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Irish Open preview, picks & analysis

By: Golf Shake | Mon 25 May 2015


THEY will turn up in their thousands at Royal County Down, hoping to cheer a home winner to the Irish Open title - and they might just get their wish.

The Irish public love their golf. In Europe, arguably only the Scots are more passionate about the game, which does make you wonder why it does not host more big tournaments. When the sums are done come Sunday, it is probable that the event will have attracted a gallery second in size only to that which will turn up at The Open at St Andrews in July.

Most of the attention will, of course, focus on Rory McIlroy. The world number one missed the cut at Wentworth, which was hardly surprising considering that he had won two of his three previous events. In truth, he would probably have chosen to take the week off, but it was impossible for him to miss the BMW PGA championship, the European Tour's flagship event.


The Irish Open has become one of the biggest events in world golf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=19&v=MmTB758y8Ek


He said that he was looking forward to taking a few days off and you can be certain that when he begins his challenge he will be raring to go. As tournament host, there will be plenty of extra duties for him to perform, but McIlroy knows how to handle that and will have only one aim in mind - to win and send his home fans into delirium.

It is likely that the wind will blow at some stage during the tournament. There is a popular misconception that because McIlroy hits the ball so high that he cannot play in the wind. That is patent nonsense. Remember one thing - he learnt to play the game on links courses and is the current Open champion.

A player as good as he is can manipulate the ball at will. If the wind blows, you can be sure that McIlroy's hopes will not be swept away with it.

So, if not McIlroy, then who? My money will be on Shane Lowry, another home hope, and one with a great chance. He has been learning his trade  on the PGA Tour this season and has performed really well. Lowry has the lot. He drives the ball well, strikes his irons beautifully, and has a sublime short game.

There are a couple of other things to bear in mind about Lowry. He won this very tournament as an amateur, and he did so in foul weather conditions. He thrives in bad weather and, most important of all, he is in the form of his life. Anybody who watched him play at Wentworth will already have rushed out to their local bookmaker and invested a tidy sum.

You can also expect Tommy Fleetwood to contend once again, just as he seems to do every time he plays. Tommy is now working with the renowned coach Pete Cowen and has tightened up his golf swing - he is also hitting the ball a country mile. There is nothing to Fleetwood, who learnt the game on the links courses of northwest England, but he generates terrific clubhead speed.

Nobody played better at Wentworth than Fleetwood, and had it not been for missing a number of short putts he would have been over the horizon and out of sight of his rivals. Fleetwood needs to find a way of turning good weeks into victories. He has already discovered a knack for achieving top 10 finishes when he is not at his best. He is a certain Ryder Cup player of the future, and many (your correspondent included) believe he has the game to win a major.

There will also be a great deal of attention on the former US Open, Graeme McDowell, but he has made an indifferent start to the year. G-mac has admitted that becoming a father has changed his life, and his priorities. It is possible that he is not working as hard on his game as he once did, but he will not want to perform poorly in front of an Irish crowd, so keep an eye on him.

Others who will enjoy Royal County Down include Richie Ramsay, Alex Noren, James Morrison, Alexander Levy, Matt Fitzpatrick (a young golfer who is surely destined for great things), Miguel Angel Jimenez (would you bet against him recording yet another hole in one, as he did at the Spanish Open and again at Wentworth), Pablo Larrazabal (a Spaniard who plays his best golf in tough conditions) and Marc Warren, a Scot who is now playing with an air of calm and confidence many thought he was incapable of displaying.

Patrick Reed, the brilliant young American, is listed to start, having taken up membership of the European Tour. However, he was also in the field at Wentworth but ended up choosing to play in Texas instead. If he shows up, he will revel in the conditions.

Irish Open Betting Picks

To win: Shane Lowry 22/1 Will be inspired by the home fans

To Win:  Rory McIlroy 7/2 Pressure of hosting may prove too much

Each way: Tommy Fleetwood 45/1 If he is on song, could win by a street

Irish Open Fantasy picks:

Shane Lowry. Wants to win this event as a pro

Rory McIlroy. No chance of two bad weeks on the trot

Tommy Fleetwood. Ready to join the real big time

Romain Wattel. Arguably the best of the French golfers

Richie Ramsay. An excellent links player

Marc Warren. Now believes he belongs at this level.

James Morrison. On a great run of form

Graeme McDowell. Ready for a decent finish

Pablo Larrazabal. Will be hoping the wind blows

Alex Noren. Why doesn't the Swede win more tournaments? He has a great game


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Tags: european tour



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