Horizon Irish Open tips: Adrian Meronk has point to prove at K Club after Ryder Cup omission

The DP World Tour heads to County Kildare and The K Club on the Mount Juliet Estate, which is memorably the venue for the 2006 Ryder Cup and last hosted the Irish Open in 2016, when Rory Mcilroy was a comfortable winner.

The Palmer North Course is a par-72 and 7,350-yards parkland course with undulating fairways and cunningly placed water hazards lurking on most holes. 

The course usually suits strong drivers with a good short game, and as ever high greens-in-regulation metrics will be a key factor.
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We start with our best pick in the shape of Adrian Meronk, who was arguably the biggest omission from Luke Donald’s European team after an impressive season that saw him win the Italian Open at the Marco Simone course, which will be hosting the Ryder Cup.

 The talented Pole has recently been putting in one poor round per tournament that has stopped him from contending, but he is the defending champion this week, albeit on a different course to last year, and he will have a point to prove here which makes his 25/1 price look increasingly appealing.

Suggested bet: Adrian Meronk each-way in the Irish Open

McIlroy is unsurprisingly installed as the early 16/5 favourite, which is a fair reflection of his chances and he should win if he brings his A-game on a course he knows well. 

Then there is a significant jump to 10/1 second-favourite Tyrrell Hatton, is not in peak form at present and needs to iron out the silly mistakes that have scuppered his chances at recent tournaments.

Another big precise jump brings in the powerful duo of Shane Lowry and Min Woo Lee at between 18/1 and 20/1, which automatically sees a drop-off in performance level in the field.

Lowry is back in his homeland, but his recent form has not been good enough to suggest he will turn the corner here, so maybe we can hope that he’s saving it for the Ryder Cup in two weeks time.

 Min Woo Lee has form on UK courses and can play when the wind blows, but we do not expect much of that this week, and the Australian is prone to putting in a poor round which impacts his ability to win. 

I continue to like the look of Alex Fitzpatrick, who is in a rich vein of form with another top-five finish last week, and 50/1 looks good value for a golfer who is knocking on the door of a maiden Tour success.

 Suggested bet: Alex Fitzpatrick each-way in the Irish Open

At similar odds, Padraig Harrington goes well on this type of course, while a golfer who may be trending into form is Thorbjorn Olesen, who has a decent record in the UK and so 50/1 could represent decent each-way value.

Alexander Bjork continues to contend without winning, and had a good chance last week in the Swiss Alps, but could not repel Lucas Aberg’s finishing birdie blitz, while Billy Horschelis one of a few American raiders making the trip across the pond, and his recent upsurge in form gives him a chance at 33/1.

Last but not least, I like the look of the 80/1 price available for young Irishman Tom McKibbin, who is beginning to be famous for more than just sharing McIlroy’s home town after landing the European Open in June, and regularly looking like he has another win in his bag.

Suggested bet: Tom McKibbin each-way in the Irish Open