The countdown to the Open Championship begins in earnest with this week's Irish Open, and though it's in some ways a shame that we're not by the sea on one of the island's many fabulous links courses, Mount Juliet will once again demonstrate that there's plenty on offer inland, too.
This parkland par 72, which measures 7,264 yards, is an immaculate Jack Nicklaus design which was no pushover last year, just three players getting beyond 14-under. Lucas Herbert had to do everything well to win, his short-game impressing as it so often does, but there was no one formula here with the likes of Rikard Karlberg and Richard Bland contrasting with Herbert, Grant Forrest and Sean Crocker.
It was on balance a bit of a strange tournament, one in which the weather played its part. Three players ended round one inside the top five but ended round two having missed the cut, whereas runner-up Karlberg charged from 73rd to 23rd and pressed on from there. He wasn't alone and while Herbert led after an opening 64 and was never headed, behind him all sorts of chaos ensued.
Tournament favourite Shane Lowry will be hoping to keep things rather more simple and I suspect he'll do far better than his last two appearances in what he calls his fifth major, which have seen him disappoint at short odds. The first of them, at Galgorm Castle, came when he confessed to running on empty, and last year he finished 23rd here when likely distracted by his upcoming and long-awaited Open defence. Refreshed and perhaps given a little jolt by missing the cut in the US Open, he's the one to beat.
Rising star Seamus Power is second favourite, but I would be inclined to suggest Thomas Pieters and Tyrrell Hatton are bigger threats. Pieters was robbed on Sunday but he's bounced back from a similar disappointment before, winning in Denmark after losing to a long putt on the final green of the Czech Masters. He was 12th here last year, has won twice since, and a fourth DP World Tour top-10 in succession probably beckons.
Hatton though is the really interesting one. Just a few weeks ago he was my headline selection in Canada at odds of 30/1 and this is both a significant drop in grade and a return to the comforting surrounds of his home circuit. He's won once every 10 starts in Europe over the last five or so years, boasts a 40% top-10 strike-rate, and when last playing on these shores was going off either alongside or just above Lowry in the market. If you can forgive Canada and a so-so US Open, odds of 20/1 at a course he should enjoy have to be tempting.
On balance, there are just enough concerns relating to his approach play and putting, usually Hatton's strengths, so I'll move on to a collection of each-way bets in an event where all of the appeal lies in the second tier of the betting.
That's where THOMAS DETRY resides and after some encouraging signs in Germany, he's ready to get going for the year.
Detry has undeniably been disappointing for the most part and has tumbled down the world rankings as a result, but 29th in the European Open was followed by 15th last week and these two parkland performances likely represent a good form guide for Mount Juliet.
The Belgian was one of those who missed the cut here last year despite an opening 67, but that was purely down to his short-game on his first start since the US Open, and he was right back on track the following week when unfortunate to lose a play-off for the Scottish Open.
Based in Cornwall for a while back in 2020 and a runaway Challenge Tour winner in England six years ago, Detry's form next door in the UK is very strong, with his three best performances coming in Scotland, England and Wales, all over the last couple of years as he continues to threaten to shed his maiden tag.
Arnaus delivered a bit of a rope-a-dope when getting off the mark in Spain on the back of two missed cuts, but it had been coming with six top-10 finishes in his previous eight starts and as one of the most talented players on this circuit, he's very likely to keep climbing the ranks.
Five top-10 finishes in his last 10 starts demonstrate how well Langasque is playing and right now he is not only one of the best drivers and iron players on the circuit, but he's producing some of the best stats around the green, too. Only with putter does he lack a red-hot performance but that club has pulled its weight often enough this year.
Last week's fifth place in Germany was pound-for-pound his best performance since winning in Wales, but eighth place at the Belfry represents an equally strong pointer. These are parkland courses where his strong driving is a huge plus and it's under such conditions that his second DP World Tour title will likely come.
With nine of the world's top 10 in attendance for the Scottish Open, nicking a spot at The Renaissance will be a far tougher challenge than doing so here, and he came agonisingly close to doing so last summer when missing out by a single shot. Ramsay was tied fourth, making just five bogeys all week, but the final place went to Richard Bland owing to his higher world ranking.
It was a cruel blow but further evidence that Ramsay can use the incentive of the Open to his benefit, just as he did when qualifying with second place in this event in 2017, and with sixth place in the Scottish Open a year earlier.
Clearly effective in the UK, having contended for both these events and played well a number of times in England and Wales including at the Belfry in May, Ramsay actually believes it's in Ireland that he's at his most dangerous.
With the top 30 players in the year-end Race to Dubai all earning invites, Veerman finished 31st and missed out by a single shot. Not only that, he carded a final-round 73 in the DP World Tour Championship but still would've finished 30th but for Garrick Higgo making birdie at the final hole in a round of 67.
Fine margins then and while new dad Veerman probably doesn't dwell on it and may not even know, he will certainly be aware that his third place here last year earned him an Open debut. Playing well at St George's may also have been part of the sequence of events which led him to his first win in Prague, and I reckon he can do something similar and book at ticket to St Andrews.
Winner of the European Open earlier in June, Samooja had earlier been fifth in Qatar to underline his effectiveness under tough conditions. Doha has always been a good guide to UK form whether by the coast or at the Nicklaus-designed Gleneagles, and there's some wind and a spot of rain in the forecast for this week.
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