Irish Open prediction: McIlroy and Lowry to finish in the top 5

The Irish Open gets underway on Thursday at Royal County Down, with former winners Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry among the 156-strong field.

McIlroy won the tournament in 2016 while Lowry won in 2009 when still an amateur and both will fancy their chances of success this time around, but the competition is stiff.

Nonetheless, betting sites make McIlroy the 13/2 favourite, with Lowry second in the outright market at 11/1.

Reigning champion Vincent Norrman will be hoping he can defend the title he secured with a one-stroke victory at the K Club last year.

Other names to watch out for in the field include Tom McKibbin, who last year became the youngest winner from Northern Ireland on the DP World Tour, since McIlroy, when he claimed the Porsche European Open title.

Robert MacIntyre will be looking to add the title to his Scottish Open success, while Nicolai Hojgaard, is looking to finish the season strongly and defend his DP World Tour Championship title in November.

It is the first time since 2015 that the tournament is being held in Newcastle which is less than an hour away from where McIlroy grew up in Holywood, which means this one has an added edge for the four-time major winner.

“Since making my first appearance at the Irish Open nearly 20 years ago, it has been such a special tournament to play in, but it will be doubly so for me this time round,” said McIlroy.

“I’m incredibly excited to have the opportunity to play in this year’s Irish Open at a venue so close to home. Royal County Down is a fantastic venue and I still have some great memories from the 2007 Walker Cup.

“The crowds are always so supportive of all the Irish golfers taking part and the atmosphere is unlike any other we have at a golf tournament.”

The tournament winner will take home £780,000 in addition to securing 5,000 Race to Dubai points and 1,500 European Ryder Cup points - if applicable.

McIlroy might be the fans’ favourite but Lowry is more suited to a links course, so why not back them both with the top golf betting sites to perform? Bet365 have boosted the odds on both players to finish in the top five.

After winning his national open in July, Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre is attempting to achieve something no one else has managed – winning both the Scottish and Irish Open in the same season.

It has been quite a year for the 28-year-old, who claimed his first PGA Tour win in June when he shot a final round 68 to win the Canadian Open by one shot.

A month later he won the Scottish Open with a birdie on the final hole to again win by one shot, to become only the second Scot to win twice in one PGA Tour season, the other being Sandy Lyle in 1988.

He currently sits 16^th in the world rankings and he has all the shots for links golf as demonstrated in the previous Scottish Opens, the 2019 Open at Portrush, when he finished sixth and more recently at Royal St George’s where he came eighth.

You can get 18/1 on him to win and 4/1 to finish in the top five with Betfred, but we prefer the 33/1 on offer at BoyleSports for MacIntyre to be leading at the end of the opening round.

The changeable weather coupled with the tricky course means there’s unlikely to be a player who stands out for the whole four days so this one could go down to the wire.

Newcastle is located at the foot of the Mourne Mountains on the east coast of Northern Ireland, meaning that despite a relatively good weather forecast anything could happen.

Last year’s championship was only won by one shot by Sweden’s Norrman and this one could have a similar outcome.

Golf Digest rated Royal County Down as one of the world’s top courses with Royal Dornoch, St Andrews and another great Northern Ireland links Royal Portrush making up the top four.

“On a clear spring day, with Dundrum Bay to the east, the Mountains of Mourne to the south and gorse-covered dunes in golden bloom, there is no lovelier place in golf,” it said.

“Though the greens are surprisingly flat as if to compensate for the rugged terrain and numerous blind shots, bunkers are a definite highlight, most with arched eyebrows of dense marram grasses and impenetrable clumps of heather.”

We’re expecting another close run-in this year and you can get a special price of 12/5 with the best betting sites on the margin of victory to be just one shot. Meanwhile, you may wish to check out the lastest free bets if you’re planning on having a bet on the golf this week.

If you choose to have a bet on the Irish Open, or any other sporting event this week, it’s important to remember to gamble responsibly.

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