Crown Australian Open

It has been far too long since Royal Melbourne staged this fine event and thankfully smarter heads have prevailed and we once again see this magnificent golf course.

Every year we see some of the best golfers in the world congregate for the Australian Open but for the most part it is the homegrown players that take centre stage. This time around is different though as plenty was made about Rory's decision to skip some events earlier in the year in favour of travelling a little bit more to events such as these. We saw him take the trip to India a couple of months ago and the game of golf is all the better for the newly crowned Grand Slam Champion taking part in these events. 1991 was the last staging of this event at Royal Melbourne but since then we've seen it hold the Presidents Cup three times as well as a handful of Heineken Classics. 

Adam Scott and Ernie Els have both won and fought out a handful of finishes here at Royal Melbourne and there is a general consensus that Links specialists play well at this golf course. That goes for many of the Australian golf courses as they often play firm and are exposed to the elements. It could pay to concentrate on those with form in Open Championships in particular.

Tip 1: Rory McIlroy - 5 point win

Best odds of 11/2 with Unibet when publishing. 5/1 widely available.

The last thing I was expecting here this week was to be tempted into backing Rory McIlroy but here we are and I can't resist anything of 5/1 or above.

McIlroy went off a 7/2 fav last time out in Dubai against the likes of Fleetwood, Fitzpatrick, Hatton, MacIntyre, Lowry, Noren and co. Now there is no doubt that he faces a reasonably tough opposition with Niemann (out of form) and Puig (last week's winner) tucked in front of the home grown talents like Leishman and Min Woo Lee. However one way to measure this is look at the betting for the season finale in Dubai a few weeks ago.

Rasmus Neergaard Petersen who himself went well in Dubai was a 50/1 shot pre tournament. He now goes off a general 20/1 poke this week in Melbourne and whilst he may warrant that respect following his recent efforts, McIlroy was beaten in a playoff in Dubai and is a couple of pts bigger. That doesn't quite add up but then we have to take into consideration his motivation at this year ending jaunt to Australia. It's not a familiar move for him and there's a possibility that is the reason why the bookies have drifted him to a much more tempting number than what he was a few weeks ago.

His game is in easily good enough shape to win this event. Looking back on his year, he has added wins at Augusta, Sawgrass, Pebble Beach and the K Club. Royal Melbourne is widely considered as one of the best golf courses in the world and there is little doubt it was a strategic add to his schedule earlier on this year.

McIlroy has gone favourite for the BBC Sports Personality of The Year and considering he has confirmed his appearance that may prove an extra bit of motivation, should he need it. He has probably done enough as it is to win that award but any victory here should completely seal that deal.

In conclusion, it is the price here that dictates the bet as there is no way I would be betting here if 7/2 was the general price or even 4/1. The fact he is considerably bigger than when in Dubai makes this a max bet selection.

Tip 2: Dan Hillier - 2pts Each-Way

Best odds of 33/1 and five places with Sky Bet and Paddy Power.

Over the last few years form has carried pretty well over from the Australian PGA to the Australian Open and there should be a couple from last week's top ten in the mix here at the weekend.

Not many of them appeal at the prices and I considered Wenyi Ding who finally lived up to some of those high expectations we have of him when runner up to Puig. However, another who I prefer to continue that form and who remains at a nice price is Daniel Hillier. The New Zealander has been keeping really good company of late and should not feel that a win in this field is beyond him. He missed out on his PGA Tour card by two spots finishing 18th in the Race to Dubai rankings and should Canter take up that rumoured LIV spot then he will have only missed out by one place. He went really well for a long way in India threatening to upset the odds there when Fleetwood and Lowry were flying.

5th in Abu Dhabi in even greater company was a better result whilst 16th in Dubai was certainly no disgrace. Playing with Matt Fitzpatrick, Nicolai Hojgaard and Rory McIlroy over three days there in Dubai will have done him no harm whatsoever whilst a 5th place last week in the Aussie PGA means he comes in pretty hot.

It's a difficult task but he has shown on numerous occasions now he can mix it with the best names and maybe his time has come to win a really big one.