The Perth International returns for the fourth time in 2016 as some of the best on the European Tour make the trip to the Lake Karrinyup Country Club in Perth, Western Australia.
Event Details
Event: 2016 ISPS HANDA Perth International
Category: EPGA
Date: February 25-28
Location: Lake Karrinyup Country Club, Perth, Western Australia
This will be only the fourth renewal of the tournament after it wasn’t staged a year ago. Bo Van Pelt won the original tournament back in 2012. Thorbjorn Olesen returns as the defending tournament champion after winning here in 2014.
Past Five Winners
2014 – Thorbjorn Olesen -17
2013 – Jin Jeong -10 (Playoff)
2012 – Bo Van Pelt -16
What To Know About The Course
The Lake Karrinyup course is fairly hilly with wide fairways and greens that are undulated and firm. The rough is minimal, but the greens can create tricky run-off areas that can trip up even the best golfers at times. The first two winners of this event ranked tied for third and 11th in Driving Accuracy so that statistic will clearly be a focus for this week’s tournament. Driving Distance likely won’t be as important as accuracy and it’s also worth noting that all three of the tournament winners have ranked inside the top eight for Greens in Regulation. The weather forecast suggests the tournament could be heavily impacted by the conditions so it will be important to keep an eye on the updates before locking in any wagers.
The Field
The best in the field have traditionally risen to the top in past events at this course and the odds makers expect that trend to continue at this year’s tournament. Louis Oosthuizen is the betting favorite to win at 10/1 odds and he comes in with ample momentum. He had a Top 12 result last week in Malaysia. He played generally well last week but torpedoed his chances on Saturday with a 73. If you’re betting him, you can probably take solace in the fact that he did finish the final round with a 66. Meanwhile, Victor Dubuisson is listed at 14/1 followed by the 2014 winner Olesen at 20/1. All three players are expected to be in the mix heading in to the final day and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the eventual winner came from that group. One guy you might want to take a look at as a longer shot is Ireland’s Paul Dunne. He graduated from Qualifying School last November and while he hasn’t broken through yet, he’s had a few weeks of experience by playing a few PGA events. He had a Top 15 result in his debut and is one of golf’s most promising prospects.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Thorbjorn Olesen over Victor Dubuisson
The fact that this is only the second Perth International in three years and fourth overall leaves us with little to work with in terms of basing our predictions off past events and the uncertain weather conditions make predicting this tournament that much more complicated so it only makes sense to stick with what we know. Oleson won this tournament in 2014 and he looked very good when he registered back-to-back top-10 finishes at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters and Omegas Dubai Desert Classic before an unexpected missed cut at the Maybank Championship Malaysia. Olesen should be a lot more comfortable at this week’s tournament in Perth and he should be able to edge out Dubuisson with a real chance to repeat as the outright winner this week.
Top Five Prediction: Louis Oosthuizen
The top players in the field will be expected to rise to the top and perform at a high level regardless of the conditions this weekend and Oosthuizen might be the best bet both to win the tournament outright and to finish in the top-five. Oosthuizen has never played at this course before, but he has placed in the top-15 in two of his last three European Tour events and it’s hard to bet against him in a relatively mediocre field. Mikko Ilonen is a decent value option that could be worth consideration at +3000 as well while those looking to take a shot on a deep sleeper might be willing to put some money on Ricard Gouveia at +7000.
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