Irish Open Golf Tip: Graeme McDowell

The European Tour sees an unusual imbalance in the field this week as all the top Irish players attend their national open while most of the other big names in golf stay away. With this in mind, we’ll follow the old adage that form is temporary but class is permanent. I would normally be reticent to back Graeme McDowell based on recent results, but at 18/1 with Coral, the 2010 US Open champion gives us great value.

This has plenty to do with the odds of favourite Rory McIlroy - a best price of 11/2 with Skybet is far too short and still a reaction to his exceptional exploits at Congressional. When we look at the next two names in the betting we realise that punts on other players in the same price region as McDowell represent far greater risks. With all due respect to Padraig Harrington and Ross Fisher, there is a reason why they both currently find themselves ranked outside the world’s top 60. In contrast, McDowell is still a major hitter at number 12, having only recently slipped outside of the top 10.

The Pebble Beach champion has recently struggled to put four great rounds together but there have still been plenty of glimpes of quality that suggest it’s just a matter of time. The first round 68 at Sandwich made him an early favourite for that title only two weeks ago. His 14th at Congressional included a 69-69 finish and represented a fine defence of his US Open title. G-Mac will come to Killarney with more to prove than the likes of McIlroy and Clarke, and that hunger could reap great rewards.