Golf Events / Paul Krishnamurty / 27 July 2010 /

Four consecutive days of good weather is a rare thing in Ireland so keep this quintet in mind when making your bets for the action at Killarney Golf and Fishing Club

Experienced golf punters will know to treat advanced weather forecasts with caution, but should equally be well-prepared for this week's Irish Open. Wind and rain are usually a factor in this event, and the current forecast points to business as usual.

A useful tool for checking players' form in such conditions can be found at the excellent www.tour-tips.com. Of particular interest is red-hot favourite Rory McIlroy's poor record in windy conditions. That hardly went unnoticed in his second-round 80 at St Andrews, and he makes no appeal at [8.8]. In addition to Find Me a 100 Winner pick Brett Rumford, here are five that do.

Padraig Harrington
According to those stats, Harrington's scoring in windy conditions is head and shoulders above the rest of this field, averaging under 70 in wind over 15mph. Wind was a significant factor when winning both his Open titles, and this event in 2007. Granted, we have to forgive a poor performance in the Open, but his wider PGA Tour form is competitive enough, and he always says this is his main target for the season outside the majors.
Recommended Bet: Padraig Harrington to win tournament @ [21.0]

Damien McGrane
McGrane's name always comes up when the weather turns sour, particularly because his sole title came in desperate conditions at the 2008 China Open, which he won by nine shots. He also made the top-20 in the 2007 and 2006 Irish Opens, which were weather-affected. McGrane's recent form is pretty consistent, registering top-20s on eight of his last 12 starts. In backing him at [6.0] to reach the top-10, I'm expecting to at least get a good run for my money.
Recommended Bet: Damian McGrane to finish in the top-10 @ [6.0]

Bradley Dredge
With four top-tens to his name, Dredge clearly loves the Irish Open, and that excellent record owes much to his prowess in windy conditions. According to those wind stats, Dredge scores better than any of this week's three market leaders; McIlroy, McDowell and Rose. There's nothing wrong with the Welshman's form either. He's barely missed a cut all year, and had four top-25s from five prior to a respectable 27th in the Open.
Recommended Bet: Bradley Dredge to win tournament @ [60.0]

Graeme Storm
Another useful guide to form in bad weather lies in past results at Gleneagles, where wind is always a factor. It's no surprise to see that the aptly named Storm has a fine record on that course, as the Hartlepool man usually copes better than most. Only one player, (Francesco Molinari, for the record), has hit a higher percentage of greens in regulation over the past eight weeks than Storm.
Recommended Bet: Graeme Storm to finish in the top-10 @ [11.0]

Jamie Donaldson
Donaldson has put up a series of good performances in bad weather, including making the top-15 in both this event and at Gleneagles last year. He's been in final day contention on several occasions over the past 12 months, with fourth at the China Open his closest 2010 effort to date. That came in the middle of a good run of five top-10s in six events, and Sunday's 68 to finish eighth suggests he's coming good again.
Recommended Bet: Jamie Donaldson to win the event @ [90.0]

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