ISPS Handa World Invitational: Guido chanced at Galgorm

Tournament History

Having been elevated to the DP World Tour for the first time last year, the ISPS Handa World Invitational has been in existence on the Challenge Tour since 2013, when formerly known as the Northern Ireland Open.

The ISPS Handa World Invitational is a mixed event again this year (as was also the case in 2019 and 2021) co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour, the LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour and it's again staged over two courses (as it was in 2019 and 2021), with the field playing both Massereene Golf Club and the host course, Galgorm Castle, over the first two days before the weekend action is played out at Galgorm.

The men and women play the same courses at the same time with equal prize funds but unlike the recent Scandinavian Mixed event, they play two separate tournaments.

Galgorm Castle Golf Club in Ballymena has been the host course since the event's inception in 2013 and it also stepped in to stage the 2020 edition of the Irish Open, won by America's John Catlin.

Venues

Galgorm Spa & Golf, Ballymena, Northern Ireland.

Course Details

Par 70 - 7,005 yards
Stroke Average in 2021 - 69.89

The five-time DP World Tour winner, who's now a referee on the Tour, Michael Hoey, played out of Galgorm Castle Golf Club and Irish amateur, Tiarnan McLarnon, is a member of Massereene Golf Club. This is what the two had to say about this week's venues prior to the 2019 edition.

"They get the rough thick at Galgorm," Hoey said. "They set the course up really well and make it difficult for the players if you're in the rough.

"They grow the rough quite thick for the tournament, which is good, but you do have to hit the fairways. It's quite easy if you do hit the fairways, you can make birdie because it's not that long. The greens are very true so you can hole putts."

While Galgorm may suit the longer hitters in the field, Massereene might offer those whose strengths lie elsewhere the chance to score well, according to McLarnon.

"I imagine the scores will be pretty low, especially around my home course. I can see someone shooting a 62 or 63 in the right conditions.

"I have the course record at Massereene, which is an eight under par 64, so if at the end of the week it was still there, I'd be very surprised. The greens are the best I've ever seen so I think someone will go low."

Although there were a couple of 62s around Galgorm last year (Jordan Smith in round one and Daniel Hillier in round two) the lowest round at Massereene was Garrick Porteous' 64 on Friday and Massereene averaged slightly higher than Galgorm at 70.73, compared to the host course's 69.89.

Northern Ireland Open Winners at Galgorm

2013 - Daan Huizing -13 (playoff)
2014 - Joakim Lagergren -13
2015 - Clement Sordet -17
2016 - Ryan Fox -19
2017 - Robin Sciot-Siegrist -3
2018 - Calum Hill -19
2019 - Jack Senior -11 (ISPS Handa World Invitational)
2020 - Tyler Koivisto -13

Last Year's Winner with Pre-event Exchange Price

2021 - Daniel Gavins -13 140.0139/1

Weather Forecast

TV Coverage

Live on Sky Sports all four days, starting at 13:00 on Thursday

What Will it Take to Win the ISPS HANDA World Invitational?

There are no stats for this event on the Challenger Tour but here are the stats for the top-six in last year's event and at the 2020 Irish Open staged here.

ISPS HANDA World Invitational -2021
Daniel Gavins -13 DD: 56, DA: 10, GIR:22, Scr: 2, PA: 30
David Horsey -12 DD: 48, DA: 59, GIR: 22, Scr: 21, PA: 35
Alejandro Canizares -11 DD: 52, DA: 41, GIR: 38, Scr: 5, PA: 24
Daniel Hillier -11 DD: 7, DA: 12, GIR: 2, Scr: 52, PA:41
Masahiro Kawamura -11 DD: 24, DA: 26, GIR: 1, Scr: 52, PA: 20
Jordan Smith -11 DD: 18, DA: 49, GIR: 3, Scr: 30, PA: 11

Irish Open - 2020
John Catlin -10 DD: 55, DA: 6, GIR: 6, Scr: 2, PA: 26
Aaron Rai -8 DD: 39, DA: 16, GIR: 27, Scr: 5, PA: 7
Maverick Antcliff -7 DD: 36, DA: 16, GIR: 4, Scr: 51, PA: 19
Jazz Janewattananond -7 DD: 33, DA: 32, GIR: 18, Scr: 14, PA:6
Joakim Lagergren -6 DD: 6, DA: 10, GIR: 64, Scr: 4, PA: 9
Oscar Lengden -6 DD: 23, DA: 10, GIR: 9, Scr: 54, PA: 4

