The St Andrews road hole green with the 18th hole in the background © Kevin Murray
The home of golf will see some of the best players in the world turn up to compete in this weeks Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. The players will be competing on the hollowed turf that is St Andrews, but also Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, three of the best courses in Fife. All three are in Golf Monthly’s Top 100 courses of Great Britain and Ireland, only Kingbarns is just outside the Top 10 at number eleven.
Martin Kaymer 12/1 will defend the trophy he won last year, just six days after Europe’s unforgettable Ryder Cup victory at Celtic Manor. I am not sure how he actually managed to swing a golf club, let alone win a tournament!!
Five of the top six players in the World, Luke Donald 12/1, Lee Westwood 12/1, Kaymer 12/1 himself, Rory McIlroy 12/1 and Dustin Johnson 20/1 are also here to compete for the €588,148 first prize.
A total of fifteen of the world’s top 50 will make the trip to Fife, including three of this years major champions, Open Champion Darren Clarke 80/1, Masters Champion Charl Schwartzel 20/1 and the aforementioned US Open Champion Rory McIlroy 12/1.
Other Major winners in competing include Padraig Harrington 40/1, Ernie Els 40/1, Retief Goosen 40/1, Graeme McDowell 40/1, Louis Oosthuizen 80/1, Michael Campbell, John Daly 250/1, Todd Hamilton 400/1, Paul Lawrie 100/1 and Sandy Lyle 500/1.
Luke Donald © Keith Allison
Our picks to win:
Luke Donald 12/1, I know its boring but as I say every week, its hard to back against Luke, he had a bad week last week at the Tour Championship and still managed to come in Tied third.
Simon Dyson 25/1 is already a double winner on the European tour this season, winning the Irish and Dutch Opens. But this is a man who I believe will win not just one major championship but several. He has had a two-week break since his KLM Dutch Open victory and will be looking to prove himself in this very strong field.
Matteo Manassero 33/1 seems to pick his schedule to give himself plenty of rest and practice but also one that keeps him in great form. He has only played fifteen events on the European tour this season, but yet still sits in nineteenth place on the race to Dubai list. A win and six other top 25 finishes shows the boy from Verona knows what his doing, so look for him to finish strong at the back end of the season.
Matteo Manassero © Gary Denham
My picks for each-way:
Another double winner this year is back to back champion Thomas Bjorn 50/1 and at these odds has to be worth a punt. His had a couple of weeks off since those wins, but Thomas is a lover of links golf and finished eleventh in this tournament last year.
Richie Ramsay 80/1 was in good form before his two week break and finished in the Top 20 at the KLM Dutch Open and his had six other top 25 finishes this year. With the lad coming from Aberdeen winning his first tournament of the year on home soil would be a great homecoming.
Peter Lawrie 125/1 I must admit I had to look twice at those odds, I know it’s a strong field and he missed the cut at the KLM Dutch Open but Peter has had eight Top 25 finishes this year, one of those being a second place finish at the China Open.
For betting updates during the tournament Click here
The Kyle Phillips designed Kingsbarns © Kevin Murray
