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Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Odds: McIlroy heads betting at St Andrews

Click here for the latest odds and betting preview for the 2011 Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa.

The Race to Dubai comes to the British Isles this week as St Andrews hosts the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. This unique event is really popular on the European Tour and the stars have turned out in force for this week's event beginning on Thursday. Played over three courses, this Pro-Am event sees the golfers partnered with amateurs, playing one round over the St Andrews Old Course, Kings Barns and Carnoustie, before playing a second round on the Old Course on Sunday. Amongst the amateurs are a number of celebrities from stage, screen, music and sport, including the likes of Hugh Grant, Sir Ian Botham and Huey Lewis!

Bookmaker Ladbrokes make Rory McIlroy their favourite for this week's tournament at odds of 10/1 as the Ulsterman pairs up with his dad. McIlroy finished well down the pack here last years in tough conditions, but with the weather set fair for the Scottish east coast this week, the US Open winner is well fancied to be the one to beat, on courses that he likes. The Northern Irishman was second in this event two years ago and also finished tied for third at St Andrews in the 2010 Open Championship, despite an eight over par round of 80 when the wind was howling. McIlroy has been in decent form since his return from injury on the European Tour, finishing third in both the Omega European Masters and the KLM Open. If conditions are benign, McIlroy definitely looks the one to beat.

Ladbrokes go 12/1 about co-second favourites Lee Westwood, Luke Donald and Martin Kaymer this week. The trio have shared the top three golfers in the world mantle this season and Luke Donald now comes over to the European Tour to see if he can win the Race To Dubai after narrowly missing out on the FedEx Cup on the PGA Tour last weekend in Atlanta. Donald has been a model of consistency this season, with eight top ten finished out of ten events on the race to Dubai this season. This includes three wins and two second places and the Englishman has also been a top finisher on the PGA Tour throughout 2011. The world number one will be looking to add another big prize to his winnings this week and looks a good bet to win the Race to Dubai.

Lee Westwood finished eleventh here twelve months ago and the Englishman is another who has been recording top tens after top tens this season. Westwood has just the one win however earlier in the year at the Ballantine's Championship and will be keen to win here to boost his chances of finishing top of the order of merit, where he is currently fourth. Westwood has finished in the top ten of this event on six of the last occassions and was a winner here in 2003, if he can get his putting going, he's sure to be in the mix.

Martin Kaymer won this event twelve months ago in what was a memorable season for the German, having won his first major with the PGA Championship at Whislting Straits and four wins in 2010. Kaymer got off to a flier this season also , winning the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship in style at the beginning of the year and finishing runner up to Donald in the Accenture Matchplay Championship. After disappointing in the Masters, Kaymer decided to change his swing and with it he has not been the model of consitency we had got used to. He's had three top ten finishes since then but it would be a leap of faith to back him here at odds of 12/1 given the quality of the field.

Next in the betting is the American Dustin Johnson, who arrives in Scotland on the back of another good season on the PGA Tour where he amassed over $4m and was a recent winner of the Barclays tournament. Johnson was in the frame for this year's Open before a double bogey on the back nine, eventually finishing tied for second place behind Darren Clarke. He also finished in the top fifteen at St Andrews in last year's Open, his first experience of competitive links play so he clearly enjoys the challenge and looks a good value bet to win here at odds of 20/1 with Ladbrokes.

25/1 shot Simon Dyson catches the eye, with the Yorkshireman notoriously strong at this time of the year and off the back of two wins in the last two months. Dyson won this event two years ago and placed last season, so he's another who could make the shortlist. It's such a quality field that the likes of Masters winner Charl Schwartzel is outside of the top five of the betting, whilst last year's Open winner Louis Oosthuizen is as big as 80/1. This year's Open winner Darren Clarke is also an 80/1 shot whilst three time winner this season Thomas Bjorn is an attractive looking 40/1.

Odds supplied by Ladbrokes.com, offering a quarter the odds on six places for each-way betting and live betting in-running.

Posted: Tuesday, 27th September 2011
Author: Russell Lloyd
Tags: european tour, alfred dunhill links championship, st andrews, rory mcilroy, ladbrokes,

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