Steve Palmer is looking away from the Ryder Cup stars in his free Dunhill Links Championship predictions

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Read on to find out his fancies for the Dunhill Links Championship.

Dunhill Links Championship date, start time & TV info 

Date Thursday, October 2 to Sunday October 5
Courses St Andrews and Kingsbarns, Fife, Scotland, and Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland
Start time By 9am on Thursday
TV Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 12pm on Thursday

Four of Europe's triumphant Ryder Cup side are doing a lap of honour in this week's Dunhill Links Championship and it remains to be seen how competitive they are in the wake of such a gruelling contest in New York.

Tommy Fleetwood played five matches at Bethpage Black, while Tyrrell Hatton and Matt Fitzpatrick had four. Perhaps Robert MacIntyre, who played only three matches at Bethpage and is teeing up in his home country this week, is the best option of the market leaders at the biggest price. All four can be opposed, though, with the value appearing deeper in the betting.

Steve Palmer's Dunhill Links Championship predictions

Tom McKibbin
3pts each-way 30-1 Coral, Ladbrokes

John Parry
1.5pts each-way 66-1 Hills

Joakim Lagergren
1.5pts each-way 80-1 Betfair, Paddy Power

Grant Forrest
1pt each-way 90-1 Coral, Ladbrokes

Connor Syme
1pt each-way 125-1 Betfair, Paddy Power

Jack Senior
0.5pt each-way 450-1 bet365

Steve Palmer's Dunhill Links Championship preview

Top tip

Tom McKibbin 30-1

Joining the LIV Tour has dented the hopes of Tom McKibbin playing in the European Ryder Cup side, so the 22-year-old knows he is going to have to perform extremely well in DP World Tour events if he is to follow in the footsteps of last week's Bethpage heroes.

Improving his world ranking will be a focus for McKibbin until the LIV circuit resumes in February – a task which starts with the Dunhill Links Championship. The Northern Irishman has plenty of links experience under his belt and knows how to handle rough weather. He finished 14th on his Dunhill debut in 2023 and was 43rd in last year's low-scoring edition. This week's tougher conditions should play into the hands of this superb ball-striker.

McKibbin has enjoyed an excellent rookie campaign on LIV and was part of a victorious Legion XIII team. He has impressed in his last two DPWT starts, finishing 20th in the Irish Open and 11th at Wentworth, and a second DPWT title could be coming on Sunday.

Next best bet

John Parry 66-1

Three victories on the Challenge Tour last year resurrected the career of John Parry, who won the Mauritius Open on the DPWT in December, and the experienced Yorkshireman can handle links terrain. He finished third on his Dunhill Links debut in 2010.

Parry carded a hole-in-one on his way to 16th place in the Open in July, then finished third in the Nexo Championship at a Scottish links in August. A couple of narrow missed cuts at Wentworth and in France do not detract from how well suited he is to the Dunhill assignment.

Other selections

Joakim Lagergren 80-1
Grant Forrest 90-1
Connor Syme 125-1
Jack Senior 450-1

Joakim Lagergren regularly contends at big prices in the Dunhill Links, finishing fourth on debut in 2015, fourth again in 2016, 12th in 2017, third in 2019 and second in 2021. The Swede's only DPWT title came by the coast in the 2018 Sicilian Open. He has won on the Challenge Tour in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and is great at battling in bad weather.

Lagergren, runner-up in the KLM Open in terrible conditions in June, was a playoff loser to Rory McIlroy in the Irish Open a few weeks ago.

Grant Forrest is a links master, who won the Nexo Championship on a Scottish links at the start of August. He had a magnificent record on links courses as an amateur, winning the St Andrews Links Trophy and finishing runner-up at Carnoustie in the Amateur Championship. His maiden DPWT title came on Scottish links in the 2021 Hero Open, then he was third on a links in the 2022 Cazoo Classic.

Forrest, tenth in the Dunhill in both 2022 and 2023, is proven at this week's venues. He has missed four cuts since his Nexo success, but three of them were by a single shot. This week's courses and conditions are right up the Scot's alley.

Connor Syme is another Scottish player who should relish this assignment. Like Forrest, he is a 2025 DPWT winner, having overcome that poor weather to win the KLM Open. The accurate Syme is swinging well again, closing with a 65 for 22nd place in the French Open last time out, and he has twice finished in the top 15 in the Dunhill Links.

Jack Senior also deserves attention. The Morecambe, who won the Lytham Trophy in 2011, is extremely comfortable on links terrain. His two Challenge Tour victories came in Scotland and Northern Ireland, while he was fourth in the KLM Open in dismal weather in June, so he can handle any weather.

Senior finished 13th in the Nexo at a Scottish links in August, then was 20th in the Irish Open, before missing the cut by a shot in France last time out.

Read more top golf tips from Steve Palmer:

Steve Palmer's free predictions and golf betting tips for the Sanderson Farms Championship 

Alfred Dunhill Links Championship: Steve Palmer's guide to the courses 

Sanderson Farms Championship: Country Club of Jackson course guide 

Luke Donald odds-on to retain captaincy as Europe's Ryder Cup heroes target home success in Ireland 

For those looking for even more extensive golf coverage don't miss Palmer's extra pointers every Wednesday in the Racing Post newspaper.

As well as his tips and insight you will also get expert spotlight comments for all players in our extensive PGA Tour and DP Tour price comparison grids which include course and recent form, plus Palmer's unique attribute icons to help identify the type of players likely to be suited to conditions each week.

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