Betting on the Dunhill Links Championship

THE Dunhill Links championship is unique on golf’s European Tour and is considered one of the highlights of the campaign.

Contested at Kingsbarns, Carnoustie and the Old Course at St Andrews, the tournament is played as a pro-am over the opening three days with all the field playing all three courses. Following the final day cut, the event’s final round is played over the Old Course.

Betting on the Dunhill Links championship offers great scope for punters, with bets on the actual cut score, lowest round, or even on who will emerge as the leading amateur tempting the canny predictor of golfing form. Indeed, it’s one of the most attractive golf tournaments for applying free bets available from a raft of online bookmakers to stake some form of combination bet.

The nature of the tournament means it is a marathon, with rounds taking six hours to complete, so there is merit in betting on the players who have a history of showing patience and the ability to grind out scores throughout their careers.

Scores will be lowest at Kingsbarns, one of the new highlights of Scottish golf, while the Old Course boasts a history of greatness. If the wind blows, the odds are the scores will be high.

However, if, by some miracle, the north-east of Scotland produces a calm weather week, then the results could be spectacular with some players capable of shooting the lights out.

The weather in the UK might be the courses’ best defence, with the old joke about the Japanese visitors thinking it would be a great idea to play the Open championship in the summer always dusted down at this time of year. But the Links championship has its own appeal, making the Dunhill one of the fixtures of the season the home players most look forward to.

With a huge prize fund, the final placings can have a huge impact in the Race to Dubai standings, as one golfing writer was keen to confirm: “There was a lot of doubt about the tournament in the early years, but it’s now one of the most eagerly-anticipated fixtures in the golfing calendar. The crowds come out, and the chance to watch the best players on the best courses offers an excellent opportunity for golf enthusiasts.

“The standings can change quite dramatically throughout the opening three days because of the different courses, which means betting on the winner can be difficult until after the final rounds are completed.

“Predictions on links courses are always weather-dependent and the odds are most players will spend the week checking the weather forecasts on the internet as much as they will the results of the other players’ rounds.

“Bets on who will shoot the lowest round of the week offer value and if you have a free bet from an online bookmaker to use, then the likes of Lee Westwood and Ernie Els have shown they can prosper in this format and are worth backing.

“However, bets on a home winner could be rewarded, as both Stephen Gallacher and Paul Lawrie have won this tournament in the past.”