Steve Palmer's Scandinavian Mixed predictions & free golf betting tips: Swedish duo look likely contenders as men set to dominate

When to bet on the Scandinavian Mixed

By 6.30am on Thursday

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Where can I watch the Scandinavian Mixed

Live on Sky Sports Golf from noon on Thursday

Steve Palmer's Scandinavian Mixed predictions

Alexander Bjork
3pts each-way 20-1 BoyleSports

Henrik Norlander
1.5pts each-way 45-1 Coral, Ladbrokes

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Steve Palmer's Scandinavian Mixed preview

Linn Grant romped to a nine-shot victory in the 2022 Scandinavian Mixed, but generally male entrants have dominated the leaderboard in this event, and punters may be better off concentrating on the men for the fourth edition.

Last year only four women finished in the top 40. Grant was the only woman in the top 14 in 2022, while only two women finished in the top 17 in the inaugural Scandinavian Mixed. The men can still take charge from the back tees and Grant's remarkable effort two years ago is an outlier. The DP World Tour clearly believe a total gap of around 1,000 yards between the men's and women's tees is enough to level the playing field, but a larger gap is clearly required.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Alexander Bjork 20-1

The enormous downgrade from the PGA Tour to a mixed DP World Tour event makes Alexander Bjork worthy of huge respect for this week's Scandinavian Mixed.

Bjork is a PGA Tour rookie this season. It is not easy for a relatively short driver like him to make an impact Stateside, but he finished 11th in The American Express in January and has made seven of his last 11 cuts.

Bjork finished 39th in the US PGA Championship last time out on a big-hitters' course. A top 40 in that company at a venue which does not play to his strengths was a magnificent effort. The Swede, who turns 34 on Friday, has rested since the US PGA. He was born only a two-hour drive from this week's venue.

Bjork should enjoy this fiddly layout and appears a strong contender for a second DP World Tour title. He won on the Challenge Tour in 2016, then made his DPWT breakthrough in 2018. He won twice in Sweden on the Nordic League circuit prior to that.

Next best bet

Henrik Norlander 45-1

Another Swede who is a cut above most of this week's field is Henrik Norlander, who has won twice on the Korn Ferry Tour, as well as twice being a playoff loser on the PGA Tour. The second of those PGA Tour near-misses came in the Sanderson Farms Championship in October.

Norlander has shown up well in weak PGA Tour events this year – he was 13th in the Mexico Open, 15th in the Puerto Rico Open, 20th in the Myrtle Beach Classic last month – and now he comes to a weak DPWT event at a course which suits.

Last week's Canadian Open could prove a decent warm-up spin. Norlander opened with a 77, but carded a round-two 69, which only 32 players in the 156-man field managed to better that day. Missing the Canadian cut could prove a blessing in disguise, leaving him fresh for the fight at a much more winnable event this week.

Course guide for the Scandinavian Mixed

• Course Vasatorps Golfklubb, Helsingborg, Sweden
• Prize money $2m ($333,400 for the winner)
• Length Men's tees 7,295 yards Women's tees 6,342 yards
• Par 72 – four par-fives; ten par-fours; four par-threes
• Field 156 (78 men; 78 women) The cut Top 65 and ties qualify for round three
• Highest-ranked players in field (world ranking in brackets) Linn Grant (28), Madelene Sagstrom (35), Anne Van Dam (93), Rasmus Hojgaard (96), Olivia Cowan (99)
• When to bet By 6.30am on Thursday
• When to watch Live on Sky Sports Golf from noon on Thursday
• Time difference Sweden is one hour ahead of the UK and Ireland
• Last week – European Open 1 L Canter (33-1), T2 T Lawrence (40-1), B Wiesberger (28-1), T4 J Guerrier (80-1), N Norgaard (35-1), 6 K Najakima (30-1), 7 R Cabrera Bello (200-1), T8 T Lewis (300-1), T McKibbin (20-1), G Migliozzi (50-1), G Porteous (300-1), J Veerman (35-1)
• Course type Parkland
• Course overview American Steve Forrest crafted the Tournament Course at Vasatorps Golfklubb in 2008. Nine holes are lined by mature oak and pine trees, with nine holes more open, having spectator mounding separating the fairways. A course of contrasts from tee to green, with heavily contoured dancefloors throughout. This is the fourth edition of the Scandinavian Mixed and there will be a total of 953 yards between the men's and women's tees. The first three editions have had a total gap of around 1,000 yards
• Story of last year Dale Whitnell landed a maiden DP World Tour title with a three-shot victory at Ullna Country Club, Stockholm
• Weather forecast A mixture of sunshine, cloud and light rain over the first two days, with gentle breezes, then a cloudy weekend with moderate breezes. Temperatures between 12C and 19C throughout
• Type of player suited to the challenge Aside from Linn Grant in 2022, the female contingent in this event have struggled to make an impact, and punters should concentrate on the men again
• Key attribute Accuracy

Steve Palmer's Scandinavian Mixed key stat

Two of the three Scandinavian Mixed events have been won by a male

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