Hero Open Predictions, Betting Tips & Odds

• The European Tour moves from Northern Ireland to Scotland
• The Torrance Course at Fairmont St Andrews in Fife plays host
• This par 72 staged last year’s Scottish Championship won by Adrian Otaegui.

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Hero Open Odds

The odds for this tournament are provided by bet365. Click on the odds below to head to bet365 and place a bet.

Hero Open Predictions and Picks

• Local star Richie Ramsay has been in fine form on the European Tour in recent weeks and looks ready to win again. Back the Scotsman each way at +3300 with bet365.
• Matthew Southgate has a stellar record on Scottish soil and can beat Dutchman Wil Besseling over 72 holes at -115 with DraftKings Sportsbook.
• German youngster Matthias Schmid was the Low Amateur in the Open Championship and has had T14 and T19 on either side. Back him for a top 20 at +300 with bet365.

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Hero Open Profile

Any time golf fans see the name St Andrews attached to a tournament, anticipation rises. Well, it’s not quite the Old Course this week and, in fact, this week’s venue is around three miles southeast of the golfing mecca.

However, stand on the 16th green which is located on a cliff and it affords some beautiful views of the iconic golfing town where so much history has been made.

The Torrance course at Fairmont St Andrews is as you might expect: a track designed by Ryder Cup legend Sam Torrance. It’s a 7,230-yard par 72 and was opened in 2001. The good news for punters is that we do have some past course form to peruse.

Fairmont St Andrews hosted last year’s Scottish Championship where the first five home were a Spaniard and four Englishmen.

Adrian Otaegui took the title with 23-under ahead of Matt Wallace (-19), Aaron Rai (-17), Chris Paisley (-16) and Garrick Porteous (-16).

As you can see, scoring was low.

It’s also staged six editions of the Scottish Senior Open, with four of those going to English golfers and one of the others to a Spaniard.

Style-wise, it should play firm and fast while the fairways are generous.

When it hosted the Scottish Championship last October, the first three homes were ranked 1st, 2nd, and 3rd for Strokes Gained: Tee To Green.

As for the weather, there’s a mix of sun, cloud, and rain in the forecast on all four days, with temperatures in the 60s. Thursday will be fairly windy but the gusts are expected to drop to around 10mph on the weekend.

Ramsay Can Score Home Win

Few in this field come anywhere near to matching the golfing achievements of Richie Ramsay.

The Scot is a former US Amateur champion and has three European Tour titles although none since 2015. But the latest form suggests Ramsay can cash in on this home game.

The 38-year-old is showing his most consistent form in years, reeling off six top 25s in his last nine starts. That includes fourth in the Irish Open, 15th in the Scottish Open and 25th at the Cazoo Open in Wales. He ranked 11th for SG: Tee To Green in Wales while he ranked 2nd for SG: Putting at the Scottish Open so if those skills coincide he’ll be a huge contender.

Ramsay got off to a slow start here when Fairmont St Andrews hosted the Scottish Championship last October but hit back with middle rounds of 68-68 on the way to tied 33rd.

Also tied 10th in the 2019 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship (two of those four rounds are played at the nearby Old Course), Ramsay loves teeing it up in Scotland and tweeted a video of himself on Monday night saying: “Stunning evening Hero Open prep, always enjoy a trip to St Andrew’s.”

With plenty going for him, Ramsay looks a good each-way bet at 33/1 (¼ 1-2-3-4-5) at bet365.

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Southgate Can Outscore Besseling

I was considering Matthew Southgate as my outright pick at +3500 but getting him onside in a 72-hole match bet is a strong option too.

DraftKings Sportsbook pairs him in a 72-hole match with Dutchman Wil Besseling and it’s a -115 pick ‘em.

But, in my mind, it’s Southgate who holds the aces.

The Englishman has a strong pedigree in links golf and although this week’s test isn’t exactly that, there are some common traits: a mix of weather, sea views and fast-running ground.

Southgate, who is a member at Carnoustie, seems to love playing golf in Scotland.

Looking at his last four starts there he has a second place in the Alfred Dunhill Links, 9th and 26th in the Scottish Open, and 16th at this venue 10 months ago.

As for a recent thermometer test of his play, Southgate has a second and two other top 26s in his last four starts on European soil.

Besseling missed the cut in Northern Ireland last week although, admittedly, he was in solid form before that.

But he’s yet to have a top 20 in four starts in Scotland and had to settle for tied 30th at this venue in the Scottish Championship.

Back Southgate to come out on top.

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Schmid to Land Top 20

Matthias Schmid made the headlines last month after winning the Silver Medal for being Low Amateur in the Open Championship.

The German had warmed up for that event with tied 14th at the BMW International Open and since his big moment at Royal St George’s he’s placed tied 47th in the Cazoo Open in Wales and tied 19th in last week’s ISPS Handa World Invitational in Northern Ireland.

In other words, he’s had two top 20s and been the Low Amateur in the Open in his last four starts. That’s highly impressive stuff.

Schmid ranked fifth for Greens In Regulation at Royal St George’s which is some effort given that he was taking on the world’s best golfers.

Bottom line, there was no sense of him faking it; his strong performance, which included a second-round 65, was built on accurate iron play.

Plenty of young players – Justin Rose springs to mind – can suffer a dip after shining as an amateur in a major but we already have evidence that Schmid is using his big week as a springboard.

Back him to crack the top 20 at +300 with bet365.

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