So-called expert golf tips for this week

Down a tipster, the so-called experts still managed a trio of top-10s at the Evian Championship, where Rod Morri impressively almost got an outsider over the line. Despite no major this week, the team are primed for the Women’s Scottish Open, LIV Bedminster, Rocket Mortgage Classic and Hero Open.

LPGA TOUR – TRUST GOLF WOMEN'S SCOTTISH OPEN

Brendan James – Golf Australia Editor

With two wins in her past three starts, as well as a major win earlier this year, JENNIFER KUPCHO will either win this week or next.

She says she has learned to embrace links golf, not dread it, and that can sometimes be half the battle, at least mentally, of trying to win.

Sportsbet odds: $41

JIMMY EMANUEL – Golf Australia Deputy & Digital Editor

Big part of me wants to go for the ultra-impressive Linn Grant here after a top-10 last week at Evian but I don’t have enough links form to confidently do so. (In tipping circles this is known as having your cake and eating it too).

Someone with links history is CHARLEY HULL and she’s got some good lead in form too.

The Englishwoman doesn’t seem to find her best stuff that often at the AIG Women’s Open, but she does at the Scottish Open where she hasn’t missed a cut since it became an LPGA event in 2017 and has progressively improved, culminating in finishing fifth last year.

Hull has played Dundonald before, in 2017 when she bounced back from a Saturday 80 with a Sunday 69, and she was T3 last week. Hits it harder than an oversized Rod Morri thumb on the spacebar on deadline, a great asset this week.

unts for something.

Sportsbet odds: $26

Rod Morri – Golf Australia magazine contributor and The Thing About Golf podcast host

She’s been threatening all year and only twice in her last seven starts has LYDIA KO been outside the top-five. That is an extraordinary run of consistency and must surely deliver a win soon.

She was second in this event last year at Dumbarnie Links and it’s hard to see how she doesn’t get the job done this week. I’m also tipping her for next week’s AIG Women’s Open (whether she wins this week or not) so be prepared.

Sportsbet odds: $11

LIV GOLF INVITATIONAL – BEDMINSTER

Brendan James – Golf Australia Editor

The world’s quickest playing touring professional, MATT JONES, will like his chances to collect the big LIV cheque this week simply because the venue will remind him of home.

The Tom Fazio-designed Old Course at Trump National has some resemblance to The Australian GC in Sydney where Jones is a member and has won the national Open twice. While the greens might have more dramatic movement, from tee-to-green there is plenty to compare.

Sportsbet odds: $41

JIMMY EMANUEL – Golf Australia Deputy & Digital Editor

I have a feeling this is going to be by far the biggest show so far in the LIV Golf universe. There is going to be a former President of the United States on site at a course he owns and was scheduled to host a major this year. The broadcast gets David Feherty. The Chief Executive Shark makes his first appearance since his Open slight. And The Chainsmokers become the latest to go from PGA Tour to LIV Golf. (If you don’t understand the final reference, don’t bother looking it up, it is really an example of how ridiculous some elements of this are).

Separate from all these elements featuring an element of “really?” is the form of some of the big names as they come to a golf course that will seriously test the field and likely produce the most interesting event from Norman and co. to date.

Bryson DeChambeau will be near it around here, but DUSTIN JOHNSON will take the trophy home. ‘DJ’ was very impressive at St. Andrews two weeks ago and this is the sort of course he once bullied the PGA Tour rank and file on.

Sportsbet odds: $6

Rod Morri – Golf Australia magazine contributor and The Thing About Golf podcast host

Everything about this Tour is so new and so much of the focus is about what’s happening off the course that it’s difficult to know who might turn up on any given week. Perhaps new recruit CHARLES HOWELL III will finally get that long awaited and elusive fourth professional win?

Sportsbet odds: $34

PGA WORLD TOUR – ROCKET MORTGAGE CLASSIC

Brendan James – Golf Australia Editor

The penultimate event of the PGA Tour regular season sees several players with plenty on the line if they want to make the Playoffs.

One player is RICKIE FOWLER, who is 132nd in the standings and needs to get a wriggle on. That might be enough to inspire him to greater deeds than the year-best T21 he finished back in May. If he makes some putts early on Thursday, he could surprise.

Sportsbet odds: $81

JIMMY EMANUEL – Golf Australia Deputy & Digital Editor

Collectively this group owes Cam Davis an apology, because he is playing great golf of late and we are clearly putting the mock on him by putting him forward in these pages, so I will leave Cam out of it this week.

Instead, another Aussie catches my eye here in ADAM SCOTT.

Making his debut here, the Detroit layout will suit the Queenslander’s game and he is well rested having made just three starts since the start of June.

Two of those were majors where he finished in the top-15, including The Open where he was in the mix until a couple of mid round errors on Sunday.

It is hard to know what gets a player like ‘Scotty’ up and about, but Cam Smith winning a major will have surely provided a little kick along and over the last couple of years his debut at an event has yielded a number of good finishes.

Sportsbet odds: $36

Rod Morri – Golf Australia magazine contributor and The Thing About Golf podcast host

One can’t help but feel a successful title defence in the offing for CAM DAVIS. Hasn’t missed a cut since May and will have some good memories to draw on from last year’s thrilling finish and play-off win.

Davis feels like the sort of player who will be good for one to two victories per year for the next five years and it would be no surprise if he opened his 2022 account this week.

Sportsbet odds: $26

DP WORLD TOUR – HERO OPEN

Brendan James – Golf Australia Editor

Two weeks shy of The Open at St. Andrews, and some players are back in town … just down the road at the Fairmont.

I’m hoping it’s two wins in a row for the Scots after Richie Ramsey’s victory at Hillside last weekend. GRANT FORREST, who finished T3 behind Ramsey, will defend his title at the Fairmont where he is 31-under for his past eight rounds at the course.

Sportsbet odds: $34

JIMMY EMANUEL – Golf Australia Deputy & Digital Editor

Picking young golfers as “sure things” to be successful pros reaching the peak of the game is a fool’s errand, and TAKUMI KANAYA is a great example of why that is so.

Kanaya is young and could still go on to win majors, be No.1 in the world or who knows what. But as yet, since he made the jump to playing overseas more regularly after a successful early pro career in Japan he has struggled. Big time.

Although he has yet to show a great deal of the promise that has led many to label him a star of the future, he is a better player than the run of missed cuts he has recorded of late, and is a very hard worker. That hard work and willingness to stick it out in Europe will be rewarded with a weekend of work here and once he gets into the swing of things, Kanaya will not take a backward step.

Sportsbet odds: $61

RELATED: Hero Open preview

Rod Morri – Golf Australia magazine contributor and The Thing About Golf podcast host

After a disappointing Open and a near two week break RYAN FOX should be ready to step back into the winners circle this week.

He did everything but win in the lead up to St. Andrews and played decent at this course last year for a T16 result.

Sportsbet odds: $11

2022 RESULTS

So far, our so-called experts have combined to tip 20 winners in 2022, with 129 of their picks recording top-10 finishes that week and a best return of $25 for Matt Fitzpatrick to win the U.S. Open (tipped by Jimmy Emanuel and Rod Morri).