Irish Open Each-Way Tips: Hatton back in his sweet spot

Main Bet: Tyrrell Hatton 1.5pt each-way @ 16/1

To work in golf for the Irish Tourist Board would appear, on the face of it, to be a fantastic way to spend your time.

Endless blather and blarney about the great linksland coast, the nation's superb food sells itself and if you can't flog the craic you need a new role in life.

No job, however perfect, is entirely straightforward though. There is always something that keeps you up at night - like Ireland's inland courses wanting a piece of the action.

I've been fortunate enough to be taken on quite a few golfing trips to the Emerald Isle and they go a bit like this: amazing food, amazing hospitality, one sensational links track, one very good one, one lovely one you've never heard of, and a parkland place no-one really wants to be at.

On one such trip, an American photographer called Larry literally went AWOL on parkland day. I overheard him muttering at breakfast and that's the last anyone saw of him. We later discovered that he'd done a runner to The Island Club.

It's a tale I often think of every time the Irish Open ends up at a parkland course rather than a linksland gem.

The tracks are all pretty much brilliant, the clubhouse is first class, the entire operation smooth and welcoming, you're just always stuck with the nagging feeling that a tatty clubhouse creaking in the wind isn't such a bad thing if the track beyond it is a classic.

Ah well, back to Mount Juliet it is and it really is a nice spot with a Jack Nicklaus design which the website boasts embodies his "ambitious, mischievous approach".

Cheeky Jack is a new one, but he produced a par-72 at around 7,250 yards that has deep bunkers, lots of water, tree-lined fairways and swift greens. It's a typical example of a modern build that had a good budget and last year Aussie Lucas Herbert loved it, going wire-to-wire, to join Tiger Woods and Ernie Els on the honours board (they won the WGC American Express Championship there in 2002 and 2004).

This year there is no Rory McIlroy. Instead, Shane Lowry and Seamus Power head the home challenge and also the betting, followed by Thomas Pieters and Tyrrell Hatton.

Ranked joint third/fourth in that quartet I think Hatton might be a little misplaced so there is a rare venture under 20/1 for this column.

The Englishman has twice made the places in this event, when tied fourth at Royal County Down in 2015 and tied fifth at The K Club a year later. He was also tied sixth at Royal Portrush in the 2019 Open.

He's also got inland, tree-lined wins at Milano GC in the 2017 Italian Open, Montgomerie Maxx Royal in the 2019 Turkish Airlines Open, and Wentworth at the 2020 BMW PGA Championship.

He made a bright starts to the season with tied sixth at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, tied fourth in the Dubai Desert Classic and second at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, but has no strokeplay top 10 since.

However, he has missed just one cut all year, mostly on the PGA Tour, so his form is a little better than it first appears compared to many in this week's field.

It's those two top sixes on the DP World Tour that hint at the real motivation behind this selection: his last five wins on that circuit have come in his last 34 starts with another eight top eight finishes in that run (and he had two top eights before the run started so this week's eight places makes extra appeal).

He wins and competes a lot at this level, he's played well in Ireland, and the course should hold no fears. Note a slight adjustment in the stakes to reflect this pick.

Next Best: Pablo Larrazabal 1pt each-way @ 33/1

The Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal is enjoying a superb year, one that has taken in two victories and a host of top 10 finishes.

In finishing last week with three laps of 67 to finish in a share of fifth at the BMW International Open he might have rekindled the best of that form and there's no reason Mount Juliet shouldn't suit (he was T33rd here last year when not in especially good nick).

First of all, that top five last week was on a tree-lined parkland course.

His first win this year? It was at Pecanwood in South Africa, a Jack Nicklaus design like this week. He's also been a play-off loser on Nicklaus' Gleneagles layout.

He's not without event form either. He was third at halfway on his debut in 2008 at Adare Manor and second with 18 holes to play at Carton House in 2013, when fourth (five of his six best tournament results have been inland so it won't bother him he's away from the sea).

Finally, I've no idea why, but it's intriguing that he is not playing LIV Golf this week, as he did at Centurion. He's got a nice chance.

Final Bet: Matthew Southgate 0.5pt each-way @ 250/1

A bit of a poke with the final pick and it also comes with something of a caveat. Matthew Southgate is attempting to qualify for the Open as I write this preview so what happens on the south coast of England will impact on his effort in Ireland but I think it's worth the risk.

Southgate has always loved Ireland ever since tied fourth there in 2016 transformed his career.

Previously he had been stuck between the first and second tiers, but he's never lost his card since and tends to keep it via one or two very good weeks rather than any great consistency.

He likes playing in front of a crowd, especially a vocal Irish one, and added tied second at the tournament in 2017 at Portstewart.

Form-wise there has been little, but he was T15th two starts ago in Sweden and he is a player who comes alive with an occasion.

Two speculative reasons complete the pick. One, he adores the Open and will be desperate to play it so there is an incentive to play well there.

Secondly, he was on the green to congratulate Haotong Li last week. Maybe a touch of inspiration there?

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