D+D Real Czech Masters – Who are our tips to win at Albatross Golf Club?
By Matt Coles
The Qualification Period is coming to an end soon for the European Ryder Cup team.. Will any of those prospects win in Prague this week?
The DP World Tour returns to the Albatross Golf Club for the D+D Real Czech Masters and here are our tips for glory.
The Albatross plays host to the competition for the ninth time. Belgium’s Thomas Pieters is a two-time winner of the tournament, the only multiple winner in the Czech Republic.
With just a couple of weeks before the European Qualifying Period ends for the Ryder Cup, there are plenty of points on offer for those that want to be on the flight to Rome.
Who will lift the trophy in Prague on Sunday? Matt Coles gives his picks for glory…
D+D Real Czech Masters betting tips and preview
Venue: Albatross Golf Club, Prague, Czech Republic
Date: August 24-27
Course stats: Par 72, 7,468 yards
Course summary: Designed by Keith Preston, and bordering the Cesky kras Czech Karst Nature Reserve, Albatross is more than 1,000ft above sea level. It is one of the longest courses on the schedule, and also one of the most picturesque.
Defending champion: Maximillian Kieffer (-16 – 54 holes)
D+D Real Czech Masters betting tips
Adrian Meronk @ 12/1 with William Hill
With just a couple of weeks to go until the cut-off point for qualification, Adrian Meronk will be looking to become the first Polish player to feature at the Ryder Cup.
He is one of the joint favourites for the D+D Real Czech Masters this week, and he has been in good form recently to warrant that.
Since missing the cut at the Masters Tournament, the Pole has finished in the top 25 in six of his last ten events. That run includes top five finishes at the BMW International Open and the KLM Open, along with a win at the DS Automobiles Italian Open, which happened to be at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club.
Meronk goes into this week at 12/1, knowing that a good performance could see him rise into the automatic spots on the European Points list. In the form he is in, the Pole is definitely worth your money in Prague this week.
Maximillian Kieffer @ 50/1 with William Hill
Germany’s Maximillian Kieffer is the defending D+D Real Czech Masters champion, having claimed the victory in a weather-affected 54-hole competition last year.
The German fired in rounds of 68-66-66 to take the title last year, and he will be hoping that those good memories from Albatross help him this week on his way to another victory.
Kieffer’s form in 2023 has not been as good as last year, but he does have three top-five finishes on the DP World Tour this year. He finished runner-up at the Porsche European Open on home soil in Germany. That result followed a T5 at the DS Automobiles Italian Open, before Kieffer also came home T3 at the BMW International Open.
As the defending champion, it is a slight surprise that Kieffer is as far out as 50/1, but that makes the German an even better prospect for this week in the Czech Republic.
Tapio Pulkkanen @ 90/1 each way with William Hill
Bear with me here. You might see 90/1 as the odds and wonder what on earth I could be talking about. Just wait..
Finland’s Tapio Pulkkanen is known for his trilby hat, but the Finn is yet to win on the DP World Tour. However, Albatross Golf Club is a venue that he absolutely loves.
Pulkkanen was the runner-up at this event in 2021, and came home in a tie for 3rd last year. Now those odds sound better, don’t they?
The Finn may still be searching for a first win on the DP World Tour, and though this might not be the week, taking him each way at 90/1 could well be a very good bet. He likes a top three finish at Albatross!
Best of the rest…
Ludvig Aberg: He’s the young Swede who has made waves in his first year as a professional, having been the No.1 on the World Amateur Golf Rankings as recently as early June.
Aberg finished T4 at the John Deere Classic earlier this summer, and if he was to win this week, he would throw a spanner in the works for Luke Donald’s captain’s picks for the Ryder Cup. Aberg is joint favourite at 12/1, and this could be his week to break out as a Tour winner.
Shane Lowry: The other man to sit at 12/1 is Shane Lowry. This will be the Irishman’s first event since the Wyndham Championship, where he was one of several big names to miss out of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Lowry is looking to secure his qualification to Rome, having been a focal point of the European team in the 2021 Ryder Cup. His most recent win came at the BMW PGA Championship last year, and he is one of the favourites to take home the title from Albatross this week.
Nicolai & Rasmus Hojgaard: The Danish twins, Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard, both appear in the top ten in the odds for the D+D Real Czech Masters. Both have DP World Tour pedigree.
Nicolai has four top-25s in his last six events, including a T6 at the Genesis Scottish Open, and he is 16/1 this week in Prague. Meanwhile, Rasmus is currently in 8th on the European Points list for the European Ryder Cup team. A win for Rasmus could propel him into Luke Donald’s team. He is 25/1 to win on Sunday.
Fancy a punt on this week’s action? Take a look at the latest odds with William Hill.
What do you think? Who is going to do well at Albatross Golf Club this week? Let me know with a Tweet!
Matt Coles
Mention a European country, and Matt will tell you which resorts make the National Club Golfer Top 100s: European Resorts list. He might even throw in who designed the golf course and how many rooms the hotel has got at each one…
Matt got into the game of golf from a young age, following his old man to the local golf club. He fell for the sport, and now can’t seem to go a day without thinking about how to improve his game (Thanks Dad!). Matt has been a member of Howley Hall GC in Leeds since 2020, and is just about managing to maintain a single-figure handicap. He likes to remind people that he once broke 75, but won’t tell people that it was on a shortened course during the winter.
He moved to Leeds after graduating from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class Honours degree in Sports Journalism. Matt joined NCG after almost five years travelling the world with the Professional Squash Association, working on events in all four corners of the globe.
Matt currently plays a Cobra King LTDx driver and RadSpeed 3-wood. TaylorMade monopolise the rest of his bag, with a SIM UDI, M5 irons and both Milled Grind and HI-TOE wedges, along with a Monza Redline putter. He uses a Vice Pro Plus golf ball, because he’s a bit different…
Away from golf, Matt is a Manchester United fan, and a keen runner, having ran the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon (his first and possibly last), in May 2023.