DD - Driving Distance
DA - Driving Accuracy
GIR - Greens In Regulation
Scr - Scrambling
PA - Putting Average

This is one of those rare weeks when accuracy off the tee is of far more importance than power. With the exception of Joakim Lagergren, who finished tied for fifth at the Irish Open 2020, all the placed players were fairly-short off the tee but the vast majority ranked highly for Driving Accuracy.

The differential wasn't quite so pronounced last year but length off the tee is clearly irrelevant.

Given the Massereene Golf Club website states that "the narrow fairways and small greens place a priority on accuracy rather than distance' Driving Accuracy and Scrambling could be the key stats this week.

We haven't got much to go on but the first and third ranked sixth and fourth for Greens In Regulation at the Irish Open and the top-three in the GIR rankings were all in the top-six in this event last year.

The most important Strokes Gained stat last year was Around the Green with the top five in the rankings finishing first, 15th, seventh, second and 32nd.

In-Play Tactics

In eight editions of the Northern Ireland Open here, nobody won from any more than four strokes back at any stage, suggesting making up ground here is tough but converting from the front has proven hard to do.

Winning scores have fluctuated greatly so there's been varying weather conditions to contend with but whatever the circumstances, and on any Tour, the third-round leaders have a poor record with as many as ten players having led or co-led here through three rounds and lost.

Tyler Koivisto, who won here in 2020, led by three after 54 holes but he's one of only three 54-hole leaders to convert. Daan Huizing beat Oliver Wilson in a playoff, having led by six with a round to go of the inaugural staging and Joakim Lagergren held on to win by one a year later, having also led by six through 54 holes.

John Catlin trailed by four with a round to go in the Irish Open in 2020 and Daniel Gavins was miles back in this event last year...

Having been matched in-running at 1000.0999/1, Gavins began the final round trading at 240.0239/1 and trailing by seven but his five-under-par 65 on Sunday was enough to see him lift the trophy after three players lost their way with victory in sight.

The halfway leader, Daniel Hillier, was matched at just 2.285/4 on Sunday, the 54-hole leader, Jordan Smith, was matched at 1.51/2 before he lost his way after a fast start and poor David Horsey hit a low of 1.454/9 before coming home in 40!

Opposing the leader or leaders through three rounds may well be worthwhile and opposing anyone that goes odds-on in-play may prove a profitable exercise too. Having at least two players trade at odds-on before losing - as happened 12 months ago - is not a rare occurrence on the DP World Tour.

Market Leaders

So poor is this week's field that Jordan Smith heads the market at 12.011/1, despite missing the cut last week in Wales.

The 29-year-old Englishman was seventh in the Irish Open here before finishing fourth last year so the venue clearly suits his eye but his sole DP World Tour title was won five years ago now, with a lot of help from Alex Levy, who was matched at 1.011/100 in-running, and his finish in this event hardly bolsters his credentials.

The 2020 Irish Open winner, John Catlin, would have finished better than seventh in this event last year had he putted better and it's the flatstick that's holding him back this season too.

Catlin was fourth at the Irish Open at the beginning of July but that was very much a one-off and with current form figures reading MC-25-25-4-MC-MC-54, he makes little appeal.

Selection

Santiago Tarrio and Marcus Helligkilde were both carefully considered and one of Matt Cooper's fancies, Renato Paratore, will be one of my Find Me a 100 Winner picks but I'm going to go into the event with just one other selection - the mercurial Guido Migliozzi.

The 25-year-old Italian is in search of his third DP World Tour title having bagged two in 2019 and one could easily argue he's not making the most of his obvious talent given he's finished fourth and 14th in each of the last two US Opens.

That's extraordinarily strong form in the context of this event and I was happy to throw a few pounds in his direction at 55.054/1 in the hope he can get the juices flowing this week.

Selection:
Guido Migliozzi @ 55.054/1

I'll be back with the Find Me a 100 Winner column tomorrow.

*You can follow me on Twitter @SteveThePunter