Steve Palmer's ISPS Handa Championship in Spain predictions & best bets

Free golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the ISPS Handa Championship in Spain at the Lakes Course on the DP World Tour.

Where to watch

Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 1pm on Thursday

Best bets

Julien Brun
2pts each-way 45-1 Betfred
Marcus Helligkilde
1.5pts each-way 80-1 Betfred, Coral, Ladbrokes
Santiago Tarrio
1pt each-way 125-1 bet365
Chase Hanna
1pt each-way 125-1 Betfred, Coral, Ladbrokes
Adrien Saddier
0.5pt each-way 250-1 Coral, Ladbrokes
Tom Lewis
0.5pt each-way 140-1 bet365

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Bernd Wiesberger and the Hojgaard brothers will hog the early spotlight in the inaugural ISPS Handa Championship in Spain, but the market leaders can be left alone at the odds. Wiesberger may already have passed through his career peak and the 36-year-old's putting is a thorn in his side.

The Hojgaards are more difficult to resist, particularly Rasmus, who has featured on two PGA Tour leaderboards in recent weeks. Rasmus was suffering with injury prior to that Stateside adventure, though, and preference is for bigger prices for what seems a wide-open event.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Julien Brun 45-1

Three Challenge Tour victories have shown Julien Brun can get the job done when in contention and the promising Frenchman can land a maiden DP World Tour triumph on Sunday.

The last of Brun's Challenge Tour successes came in Spain in October last year, then he followed up with second place in the same country in the Challenge Tour Grand Final in November.

Brun has made a seamless transition to the main circuit, recording five top-25 finishes in eight starts, and this solid all-rounder should take a shine to the Lakes Course. He turned 30 at the start of this month and should soon establish himself as a DP World Tour force.

Next best bet

Marcus Helligkilde 80-1

Danish golf is in a great place, but not just because of the Hojgaard brothers. Marcus Helligkilde is a 25-year-old full of potential. He won three times on the Challenge Tour last year - the final victory coming in Spain in the Grand Final.

Two of Helligkilde's three victories on the Nordic Golf League circuit came in Spain, and one of them was at the same resort he is visiting this week. Helligkilde won on the Hills Course, which neighbours the Lakes, and that course comfort can be allied to an upturn in form.

Helligkilde signed from Wilson to TaylorMade at the start of the year, so spent the first few months of 2022 getting used to some new equipment, but a closing 69 for 12th place in the Qatar Masters last time out was hugely encouraging. Nobody bettered that score on a windy Sunday in Doha.

Other selections

Santiago Tarrio 125-1

Chase Hanna 125-1

Adrien Saddier 250-1

Tom Lewis 140-1

Another Challenge Tour graduate who can go well is Santiago Tarrio, who won twice on that circuit last year, including the Challenge de Espana. Tarrio is teeing up on home turf again this week and looks an excellent course fit. Supremely accurate, he should avoid the numerous water hazards, bolstering his great record in Spain.

Chase Hanna will also see this event as a wonderful opportunity to kickstart his DP World Tour career. The 27-year-old American finished runner-up in the Qatar Masters last time out and can build on some strong Challenge Tour form from Spain last year - sixth in the Challenge de Cadiz, seventh in the Challenge de Espana and eighth in the Challenge Costa Brava.

Complete a gang of outsiders with Adrien Saddier and Tom Lewis. Saddier is a 29-year-old Frenchman who has shown signs of increased maturity and focus in recent months. Seventh place at Crans-sur-Sierre was followed by 15th in the Dutch Open and seventh in the Dimension Data Pro-Am. He became a father at the end of last year and has returned this week to the country where he enjoyed his finest hour - a three-shot triumph in the 2016 Challenge de Espana. Saddier was third going into the final round of the 2014 Challenge Tour event at this week's venue, then finished eighth in the 2019 European Tour Q School there.

Lewis has been struggling to make cuts on the Korn Ferry Tour this year. Not long ago he had a PGA Tour card and a European Tour card, but he tees up this week with only a lowly DP World Tour category which has sneaked him into this field. Returning to his home circuit may free Lewis up for a big performance. At his best, the Hertfordshire lad is a magnificent golfer - a two-time European Tour champion who won on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2019 and finished second in the 2020 WGC-FedEx St Jude Invitational. Any glimpse of his A-game this week makes Lewis a threat.

Players to note

Romain Langasque
The Frenchman has played well at this track at Q School and seems dangerous after some bright recent efforts.

David Law
The accurate Scot, like Langasque, has proved himself at the Lakes in Q School action. He could plod into a place.

Pablo Larrazabal
The Spaniard won a DP World Tour event in South Africa a month ago and is probably licking his lips at this assignment.

The Lakes Course guide

Course Lakes Course, Infinitum, Tarragona, Spain
Prize money $2m ($333,400 to the winner)
Length 6,963 yards
Par 70 - two par-fives; 12 par-fours; four par-threes
Field 156 The cut Top 65 and ties qualify for round three
Highest-ranked players in field (world ranking in brackets) Bernd Wiesberger (78), Nicolai Hojgaard (80), Adri Arnaus (81), Daniel van Tonder (98), Rasmus Hojgaard (108)

Course record - 18 holes 63 Antonio Hortal (2014 Challenge de Catalunya)

When to bet By 6.50am on Thursday

When to watch Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 1pm on Thursday

Time difference Spain is one hour ahead of the UK and Ireland

Course type Parkland

Course overview Designed by Greg Norman and opened in 2008, the Lakes is routed around the Sequia Major wetlands, near the Mediterranean town of Tarragona. The resort used to be known as Lumine, but has been rebranded as Infinitum. It is flat track, with relatively wide fairways, but water is in play on 14 of the 18 holes and there is heavy bunkering. The only par-fives on the course come in the final three holes - the 595-yard 16th and the 539-yard 18th. The 518-yard par-four second and the 509-yard par-four 15th are the toughest holes. The European Tour Q School Finals were staged there from 2017-2019. The three-round 2014 Challenge de Catalunya is the only Tour event course-form punters have to go on

Weather forecast Cloudy with highs of 18C over the first two days, with light to moderate breezes peaking on Friday afternoon. Saturday afternoon carries a small thunderstorm threat and the windiest conditions of the event, before a sunny, calm, warm Sunday

Type of player suited to the challenge The unfamiliar terrain - and the amount of water and sand to avoid - means accurate players who churn out greens in regulation may be favoured

Key attribute Accuracy

Spotlight insight Four of the last nine DP World Tour events in Spain have been won by a South African

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