ISPS Handa Australian Open: Fox Should Be Far Better Prepared for This Week’s Event

• This is one of two events on the 2023 DP World Tour schedule this week 
• Victoria GC and Kingston Heath GC in Melbourne play host
• Open champion Cameron Smith, a winner last week, is the betting favorite

ISPS Handa Australian Open Odds

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

ISPS Handa Australian Open Our Picks

• Ryan Fox has enjoyed a career year and could be ready to win again after having last weekend off. Back him to take victory at +1800 with Caesars Sportsbook.
• Aussie Min Woo Lee is in excellent form and has a win in this same format. Take him to beat compatriot Adam Scott in a 72-hole match bet at -110 with bet365.
• Takumi Kanaya is in good shape after finishes of fifth and seventh on his two latest starts and should like this test. Back him for a Top 10 at +320 with bet365.

ISPS Handa Australian Open Predictions

There’s a very clear angle to promote for the organizers of this year’s Australian Open.

The tournament will be the first-ever national Open to feature both sexes as the women play alongside the men.

But despite this historic dual-gender Open taking place at the same venue and at the same time, the men and women are playing for different trophies.

This preview will focus on the men’s event.

St Andrews hero Cameron Smith showed his class again in last week’s Australian PGA by lifting the trophy in Brisbane and the local star tops the bill again here.

Smith, who moved across to LIV after that Open Championship victory in the summer, is again joined by fellow Aussies Adam Scott, Marc Leishman, Cameron Davis, Lucas Herbert and Min Woo Lee.

Those big names had differing fortunes last week. Smith won by three while Lee was tied fourth, Davis tied seventh and Leishman tied 12th.

But Scott had to settle for tied 28th while Herbert retired in the second round due to a back injury. “I twinged it this morning on the range,” he said later.

As for the set-up, groups of men and women play in alternate pairings over Kingston Heath and Victoria Golf Club on the first two days. Victoria GC stages both weekend rounds.

Both are classic sandbelt tracks with Kingston Heath a 7,269-yard par 72 and Victoria a short 6,811-yarder with a par of 70.          

Fox a Canny Play

Open champ Cam Smith justified his short odds of +360 by easing to a three-shot victory at the Aussie PGA last Sunday.

Those who want to shove their winning chips Smith’s way again have to go down to +260 for another ‘W’ this week and there’s every chance he’ll follow up.  

But, at the odds, the one that jumps off the page here is Ryan Fox at +1800.

Fox has had a brilliant year on the DP World Tour, winning twice - February’s Ras Al Khaimah Classic and October’s prestigious Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland.

Add in a bunch of top 10s and those highs helped him finish runner-up to Rory McIlroy on the season-long Order of Merit.

The explanation for this week’s price is due to his missed cut in last week’s Australian PGA but it’s easy enough to brush that aside as he’d flown straight in from Dubai. 

The New Zealander should be far better prepared for this week’s event and the last time he played in the state of Victoria, Fox finished runner-up in the DP World Tour’s Victorian Open at 13th Beach Golf Club.

That was also played under a format similar to this week as men and women players went out in alternate groups on the same course.

Speaking after that second place, Fox said his Sunday 64 was the best round of tournament golf he’d ever played due to the high winds.

He’ll be carrying some positive vibes from that and having the weekend off last week was probably no bad thing in terms of freshening him up. 

Back Fox for the win at +1800 with Caesars Sportsbook. 

Lee to Outscore Scott

We landed last week’s 72-hole match bet by taking Cameron Davis to beat Rasmus Hojgaard.

Davis enjoyed a strong weekend and finished seventh while Hojgaard missed the cut.

This week I’m going to take Min Woo Lee to edge out fellow Aussie Adam Scott.

Lee won that mixed event mentioned above, edging out the fast-finishing Fox by two strokes, so clearly he’s very comfortable in the format.

That’s the bonus aspect of picking him. The main reason is simple: excellent current form.

Lee finished the DP World Tour season with a run of 3-3-9-12 in four events held across October and November.

He flew in from the United Arab Emirates last week and still had plenty in the tank, finishing fourth at the Australian PGA.

Remarkably, that now means on seven of the last eight occasions he’s played in Australia, Lee has finished in the top five.  

Scott has some old course form dating back to 2002 but he was rather underwhelming last week when tied 28th at the Aussie PGA.

I expect him to improve on that but on current form it’s his younger rival who looks sharper.

Back Lee to win this pick ‘em at -110 with DraftKings Sportsbook.

Take Takumi for a Top 10 

We also had success with our Top 20 selection last week when local man Jake McLeod finished 18th at the chunky odds of +500.

This week I’ll jump up to the Top 10 market and back Japan’s Takumi Kanaya.

The former amateur World No.1 is in fine shape after two good recent performances.

The 24-year-old was fifth in his home Japan Open last month and followed that with tied seventh in last week’s Australian PGA Championship. 

His sharp short game looks an ideal weapon for this week’s test, as does his straight hitting.

He ranked 1st for both Driving Accuracy and Scrambling at the Aussie PGA so everything looks in place.

Let’s back him for a Top 10 at decent odds of +320 with bet365.

ISPS Handa Australian Open Information

• Tournament - ISPS Handa Australian Open 
• Location - Victoria GC and Kingston Heath GC, Melbourne, Australia
• Time - Thursday, December 01 - Sunday, December 04
• How to Watch - Wednesday into Thursday 8 pm-5 am ET (Golf Channel), Thursday into Friday 8 pm-1 am, Friday into Saturday 10 pm-3 am, Saturday into Sunday 8 pm-1 am. All 4 days on Sky Sports