Soudal Open: Course and current form stats

• Rinkven: Tight, tree-lined fairways and relatively short

• Consistent Paul 22/123.00 should contend this week

• Sam 45/146.00 can continue to shine in mediocre field

Tournament and Course Notes

• The 'European Swing' opens with a trip to Belgium, as Rinkven International stages a DP World Tour event for the fifth time. Making its debut in 2018, the first two instalments were called the Belgian Knock-Out;

• This event featured a 36-hole strokeplay qualifier, after which the leading 64 players advanced to a weekend of knockout competition. These involved a series of medal match-play ties, each staged over nine holes. After two absent seasons due to Covid, the event returned in 2022 and for the past couple of years the tournament reverted back to a typical 72 holes of strokeplay;

• Rinkven International is a parkland course approximately 10 miles north-east of Antwerp city centre. Laid out in a dense wooded area of fenland, the course is relatively flat, has tight, tree-lined fairways, and is not long by modern standards. Its greens are smaller than the Tour average, as well as undulating.

• Once again, the players will tackle a composite layout taken from the club's North and South courses. Last year's course featured six par-four holes of under 400 yards. Rinkven first came to prominence in 2010 when the North Course hosted an event on the Challenge Tour won by England's Lee Slattery.

Latest betting for this week's Soudal Open

Good Current Form

The consistent German Yannik Paul 22/123.00 has posted two top-12 finishes in his most recent three DP World Tour events.

He was also runner-up at Rinkven two years ago on his only appearance at this venue.

The 30-year-old will be chasing his second victory at this level.

In this mediocre field, the experienced Joost Luiten 45/146.00 cannot be overlooked.

Although not tearing down any trees during recent weeks, three of the Dutchman's last four starts have produced top-15 finishes.

And further down the pecking order, Sam Bairstow 45/146.00 has impressed during his rookie season.

The 26-year-old is currently a respectable 32nd in the Race to Dubai standings.

Latest betting for next month's US Open

Good Course Form

In-form Adrian Otaegui 25/126.00 will fancy his chances. He won at Rinkven when the tournament combined strokeplay and matchplay, and he is a champion already during 2024 having recently triumphed in China.

Meanwhile, Matthew Southgate 66/167.00 has competed in all four previous 'Euro Tour' events to be staged at this Antwerp course, of which three have yielded top-12 finishes.

However, the Englishman has only posted a single top-25 finish during the past seven months.

Scotsman Richie Ramsay 80/181.00 tied-seventh here 12 months ago and on his most recent outing in China, sneaked into the top-20 with his highest finish of 2024 so far.

The 40-year-old is a four-time winner on the DP World Tour and a renowned tough competitor.

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Form in Continental Europe

Most Top 25s (During 2022 & 2023)
12: Yannik Paul
12: Eddie Pepperell
12: Antoine Rozner
12: Marcel Schneider
12: Jordan Smith
10: Adrian Otaegui
9: Edoardo Molinari
9: Darius Van Driel
8: Gavin Green
8: Matthew Jordan
8: Richard Mansell
8: Richie Ramsay
Only those entered this week are included in table.
Countries are: Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

Click Here To View Form For LAST 10 WEEKS

Click Here To View Form At RINKVEN INTERNATIONAL

Note: List Contains Leading Reserves

Now read Steve Rawlings' Soudal Open tips and preview