The DP World Tour heads to Scotland this week for the Nexo Championship at Trump International Golf Links, and this is a tournament I am particularly looking forward to. We have a proper links test on our hands, with exposed conditions, tricky winds and huge dunes. This is likely to put a premium on good ball striking and players who can really control their golf around the course.
When building a profile for this event, I’m looking for players who are strong from tee to green, good with their irons, capable of hitting plenty of greens and comfortable shaping shots in the wind. You also need a decent putter to convert the chances when they come. But I think quality ball striking will be the foundation for success here, followed by players that can flight their wedges.
I have put together a five-man squad for this one, and I really like the balance we’ve got. There are three flare-type players who I think have the ability to produce something special if their games click, alongside two more reliable sorts who should give us a nice bit of stability within the team.
I have to say, I really fancy this squad. This is definitely one of my stronger weeks in terms of confidence, and I think we have a great chance of landing a winner here. Hopefully the players can do the business and give us an excellent run at the tournament.
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1. Casey Jarvis (Best Price +1400)
Casey Jarvis is an outstanding player who has strong winning credentials in a field that lacks real depth. He is only 23 and has had a huge season, picking up a win in Kenya. Then, he followed that up with victory in his home open, the South African Open.
Those two wins have also given him PGA Tour status, and he has already competed in the Masters, PGA Championship and The Open this year. He has earned those opportunities through some top-quality performances this season, and he looks more than comfortable when stepping up onto the bigger stage.
I wouldn’t necessarily say Casey Jarvis is particularly well suited to links golf, because he hits a power fade off the tee and tends to play a very similar shot with his irons. However, he is so accurate with that shape that, providing the iron play is in good order this week, I would expect him to be right in contention. He will make his share of bogeys because that is typical of his game, but he also makes plenty of birdies to outweigh them, and that aggressive style can work really well in the right conditions.
He is undoubtedly one of the best players in this field, and I think his class can shine through over the four days. He has to be in the mix.
2. Jacob Skov-Oleson (Best Price +1800)
Jacob Skov-Olesen is one of my favorite players on the DP World Tour, and I resisted the urge to back him in the Danish Championship last week so that I could back him here in the Nexo this week instead.
He played well in his home open last week, finishing tied for 9th, but I think links golf suits him really well. On the whole, we have a weak enough field here this week, and I think this could be the time he takes advantage and breaks through for his first DP World Tour win, which has been coming. Even before that tied 9th last week, his previous event was the Corales Puntacana, where he finished tied for 6th, so the form is absolutely there right now.
He is a pretty volatile player because he is very aggressive, so he will make his share of bogeys, but he also has a high birdie rate, and I really like his wedge play for links golf. He is very creative, generates plenty of spin, and that can be a big asset on a links course which probably goes unnoticed. He also finished tied for third in this event last season, so there is already some really good course form to work with.
I don’t know how he will fare when he eventually reaches the PGA Tour, but he is definitely a winner in waiting on the DP World Tour, and now could be the time to grab him. His wedge play has really roped me in here, and I think Skov-Olesen has a serious chance of taking this title.
3. Dan Brown (Best Price +2500)
Dan Brown has struggled with some minor injuries recently, but he has a really good links golf pedigree, and it’s no surprise when you look at his golf game.
He keeps it simple off the tee whilst being quite long, his iron swing is extremely repeatable, and he is excellent at flighting his wedges. That combination allows more consistency than players with flare, so not only is he a great addition to this squad, but he has proven to be very effective on links courses. His Top 10 at Royal Troon is a standout. Tthe fact that he was able to shoot 65 around there tells you the caliber of player we are dealing with here.
He is a two-time DP World Tour winner, which is always a standout asset to have, and typically, even though his form this season hasn’t been great, he did again finish inside the top 20 in the Open Championship.
Dan Brown is another with an outstanding chance this week.
4. Haotong Li (Best Price +4000)
I think the most overpriced player in the field this week is Haotong Li, and I honestly expected him to open up inside the top five in the market.
He is a proven world-class player on the DP World Tour, but he has also shown that he can compete at the highest level on the PGA Tour. He has some excellent major finishes to his name, including a couple of top-fives, and he was even in the final group alongside Scottie Scheffler in last year’s Open at Royal Portrush. That really highlights his pedigree in links golf, and I’m not sure many players in this field could match the finishes he has managed in the biggest events.
His form has been hit-and-miss this year, but nothing overly concerning, and I actually think he is starting to trend back in the right direction. His ball striking is exceptional, he is a proven winner, and he has finished inside the top four in both of his last two Open appearances.
This is a huge price for Haotong Li, and I am very keen on him this week. He is a very good course fit for links golf.
5. Shaun Norris (Best Price +5500)
Shaun Norris is a player I have followed for a long time and actually picked up a few wins from backing him. He sneaks into the squad this week, because I have three flare players in Jarvis, Skov-Olesen and Li, but Dan Brown and Shaun Norris give the squad some real balance.
Norris is another who is plenty long off the tee, good with his irons, and generally reliable with the short game, too. He has a short backswing making his swing repeatable, and as a nine-time winner on the Japan Tour, his short game is obviously very pure.
He has multiple DP World Tour wins, and even though links golf may not be ideal on paper for Shaun Norris, this course should actually suit him well because there is a bit of room off the tee. I think he can outplay his odds here, and as a proven winner, he could easily outplay his odds. He keeps things simple, and that’s welcomed on courses like this.
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