This article is part of our DraftKings Euro Tour series.
Dubai Duty Free Irish Open
Location: Portstewart, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland
Course: The Strand Course, Portstewart GC
Yardage: 7,004 yards
Par: 72
Tournament Preview
The European Tour is in Northern Ireland this week for the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open. The tournament is being held at Portstewart GC this year for the first time and will be a true test of links golf. This is the third event in the Rolex Series and is an Open qualifying tournament. An exceptional field will be competing this week on a course that demands precision off the tee and strong play in the wind.
Key Stats to Winning at Portstewart Golf Club
Driving Accuracy
Greens in regulation
Past Champions
2016 - Rory McIlroy
2015 - Soren Kjeldsen
2014 - Mikko Ilonen
2013 - Paul Casey
2012 - Jamie Donaldson
DRAFTKINGS PICKS
Rafael Cabrera-Bello - $9,400 (25/1)
Rafael is my favorite pick in the top tier, as he has been very close to winning all year long. You need both hands to count all his top-10 finishes this season. Rafa's stats are just what we are looking for this week, since he is ranked 12th in greens in regulation and 93rd in driving accuracy. He plays well on link courses, so I think this may be his week.
Lee Westwood - $8,900 (40/1)
Westwood is in great form, finishing T10 last week in France. This season, Lee has shown continued consistency and almost always rises to the top in premier events. He is ranked 83rd in driving accuracy and is hitting 68.5 percent of greens in regulation. He is another strong links player and can handle the wind.
Graeme McDowell - $8,800 (50/1)
This is a home game for Graeme, and at this price, he's hard to resist since he played this course as a kid and knows it well.. McDowell has had a good season and continues to pop up on leaderboards. He is ranked 41st in greens in regulation and has been putting solidly. I would like to see a higher average of fairways hit, but I believe his course experience is too valuable to pass up.
Bradley Dredge - $6,700 (80/1)
Bradley is my value pick for this week. He has shown good form in recent weeks and has had success at the Irish Open -- he was T2 here last year and T10 in 2015. Dredge is ranked 26th in greens in regulation and 126th in driving accuracy, so I believe it's worth taking a chance on him at this price.