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The pot is at €741 entering this week's second tournament of focus, the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship on the US PGA Tour.
Graeme McDowell defends his title in the Dominican Republic this week, rather than flying back for the Irish Open.
The Puntacana course is a par 72 which has wind as its main defence. Anyone that played at the US Open will be relieved to see more forgiving fairways. Low scores are commonplace, so birdies and good putting are important so that one doesn't get lapped.
The event begins at 11.30am Irish time on Thursday.
Here are this week's five selections from a field of 144.
Be sure to shop around, as bookmakers such as William Hill and Boylesports are offering 1/5 the odds for your pick to get into the top 8.
Our first selection is Denny McCarthy for €4 each way at 35/1. (1/5 the odds the first 8 places).
The headline selection this week is the 27 year old American Denny McCarthy. He has topped the strokes gained putting statistics on the US PGA Tour for the past two seasons, so he's hot on the greens. His progression has been steady, with four top 10's last season, including a fast finishing effort at the Wyndham Championship only a month ago. In 2018, McCarthy was fourth in this tournament, so he's already shown a liking for the resort. A former Walker Cup player, he's not afraid to win, having claimed the Korn Ferry Tour Championship in 2018. I think he can go well.
Our second selection is Mackenzie Hughes for €3 each way at 16/1. (1/5 the odds the first 8 places).
Canadian Hughes didn't disgrace himself at the US Open, but missed the cut, which may be no harm anyway. He's coming off the best stretch of his PGA Tour career, which saw him finish 14th in the Fed Ex Cup standings. He was second at the Honda Classic and posted three top 15's before the US Open. He was tied second in this event last year, so he has the course form. Hughes only has one win to his name on the PGA Tour, but another is surely around the corner.
Our third selection is Sam Burns for €3 each way at 18/1. (1/5 the odds the first 8 places).
For two rounds at the recent Safeway Open, Burns looked unbeatable, until fading over the weekend. He's only 24 and trending in the right direction. A bomber off the tee, he threw in one bad round when ending in a tie for 12th at this tournament last year. He's in form and is good enough to win a tour title against this field.
Our third selection is Doug Ghim for €3 each way at 66/1. (1/5 the odds the first 8 places).
Ghim is another 24 year old who is a former US Amateur runner up and played on the US Walker Cup team in 2017. His performance at the Safeway Open to sneak into the top 15 caught my eye, and while this is his first look at the Puntacana resort, he did play well in Puerto Rico last year. Ghim has talent and that goes a long way once a player gets comfortable in the big show. The freedom of youth and his ability may help him appear on the first page of the leaderboard.
Our final selection this week is Kelly Kraft for €2 each way at 150/1. (1/5 the odds the first 8 places).
Never worry about odds in golf. Stewart Cink was 569/1 on Betfair to win the Safeway Open. He had more of a chance than any other outcome that would be priced at those odds in other sports. Kelly Kraft has a tendency to miss a load of cuts and then turn up and go close. He's a former US Amateur champion that likes this event. In 2019 he was tied fifth and the year before that, he was third. Kraft sat out the best part of a year with a hip injury before returning lately, so his sharpness has to be taken on trust. It's a flier, but I couldn't leave him out.
So that's €30 wagered on this week's Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship. Please bet less at home!
Gamble responsibly, never bet more than you can afford, and good luck!
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