Steve Palmer's Irish Open final-round betting tips and preview

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the final round of the Irish Open at Mount Juliet on the DP World Tour.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Golf, 1pm Sunday

Best bets

Adrian Meronk to win the Irish Open
3pts 9-4 general

Lucas Herbert to win the Irish Open
1pt each-way 11-1 general

John Catlin to win 12.55pm twoball
1pt 4-5 bet365, Betfred

Story so far

DP World Tour maiden Adrian Meronk has set up another golden opportunity for a breakthrough victory by forging a one-shot lead going into the final round of the Irish Open.

Meronk, who was available at 35-1 ante-post for the Mount Juliet event, has become 9-4 favourite with 18 holes to play. The Pole leads a trio of players who are tied for second place for a gathering where the big names have been upstaged.

Pre-tournament market leader Shane Lowry is tied for 19th spot, with a seven-shot Sunday deficit to overcome, while his compatriot, Seamus Power, who was second in the ante-post betting, endured a nightmare Saturday 77 which dropped him to 56th place.

Meronk is scheduled to tee off at 1.15pm for his final-round twoball, with Jack Senior for company. A cloudy, breezy final day is forecast, with temperatures peaking at 17C.

Leaderboard
-14 Adrian Meronk
-13 Jorge Campillo, Fabrizio Zanotti, Jack Senior
-12 Espen Kofstad, John Catlin
-11 Thriston Lawrence, Lucas Herbert
-10 Aaron Rai, David Law, James Morrison, Matthew Southgate, Antoine Rozner, Dale Whitnell

Best prices
9-4 A Meronk, 6 F Zanotti, 7 J Campillo, 8 J Senior, 9 J Catlin, 11 L Herbert, 14 E Kofstad, 20 T Lawrence, 22 A Rai, 33 A Rozner, 40 bar

Final-round preview

Adrian Meronk has finished in the top three on the DP World Tour seven times, but the 29-year-old has never got over the line in front.

Rounds of 80 and 69 to miss the cut in the European Open last time out did not suggest Meronk was peaking for the Irish Open - and he missed the cut at Mount Juliet last year by five shots - but the world number 110 has been banging loudly at the door of the DP World Tour winner's enclosure for a long time. Can he be trusted at 9-4 to get the job done this time?

There are many reasons for believing Meronk's big moment may have come. For starters, Shane Lowry and Thomas Pieters - arguably the two main title threats before a ball was hit this week - are seven shots adrift. Lowry and Pieters require serious Sunday fireworks to have a say in matters.

Secondly, the quality of the immediate pursuers will not have Meronk losing sleep. Jorge Campillo and Fabrizio Zanotti are a pair of plodders who Meronk will consider inferior. Zanotti, in particular, often carries a putter which resembles a live rattlesnake - and the Paraguayan is winless for more than five years. And Jack Senior is a fellow Tour maiden.

Thirdly, Meronk has generated some timely flat-stick confidence. His putting performance in round three at Mount Juliet was sensational - and he covered his final four holes in three under par. To say this powerhouse has his tail up would be an understatement.

With six top-six finishes this year, Meronk has got used to being on leaderboards, regularly banking healthy cheques, securing his DP World Tour future. The next step is obviously to lift silverware, but he has done so on the Challenge Tour and appears ready to do so in the higher grade.

The best Sunday tactic may be to back the giant Pole to make history - to become his country's first DP World Tour victor - but also have an each-way investment on the man who could cause most problems for Meronk and his fans.

Defending champion Lucas Herbert is well in the hunt from a share of seventh, three shots off the pace. The Aussie won by three shots at Mount Juliet 12 months ago - his second DP World Tour title - then he became a PGA Tour champion in the Bermuda Championship.

If Meronk falters, expect Herbert to be waiting to take advantage. The 26-year-old seems to relish pressure situations.

Final-round twoball punters are pointed towards John Catlin, who will probably prove too steady for Espen Kofstad in the 12.55pm match.

Bruce Millington and Steve Palmer will be teaming up on Sunday afternoon for a live episode of the Sweet Spot, as they take in the final round from the Irish Open. Coverage will start from 1.30pm on the Racing Post's YouTube channel.

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