After a month without a regular-season event on the DP World Tour, the European action returns with the 12th edition of the Danish Golf Championship.
A new venue is in operation this week, with the Great Northern the first course in Denmark to be designed by Jack Nicklaus and this 7,314-yard par-72 layout presents a tough challenge.
Water comes into play on 11 holes, the large greens are heavily contoured, and severe elevation changes put a premium on accuracy on approach.
A two-tee system is in use for the first two days, with Shubhankar Sharma, Connor McKinney and Daniel Rodrigues going off from the first hole at 06:30 BST, while Alexander Bjork, Wenyi Ding and Freddy Schott begin from the 10th at the same time.
Windy conditions are forecast over the weekend, so getting off to a hot start to allow a more conservative approach over Saturday and Sunday could be crucial.
Danish Golf Championship First-Round Leader Tips Summary
Best Bet - Oliver Lindell each-way @ 30/1
Alternative Bet - Wenyi Ding each-way @ 60/1
Alternative Bet - Daniel Rodrigues each-way @ 75/1
Danish Golf Championship First-Round Leader Prediction
Best Bet: Oliver Lindell each-way @ 30/1
Oliver Lindell is yet to break his DP World Tour duck but it has been another positive season for him, with five top-10 finishes and two top fives.
The 27-year-old Finn almost made his breakthrough at the KLM Open four starts ago, where he was runner-up, and the strong form continued with a tied-sixth effort at the Italian Open and a T13 at the BMW International Open.
Lindell has been making positive starts and he was eighth after day one in Italy, while he was just one shot off the first-round lead on his last showing at the Scottish Open.
Ranked eighth in both strokes gained approach and around the green and 12th in putts per greens in regulation, Lindell, who leads the DP World Tour in total birdies with 320, has the game to contend at the Great Northern and a fast start could be on the cards.
Alternative Bet: Wenyi Ding each-way @ 60/1
Drawn in the first group out from the 10th hole, Wenyi Ding is another player hoping to make his DP World Tour breakthrough this week.
The Chinese was tied 21st on his last outing at the ISCO Championship and if he can get the irons working well this week, then his superb short game should give him a chance of winning.
Ding is in the top 10 for the five major putting categories on the Tour this season and there are not many who are more reliable on the greens than he is.
The 21-year-old was tied third after day one of the Hainan Classic in March and shared ninth position after the first round at the International Series Japan, so he has previous at making fast starts and another can be achieved in Denmark.
Alternative Bet: Daniel Rodrigues each-way @ 75/1
Another early starter is Daniel Rodrigues, who is out in the first group from hole one and can put down a statement to the rest of the field.
Ranking 13th in greens in regulation, the Portuguese’s sharp irons should see him set up plenty of opportunities for birdies.
The 23-year-old has been in the top 10 after the first round in two tournaments over the past few months and he could be sitting at the summit come end of play on Thursday.
Key Tournament Stats
This will be the 12th edition of the Danish Golf Championship
Great Northern in Kerteminde, Funen, Denmark will host a DP World Tour event for the first time
This course staged the 54-hole Great Northern Challenge on the Nordic Golf League from 2021-2025
Marco Penge is the defending champion after his win at Furesø Golf Klub
Oliver Lindell has made the most birdies (320) on the DP World Tour this season
Bernd Wiesberger and Rasmus Hojgaard were tied for the lead after round one of the Scottish Open last month
Read more golf betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
