Irish Open 2022: Form stats for this week's lucrative tournament

The Horizon Irish Open, which tees-off at Mount Juliet this Thursday, marks the first of seven straight tournaments in Britain and Ireland.

Between now and the second week of August, the DP World Tour will be staging tournaments in Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales.

This week's total purse of €6m will be the largest offered by the DP World Tour anywhere on European soil, since last September's BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

First staged in 1927, the Irish Open is one of the most prestigious and oldest titles in professional European golf.

For a second straight season the tournament will be held at Mount Juliet, which is a 31-year-old Jack Nicklaus-designed course at Thomastown in County Kilkenny.

This will be the seventh time since 1994 that Mount Juliet has appeared on the DP World Tour schedule.

It hosted three national opens during the 1990s, plus two American Express-sponsored events (2002 and 2004), along with a fourth Irish Open 12 months ago.

Mount Juliet is a parkland course located around 25 miles north of Waterford.

Laid out within a rolling 500-acre estate, the course offers lush tree-lined fairways and plenty of sand, while water comes into play on five holes.

Latest betting for this week's Horizon Irish Open

Great Britain & Ireland Stroke Averages

Lowest 12 At Non-Coastal GB&I Courses (Since Jan 1st, 2020)
Average .... (Rounds)
69.05: Andy Sullivan (43)
69.59: Jamie Donaldson (32)
69.65: Rasmus Hojgaard (34)
69.65: Thomas Pieters (20)
69.67: Aaron Rai (42)
69.72: Jacques Kruyswijk (18)
69.95: Jordan Smith (56)
70.03: Renato Paratore (32)
70.14: Dale Whitnell (44)
70.14: Thomas Detry (29)
70.14: Jason Scrivener (36)
70.19: Adrian Meronk (32)
70.19: Rikard Karlberg (26)
Min. No. of Rounds = 16

Most Top-25 Finishes At Non-Coastal GB&I Courses (Since Jan 1st, 2020)
8: Jordan Smith
7: Ryan Fox
7: Andy Sullivan
6: Rasmus Hojgaard
6: Aaron Rai
6: Richie Ramsay
Courses included for these tables are: Close House (Newcastle); Forest Of Arden; Hanbury Manor; Celtic Manor (TwentyTen); The Belfry; Galgorm (Ballymena); Wentworth; Mount Juliet; The London Club (Heritage).
Only those entered this week are included in tables

Six To Watch

Ryan Fox: Continued his excellent run of form with another podium finish in Munich on Sunday. This brings his total of T-3s for 2022 to four, which includes a victory in the Middle East back in February.

Padraig Harrington: Tees-up at Mount Juliet as the recently-crowned US Senior Open champion, a title he won on Sunday. Should be full of confidence at a venue where he tied-for-sixth 18 years ago.

Shane Lowry: In the absence of Rory McIlroy, the 2019 Open champion is the highest-ranked player in the field. Has posted a trio of podium finishes on the PGA Tour this year.

Seamus Power: Could be described as Ireland's newest star since winning on the PGA Tour last July. Has continued that solid form into 2022 and has posted a brace of top-12 finishes in major championships this season.

Aaron Rai: The 27-year-old from Wolverhampton returns to his home Tour following a respectable start to his American-based career over the past nine months. Looks well placed to qualify for the season-ending FedEx Cup Play-Offs in August. He is a two-time winner on the DP World Tour.

Jordan Smith: Remains in a rich vein of form, albeit without a victory this season. The Englishman has finished outside the top-25 in just two of his last 13 starts.

Latest betting for next month's Open Championship

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MC* - Missed Additional 54-Hole Cut

Note: List Contains Leading Reserves