Hero Open First-Round Leader Tips: Pick Pepperell at St Andrews

Dave Tindall
27 July 2022
3:00 min read

Eddie Pepperell can go low on Thursday

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The DP World Tour returns to Scotland and Dave Tindall has three picks to be First-Round Leader at Fairmont St Andrews...

"Pepperell has a history of playing well in Scotland as shown by seven top 20s in his last 11 starts there, four of those doubling as top 10s."

Back Eddie Pepperell each-way at 51.050/1

Weather forecast for Thursday: The BBC forecast says "light cloud and a moderate breeze". The wind picks up slightly as the day goes on, rising from 5mph in the morning to 12mph in the afternoon although that's modest for this part of the world.

Eddie can have early Pep in his step

Speaking ahead of last week's Cazoo Classic, Eddie Pepperell said there were good signs again and he was looking forward to a couple of weeks on the links.

That seemed to play out at Hillside where he sat 10th after 18 holes before finishing tied 11th after 72.

Four starts earlier, the Englishman was second after the first round of the Dutch Open so we have a couple of good recent examples of quick starts.

Pepperell has a history of playing well in Scotland as shown by seven top 20s in his last 11 starts there, four of those doubling as top 10s.

One of the top 20s came on this week's course - Fairmont St Andrews - when he posted tied 16th in the 2020 Scottish Championship.

It's not a true, classic links but it plays like one and Pepperell looks capable of getting out of the blocks quickly.

He tees off at 12.30pm.

Side with Southgate

For my second and third picks I'm going with a duo - Matthew Southgate and Daan Huizing - who have two things in common.

The first is easy to spot as they tee off together at 7.40am.

The second is less obvious but both are past winners of the St Andrews Links trophy, played over the Old Course and New Course.

Southgate won it in 2000 and has always been strong on the links as shown by back-to-back finishes of tied 12th (Royal Troon 2016) and tied sixth (Royal Birkdale 2017) in the Open Championship.

The Englishman has also done well on this course, finishing tied 16th (2020) and tied 33rd (2021) in his two visits. Last year he closed with a 64.

As for recent form, Southgate has two top 16s in his last five starts and he was seventh after round one at Hillside last week.

Still in the top 10 at halfway, he faded but there's no reason why he can't get off to a strong start again.

Back Southgate at 66/1.

Daan the Man

Daan Huizing won his St Andrews Links trophy two years after Southgate in 2012.

It was some display as he shot a record 23-under.

Ten years on and the Dutchman still seems to love the links and last week he played some great stuff to finish tied third in the Cazoo Classic at Hillside.

Huizing's other big appeal is his recent record of making lots of birdies on Thursday.

He was 10th after round one last week, second after 18 holes thanks to an opening 63 in the BMW International Open and fourth at close of play after the first round of the European Open.

All those have come in his last fives starts on the DP World Tour while back in September Huizing was the first-round leader in the Open de Portugal.

Back Huizing at 80/1.