Odds and Ends: Adrian Meronk can prove Luke Donald wrong by winning Horizon Irish Open after Ryder Cup snub
GIVEN the riches on offer on the PGA Tour and LIV Golf these days, the DP World Tour can struggle for a share of the limelight.
For a couple of weeks in July the focus turns to Europe, when the Scottish Open is followed by the Open Championship, although even then the superstars who ply their trade across the Atlantic tend to get the headlines.
However, with the FedEx Cup coming to a close in August, September has become an opportunity for the much-maligned DP World Tour to take its turn in the late-summer sun.
Monday’s announcement of Luke Donald’s Ryder Cup wild cards made waves on either side of the pond, and that is followed very quickly by the Horizon Irish Open, which settles into a new slot in the calendar at the K Club from tomorrow.
The event has had a bit of a chequered recent history, moving from May to July, and going from parkland to links courses and back, before next season’s renewal takes place at Royal County Down.
Regardless of the venue, this time of year gives the Irish Open a real opportunity, coming a week before the European Tour’s flagship BMW PGA Championship, and with nothing to play for in America.
Rory McIlroy leads the field at the K Club, where he won his only Irish Open to date thanks to a stunning finish in 2016.
The world number two took advantage of two par-fives in the last three holes to claim a three-shot victory seven years ago and he returns in fine form, having recorded 10 consecutive top-10 finishes, a run that takes in a victory at the Genesis Scottish Open.
A back injury cost him any real chance of going after a fourth FedEx Cup win at the Tour Championship a fortnight ago, but that improved as the week went on, and a closing 65 will have the Holywood man in fine fettle.
McIlroy is a hot favourite at no bigger than 7/2 for a second Irish Open success, with Ryder Cup team-mate Tyrrell Hatton – fifth here in 2016 – a 10/1 shot and Shane Lowry put up at a tempting 20/1 by William Hill, while Adam Scott, Min Woo Lee and Billy Horschel add an international feel.
Lowry has been in scratchy form, missing the cut at the Czech Masters in his only outing in the last five weeks, and many observers feel he is lucky to have received a wild card nod from Donald, who is banking on his love of the big stage.
For an Irish golfer, their home Open is a very big stage, but while McIlroy, Lowry and Padraig Harrington all have one victory in the event to their name, the recent record of players from these shores has been poor enough.
McIlroy is certainly the man to beat, but those odds are of no interest, and while Hatton is also a strong contender, my main pick is the defending champion, Adrian Meronk.
The giant Pole is massively unlucky not to be on the European team for Rome, having won the Italian Open at Marco Simone in May.
That was Meronk’s third big title in 10 months, starting with the Irish Open at Mount Juliet last July, and also taking in an Australian Open victory in December.
There is little more he could have done to turn Donald’s head, and it was only the stellar form of Ludvig Aberg – winner in Switzerland on Sunday – and Nicolai Hojgaard that cost him.
That snub might just bring a reaction from the Polish star, who has proved his liking for Ireland – he was 10th at Galgorm in 2020 as well as last year’s win – and has been in very decent form generally, with one or two mistakes costing him over the summer.
A 13th in Switzerland was a very good effort, and I believe he will find the K Club just as much to his liking as Mount Juliet as a long, tree-lined par 72 that will reward length off the tee, but is also about precision.
Meronk leads the DP World Tour in strokes gained off the tee in 2023, and is also third for greens in regulation, which all adds up to a strong defence of his title, and at 28/1 with Paddy Power he has to be backed.
The Pole has a higher ceiling than most in this field – and not just because he’s six-and-a-half feet tall – and for the same reason I’m also putting up Ryan Fox, who was second at Mount Juliet last term to continue a love for golf on this island.
The Kiwi won a Challenge Tour event at Galgorm in 2016 and has been second in the Irish Open twice since, at Ballyliffin in 2018 and again last term, while he was also fourth at Portstewart in 2017.
He’s not quite in the form that saw him go close to winning the DP World Tour rankings race in 2022, with Fox largely playing the PGA Tour this year, with some promising results.
It is notable that his best outing came back on European soil when 12th at the Scottish Open, and on familiar terrain he can hit the ground running after a few weeks off.
The New Zealander is a big price at 40/1 (Sky Bet), while the same applies to Eddie Pepperell at 70/1 with William Hill.
The golfing king of Twitter/X could easily be an Irish Open champion already, losing out in a play-off to Soren Kjeldsen in 2015 at Royal County Down, and has played well on a number of occasions since, with a fourth at Lahinch in 2019 and eighth last year also to his credit.
The Englishman has found top form lately – as he often does at this time of year – with a share of eighth in Switzerland in Sunday backing up a third at Galgorm in the ISPS Handa Invitational two weeks prior to that.
Those results have come on the back of brilliant approach play, with Pepperell in the top five across the season, while he is very accurate off the tee and could be a factor at a big price.
Finally, I also like Connor Syme at 80/1 with Paddy Power.
The Scotsman is in great nick, with a third in Switzerland following on from a tie for fourth at Galgorm, where he was also second last term.
Syme has yet to shine in the Irish Open but the fact he led the field for approach play in Switzerland bodes well for the K Club.
Syme might well grab a piece of the limelight as the DP World Tour finally takes centre-stage.
HORIZON IRISH OPEN SELECTIONS
Adrian Meronk, e/w, 28/1 (Paddy Power)
Ryan Fox, e/w, 40/1 (Sky Bet)
Eddie Pepperell, e/w, 70/1 (William Hill)
Connor Syme, e/w, 80/1 (Paddy Power)
