The DP World Tour's 'Back 9' swing continues with this week's Irish Open, which takes place at Trump International Golf Links & Hotel in Doonbeg for the first time.
Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, this links course, which is framed by large natural dunes, provides a stern test, with accuracy from tee to green and a solid short game required.
With a small chance of rain on Thursday, the field looks set to avoid the wet weather, but with winds forecast to reach about 20mph, scoring conditions should still be challenging.
Jason Scrivener, Sebastian Soderberg and Dylan Naidoo will get the tournament started at 07:15 BST on day one, with that three-ball followed by Niklas Lemke, Antoine Rozner and Ivan Cantero.
Defending champion Rory McIlroy is out alongside Robert MacIntyre and Brooks Koepka at 13:35, with Shane Lowry, Patrick Reed and Jon Rahm out at 13:45.
Irish Open First-Round Leader Tips Summary
Best bet - Jacob Olesen each-way @ 40/1
Alternative bet - Eugenio Chacarra each-way @ 40/1
Alternative bet - Shaun Norris each-way @ 90/1
Irish Open First-Round Leader Prediction
Best bet: Jacob Olesen each-way @ 40/1
There are certain players who have an affinity for links golf and one of those is Jacob Olesen, who won the 2024 Amateur Championship at Ballyliffin Golf Club in Ireland.
The Dane was tied for the lead after the opening 18 holes of the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush, carding a 67 to further enhance his links credentials.
Last year, Olesen was tied third at the Nexo Championship and recorded a top-five finish at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship - both of those tournaments are links events.
The 27-year-old shared 16th place at this year's Nexo and he was just three shots off the pace on day one at Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire.
The fact Olesen, who was tied second on his last appearance at the British Masters at The Belfry, has performed well at another Trump course should aid his cause heading into this trip to Doonbeg.
Beginning his first round at 14:10 alongside Matt Wallace and Francesco Molinari, Olesen looks capable of ending day on top of the pile.
Alternative bet: Eugenio Chacarra each-way @ 40/1
Another player to note in the first-round leader market is Eugenio Chacarra, who has won twice on the DP World Tour this season and was tied fourth at last week's European Masters in Switzerland.
The Spaniard is ninth in strokes gained tee to green and 13th in greens in regulation, two areas that could prove crucial to success this week, while his ranking of 27th in scrambling shows how capable he is at getting up and down.
Chacarra was tied seventh after round one last week, just two shots off the early pace, and he has the skillset to adapt to this links test.
Alternative bet: Shaun Norris each-way @ 90/1
At bigger odds, it could be worth having a punt on Shaun Norris to be leading after round one, just as he did three starts ago in the SunBet Challenge Times Square Casino.
The South African impressed on his Nexo Championship appearance, finishing tied seventh, and that effort at another Trump course should stand him in good stead.
Norris has been excellent on the greens this season, ranking second in strokes gained putting and putts per greens in regulation.
The 44-year-old shared fourth place after 18 holes on his last outing at the British Masters and another fast start could be on the cards.
Key Tournament Stats
Trump International Golf Links & Hotel in Doonbeg, Ireland hosts this tournament for the first time
A par 70 measuring 6,838 yards, there are 10 par-fours, five par-threes and three par-fives
Ashun Wu held the first-round lead at last week's European Masters in Switzerland
Rory McIlroy has been leading or tied for the lead after the first round five times in 2026
Todd Clements shared the first-round lead at the Puntacana Championship four starts ago and was tied second after the opening 18 holes in Switzerland last week
Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley jointly hold the course record at Doonbeg, with both shooting rounds of 67
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.
