Hero Open 2022: Course and current form stats for this week's tournament in Fife

For the third time in four weeks the golfers of the DP World Tour have gathered on Scotland's east coast.

However, compared to the tournaments that were recently staged at The Renaissance Club and The Old Course, the field assembled at Fairmont this week resembles more 'rank and file' than 'elite'.

In terms of mileage, the distance between The Old Course and this week's venue Fairmont is only four. However, the difference in quality of personnel teeing-up is huge.

Course Characteristics

Laid out on what used to be farmland overlooking St Andrews Bay, the course was designed and named after former Ryder Cup skipper Sam Torrance.

The course is situated just over three miles south-east of the golfing town of St Andrews.

This famous stretch of coastline is home to many of Fife's finest golfing venues, with Fairmont one of the more recent additions.

Fairways are fairly generous, while most of the holes are laid out slightly inland.

Originally opened in 2001, the course was redesigned eight years later to accommodate eight new holes.

Water comes into play on six holes, largely in the form of a meandering stream which winds its way across the course.

Fairmont has been a frequent stop for the European Senior Tour (Legends Tour), hosting the Scottish Senior Open six times between 2009 and 2014. It has also staged two pre-qualifying events for The Open Championship.

This will be the third time that the Torrance Course has featured on the DP World Tour.

Latest betting for this week's Hero Open

Four To Watch

Grant Forrest: The defending Fairmont champion who stood on the podium at Hillside last week.

Espen Kofstad: The Norwegian has played well since the start of July. After finishing tied-ninth in Ireland, he travelled to the States where he collected a brace of top-20 finishes in Kentucky and California.

Hurly Long: The 27-year-old German is starting to make his mark at this level. Began the year ranked 321 in the world and has since moved 140 positions up the table. Is currently an impressive 19th in the Race to Dubai standings.

Justin Walters: The experienced South African has finished eighth and 16th in previous visits to Fairmont.

DP World Tour Champs Thru 18 Holes (2003-2022)

One current trend on the DP World Tour this season is that tournament winners have been starting those events pretty well - in fact much better than in previous years.

Of the 24, 72-hole strokeplay events played on Tour during 2022, over 80% of champions have been within three strokes of the lead at the conclusion of the opening round.

With the current season approximately 50% complete, here's a list going back 20 years illustrating the percentage (%) of winners who were no more than three strokes adrift after 18 holes.

Season .... % .... (Events)
'03: 65.12 (43)
'04: 50.00 (42)
'05: 75.56 (45)
'06: 68.89 (45)
'07: 56.00 (50)
'08: 65.31 (49)
'09: 63.27 (49)
'10: 65.96 (47)
'11: 56.00 (50)
'12: 53.49 (43)
'13: 71.43 (42)
'14: 71.11 (45)
'15: 52.17 (46)
'16: 60.00 (45)
'17: 64.44 (45)
'18: 46.67 (45)
'19: 70.45 (44)
'20: 63.16 (38)
'21: 53.85 (39)
'22: 83.33 (24)
Note: The average cumulative % for the seasons 2003-21 is 61.73.

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MC* - Missed Additional 54-Hole Cut