Australian Open tips: Joaquin Niemann poised to pounce as Cam Smith bounces back

The men and women compete alongside each other in their respective Australian Open tournaments, alternating on the opening two days between The Australian and The Lakes courses near Sydney.

The 36-hole cut will reduce both male and female fields to play concurrently over the weekend on The Australian course, a 7,225-yard par-72 course

Last week's winner of the PGA Championship was Min Woo Lee, whom we tipped last week and who is obviously in great shape as our 19/4 market leader. A comfortable three-stroke winner last week, he takes over as the bookmakers’ favourite over Cam Smith, who was understandably distraught at missing the cut in Brisbane.

Smith retains a high place in the betting, but last week’s dip sees him drift out to a more palatable 6/1 this time around. We expect last week's failure to have blown away the cobwebs from Cam’s mind and his game - he was previously in good form on the LIV Golf tour, and is surely too good a player not to have learned from last week’s experience.

Suggested bet:  Cam Smith to win the ISPS Handa Australian Open

Next best in the betting at 8/1 is Cam Davis, who has won on this course previously in his home city, and is in decent shape after making the frame last week despite a poor first round. 

Home favourite and Aussie legend Adam Scott always looks tempting on home soil, and especially with a double-digit price beside his name. He is obviously very experienced and in good form when placing last week, so he will have plenty of supporters here at 10/1.

The homegrown talent is well represented here, not least in the shape of another LIV golfer Marc Leishmann,whose opportunities to win his home country’s Open are beginning to run out. He also played well last week and will be giving it his all here as a 14/1 shot.

The highest-rated non-Australian appears in the shape of another LIV representative, Joaquin Niemann, who had looked set to take the USPGA circuit by storm before being tempted by the rebel tour. 

After a slow start last week, the Chilean came through the field to finish fifth, so here we have a top-class golfer that found some good form at the right time. His 12/1 price seems fair each-way value for a player who clearly has the game to upset the local fans.

Suggested bet:  Joaquin Niemann each-way in the ISPS Handa Australian Open

Other golfers worth considering include Robert Macintyre, who struggled last week, but may be more acclimatised now. A good short game is required here and the Scot has that in spades, and he could make an impact as a 33/1 outsider. 

Patrick Rodgers, who travels over from America, is available at 40/1, and while it can be difficult to acclimatise when making a one-off visit Down Under, if he can do so then he may be a high-value each-way pick.

Connor Syme came back to form last week and there are worse 50/1 options in this field. The same argument can be made for 70/1 shot Alex Fitzpatrick, who undoubtedly has the talent to emerge from his brother’s shadow before too long

And finally, looking much further down the betting board we find Elvis Smylie, whose name is probably unfamiliar beyond Australian shores. This home-grown golfer made a good start in last week's tournament, only to fade over the weekend. 

Smylie is well versed with these types of courses, and if he can hold his game together over the weekend, his 200/1 odds might look huge by Sunday afternoon.

Suggested bet:  Elvis Smylie each-way in the ISPS Handa Australian Open

Suggested bet summary:

• Cam Smith, 4 points win at 6/1
• Joachin Niemann, 3 points each way at 12/1
• Elvis Smyllie, 0.5 points win at 200/1

 

All prices provided by Planet Sport Bet were correct at the time of writing but could be subject to change