was looking at the quality of winners here at the K Club down the years. I think it brings out the best in the game and I think Adam Scott's name would look pretty among them.
Adrian Meronk
TJ: I'm going with Adrian Meronk. He's going to be freed up in the sense that one, he is not trying to hang on or trying to leapfrog Robert [MacIntyre] for that European points spot. I think that these things go one or two ways. They either crumble and they're really disappointed. You look at it and think, well he hasn't got that much to play for now until the DP World Tour Championship and things like that. But I look at it in the way that this is the first time he's got a chance to defend a title.
This is the first DP World Tour tournament that he won a year ago. He's just been so good in the Irish Open, he was 10th in his debut, missed the cut the second time around but then won last year. Just looking at the basic numbers, he was top seven for greens in regulation in three of his four rounds last week, and 15th in approach. He's a winner now three times and I think he has got the opportunity to really go improve himself. It does mean a lot for his DP World Tour prospects and warming up for the PGA Tour next season, which he'll be playing on.
Joost Luiten
One pick they both agreed on, was Joost Luiten
"He's been helped by really good approach play and also had an excellent season. I think it's seven top tens now after his fifth last week," said Jacobs.
"Very similar to Bjork in the sense that I think they both will feel they've not quite achieved what they should have done if they don't turn one of these into a win. He has also been second, ninth and 11th in the Irish Open in the past and I think that's really important."
“He’s on my list too,” added Lyons.
“He was really impressive last week, two 66s, a 65 and a 68. He also led the BMW International Open after three rounds and the British Masters, and two 54-hole leads in the last six to eight weeks is quite impressive.
“Tom mentioned earlier on about greens regulation at this course [and how] the last three winners have topped that stat. Joost ranks 12th on tour this season for greens in regulation. He was 22nd on the greens last week as well and if there is anything that is a slight worry it would be his putter, but that showed improvement last week and if he can carry that on, he's going to be a big player here.”
| EXPERT | PLAYER | REASON |
|---|---|---|
| Niall | Adam Scott | A difficult start of the year, but he definitely found form in the last 6- 8 weeks. He didn't make the final 70 and the FedEx unfortunately, but it was close. Four top tens in his last nine starts, and this is a place that brings out the best in the game. |
| Marcus Helligkilde | I think his game has turned a corner in recent weeks. He was second on approach at the Galgorm and 13th on approach last week in Crans. He’ll need to drive the ball better, but last week he had a first round 71 then over the next three rounds beat winner Ludvig by one shot. | |
| Julien Guerrier | He's got three top three finishes in his last nine starts. One of them was at the Barracuda obviously in the States where he shot a 61 in the final round there. His other two top three finishes came with Green Eagle and Margo Simone over the last couple of months. His long game is in really good nick, and he won the Irish Challenge 30 minutes down the road in 2017 | |
| Aaron Rai | These next two weeks are a big opportunity. Last win came on the DP World Tour in Scotland. Made the top 70 in the FedEx on the PGA Tour, and accuracy off the tee and solid approach play are key at the K Club - two things he's great at. | |
| Tom Jacobs | Adrian Meronk | Could go either way but playing with less pressure and this is his first chance to defend a title. He's so good at the Irish Open: he was 10th in his debut, missed cut the second time but won last year. And looking at the basics, he was top seven in greens and regulation in three of his four rounds last week and 15th in approach. |
| Joost Luiten | It's seven top tens now after his fifth last week, and he will feel he's not quite achieved what they should have done if they don't turn one of these into a win. He's been second, ninth and 11th in the Irish Open in the past, and leads the field in approach over the last 15 weeks | |
| Thorbjorn Olesen | He's had nine Irish open appearances and he's finished in the top 18 in six of them. Three of those were top tens including the top 10 here in 2016 and I think he's just playing a little bit better than he's been given credit for. He was 11th at the Czech Masters, and while 40th last week led the field in greens in regulation.think he's one who has a huge ceiling as well. I don't think he, he's achieved anywhere near what he's capable of. | |
| Soren Kjeldsen | He hasn't won since he won the Irish Open back in 2015, but playing some seriously nice golf last week - two weekend rounds of 65. Right up there with one of the best in terms of course experience this week, and in the last 15 weeks and just raw data, he's fourth in strokes gained approach |
