On the eve of the fourth Rolex Series event of the season, our stats guru has selected three players to look out for at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open hosted by the Rory Foundation this week.
Situated on Ireland’s most-northerly point, Ballyliffin Golf Club will host the historic event for the first time – kicking off a run of three consecutive weeks of links golf with the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open and The Open Championship set to follow.
With a world-class field assembling in the county of Donegal – including four-time Major winner Rory McIlroy and defending champion Jon Rahm – the competition will be fierce, but we have crunched the numbers to provide you with the following three picks.
Favourite: Rafa Cabrera Bello
With a Ryder Cup on the horizon the Spaniard will be looking to take a giant leap towards securing a spot in Thomas Bjørn’s side by claiming his second Rolex Series title this week.
The 34 year old arrives in Ireland with history on his side having finished inside the top eight in his last six appearances on the Emerald Isle – putting him fifth in the all-time list for the most top ten finishes in the event.
Having triumphed in last year’s Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open – before going on to finish fourth in The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale the following week – Cabrera Bello has shown he has pedigree on links courses.
Boasting views of the Atlantic Ocean from all around its stunning layout, Ballyliffin Golf Club’s Glashedy Links is a tough test of links golf – one which Carbera Bello is equipped to pass with flying colours.
Form horse: Søren Kjeldsen
Much like Carbera Bello, Kjeldsen has a formidable record in Ireland.
The Dane has recorded three top-20 finishes during his last five appearances in the event, one of which was victory in 2015 at Royal County Down Golf Club – another of Ireland’s finest link courses.
Known for his short game prowess, which will be key on the undulating greens of Ballyliffin Golf Club, the four-time European Tour champion will be looking to return to the winners’ circle for the first time since his Ireland triumph three years ago.
With five Scandinavians lifting the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open title since 2000, Kjeldsen has plenty going in his favour and will be hopeful of continuing his excellent record in Ireland by bringing the trophy back to a Nordic country.
Wildcard: Eddie Pepperell
Having come close to victory in Ireland before – Pepperell lost out to Kjeldsen in a play-off for the title in 2015 – Pepperell will be confident he can go one better this week.
Since making his breakthrough in February with victory in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, the Englishman has cemented his position as one of the European Tour’s leading approach players – he is ranked first on strokes gained on approach to the green this season (+1.933), and fifth on strokes gained tee to green (+2.073).
That area of his game is a key one for any player hoping to do well at Ballyliffin Golf Club, and with two top tens in his four Dubai Duty Free Irish Open starts, keep an eye on Pepperell this week.
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