Niall Lyons has six selections from this week's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at the Carnoustie Golf Links in Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland.
Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
This is a difficult event to land as plenty of the field has links form, but that is undoubtedly where to concentrate.
If links form in Ireland or Scotland is missing then it's perhaps worth concentrating on Qatar and Portugal where an abundance of links specialists have made it into the winner's enclosure.
Look down the list of winners here and it's difficult to point out one who didn't have links pedigree. Even Victor Perez, who had recently moved to Scotland before his victory there had appeal.
With the pro am format and 3 different courses there undoubtedly remains an ounce of luck to landing the winner here and we'll need the weather to fall right on each day for optimum scoring conditions for our selections. For those reasons stakes are usually kept relatively small.
In 2023 Matt Fitzpatrick overcame the hangover from Rome to win here. This time around we have Fleetwood, Hatton, Fitzpatrick and MacIntyre making the trip from New York.
Having been stateside now for two weeks and all no doubt carrying baggage from the Ryder Cup I believe it's best to steer clear from these four.
It was clear that many were exhausted last Sunday and the mental toll of nearly losing that monumental lead could well be telling.
Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Tips
- 1.5pts each-way T.Pieters 45/1 (1/5 8) Coral, Ladbrokes
- 1.5pts each-way D.Johnson 45/1 (1/5 8) Bet365
- 1pt each-way E.Ferguson 100/1 (1/5 8) Betfred
- 1pt each-way J.Skov Olesen 125/1 (1/5 8) Betfred
- 0.75pt each-way B.Stone 140/1 (1/5 8) Bet365
- 0.75pt each-way N.Kimsey 350/1 (1/5 8) Bet365
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Thomas Pieters at 45/1 (Eight Places)
I'll have a handful of speculative punts this week in this event but there's no hiding the fact that class is telling on this tour right now and those from the PGA Tour or indeed LIV have a distinct advantage on the rest.
I'm keen to get Thomas Pieters on board here given how he has played lately and despite some disappointing events on DPWT events this year this could be his time.
He enjoyed a relatively fruitful Summer on the LIV circuit finishing 4th in Virginia, 8th in Chicago and 8th in Indianapolis.
A return to Wentworth really ought to have gone better as his ball striking was pretty good there only to have a nightmare week with the putter.
Hitting the ball well around that tight layout bodes well there though and he has been trending nicely over the last few months. Slower greens should help his cause and I can't help but feel his form is a little underrated by the bookmakers.
Dustin Johnson at 45/1 (Eight Places)
Can Dustin Johnson be trusted to give this 100% this week? I'm unsure, it's a gamble, however I think he is suitably priced and definitely capable.
Johnson's desire left for the game was called into question earlier in the year and to be fair to him he has responded in decent fashion.
Top tens in Virginia and Andalucia were backed up a top 3 finish on the last main LIV event in Indianapolis where he was tucked in behind Munoz and Rahm.
23rd in the Open Championship at Portrush was another fair effort and he has now produced five or six efforts in the Summer where if repeated here this week would see him on the top page of the leaderboard come Sunday.
We know he is capable of going very low at St Andrews and if the weather falls right for him on the correct days he can make a healthy amount of birdies here to get into contention.
He may not be a PGA Tour player anymore, but PGA Tour players are dominating this series of events on the DPWT and having a classy sort in our staking plan is the way forward.
Ewen Ferguson at 100/1 ( Eight Places)
Ewen Ferguson finished 2nd in the Soudal Open then 4th at the KLM at the start of the Summer but he has had a tough couple of months since with a string of missed cuts across some of the best events of the year.
However, there was light at the end of the tunnel when he managed a top 5 finish at the BMW PGA, a very impressive four days there which seen him play well throughout the bag.
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With 11 of the 12 Ryder Cup members in tow it was one of the best performances of the season from the Scot but it didn't last long with a missed cut the following week in France.
That being said I'm prepared to overlook that debut at Saint Nom La Breteche and hope he bounces back to that Wentworth form at more suitable conditions this week.
A winner in Qatar, runner up at Himmerland and a couple of solid efforts across the Open and Scottish Open Championships suggests he is more than capable of making a splash in an event like this.
Jacob Skov Olesen at 125/1 (Eight Places)
In an event where it looks prudent to chance a few high priced golfers Jacob Skov Olesen will prove popular and I have to include him.
The Dane has shown on multiple occasions now that these are his best conditions and another fine effort on links can not be ruled out.
Olesen won the Amateur Championship at Ballyliffin in 2024 before heading to the Open at Royal Troon and making the cut there a few weeks later.
Another made cut followed at this years Open at Portrush where he joint led after the opening 18 holes.
At the tough Trump International Links he finished 3rd and clearly has a knack for links golf.
It's a tall order in a field as strong as this but another decent showing looks likely.
Brandon Stone at 140/1 (Eight Places)
Brandon Stone looks worth chancing here at triple figures. The South African skipped the Open de France to go play in South Africa and now a return to links conditions should suit.
Recent results don't quite stand out but the South African's long game is in really good nick, in fact this is the best season of his career to date with his irons.
His ball striking for the large part over the last few months has been very impressive but it has been on the greens where problems have arose.
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It was the same last time out at Wentworth where his driving and approach player were excellent only to be let down by his game on and around the greens.
2nd in Oman before and a winner on links in Scotland, Stone has the game for this test and a return to slower greens could give him a much better chance this week.
Nathan Kimsey at 350/1 (Eight Places)
I can't help but have a swing at Nathan Kimsey at huge prices.
The Englishman qualified for the Open this year courtesy of a fine effort at Royal Cinque Ports and he didn't let himself down at the main event finishing 40th and managing a two ball with Bryson Dechambeau on Saturday.
I'd have imagined he'd have kicked on from that experience but it hasn't happened and four missed cuts, some at suitable events followed.
He bounced back last time out though in France with a top 30 finish and I'm happy to play him now he's back on links turf.
A small improvement with his irons from that effort in France could see him score well here and he has drifted to a really backable price for a favourable event.
