Preview
2023 Soudal Open Tips
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Event Info
Starts: 11th May 2023
Course: Rinkven International GC
Par: 71 (36-35)
Length: 6,940 yards
2022 Champion: Sam Horsfield
Soudal Open Course Info
Designer: Paul Rolin
Type of Course: Parkland
Used Since: 2018
Fairways: Average, flat.
Greens: 80% Bentgrass, 20% POA
Par 5's: 5th & 17th
Premium on: Tee to Green and Recent Form
Significant Info To Be Aware Of
This course was used for the Belgian Knockout event held on the European Tour in 2018 and 2019. Those events were 36 holes of stroke play followed by 9 hole knockout matches over the weekend.
The course was also used for the Telenet Trophy on the Challenge Tour in 2010 and hosted the European Amateur Championship in 2005.
This week's course has thirteen par 4s!
Weather Forecast
Thursday
Sunny intervals with a wind of 6mph.
Friday
Sunny with a max wind of 8mph.
Saturday
Sunny with a max wind of 7mph.
Sunday
Possile rain showers with a max wind of 11mph.
Soudal Open Trends
Winning Score
Sam Horsfield won last year with a score of 13 under par.
World Ranking of Winner
Slightly less relevant this week due to the format change but winners of the Belgian Knockout were ranked 99th (Adrian Otaegui) and 203rd (Guido Migliozzi). Horsfield was world number 110 when he triumphed last year.
Correlating Courses
Last year's winner, Sam Horsfield, recorded 3rd and 8th place finishes in Kenya in 2021. Ewen Ferguson, who threw away a good chance at winning in Kenya last year, was 4th at the 2018 Belgian Knockout whilst still a Challenge Tour player. Look to Muthaiga GC as a possible course correlation.
Course Form
Horsfield had played the Belgian Knockout in 2018 and 2019 without much success. Neither Migliozzi nor Otaegui had played the course before their wins at the Belgian Knockout.
Recent Form
Otaegui arrived in hot form including a 2nd on his previous start and Migliozzi also arrived in consistent form having won earlier in the season also. Leaders after halfway, Chris Paisley and Jorge Campillo, were also in strong form coming into the events in 2018/19. Recent form does appear to be important.
Soudal Open Stats Analysis
SG: Tee to Green
Three of last year's top five were inside the top 15 for SG: Tee to Green.
SG: Off The Tee
Oliver Bekker was the only player inside the top five to rank inside the top 50 for strokes gained off the tee. This was somewhat surprising given the top five included Sam Horsfield and Ryan Fox.
Driving Accuracy
None of the top five last year ranked inside the top 40 for Driving Accuracy.
Driving Distance
Sam Horsfield was the only player in the top five who ranked inside the top 30 for Driving Distance.
SG: Approach
Three of last year's top five ranked inside the top six for SG: Approach. Iron play is very much key this week on a shorter course!
SG: Around The Green
None of last year's top fve ranke inside the top 40 for SG: Putting.
SG: Putting
Four of last year's top five ranked inside the top twelve for SG: Putting.
Soudal Open Quotes
"This wind swirls about 380 times a day here so that is one of the difficult parts. It is really narrow and it’s not short but it’s shortish, but it just makes it quite tricky." Thomas Pieters, 2022
"It is very similar, a Wentworth or Sunningdale vibe out here, and it hasn’t rained in the last five weeks so it is going to be really firm, greens are looking brilliant, so I think it is going to be a good test. Probably not a lot of driver off the tee, but a lot of irons and precise irons into the greens." Thomas Detry, 2022
"I got to play nine holes today and I am heading out to play the other nine this afternoon. It is tight off the tee, you need to be accurate, and the grass is very, very dry, so if the greens dry up anymore, I did see a lot of undulation on them and some tricky up and downs, so accuracy off the tee is really crucial. I think there is also big difference between catching the green in two or missing it, most of the time it seems like a hard up and down, and if you are putting for a birdie it makes a big difference." Rafa Cabrera Bello, 2022
"I have had two goes around this golf course before, once for the Belgian Knockout in 2019 and once before I played a European Amateur Championship here in 2003 or 04, different routing of the course but I kind of like it. It’s bouncy, its old school, tight and treelined. You want to hit the fairway because in the rough you get the flyers and the greens won’t hold the ball, so with a bit of wind it is going to add up to an interesting week." Bernd Wiesberger, 2022
"This is a golf course where positioning is quite important off the tee and I was able to position it nicely to give myself a lot of good looks." Sam Horsfield, 2022
"It all depends on how you approach the tee shots. You can take the course on but it is risk and reward for a lot of them. It’s a golf course like a parkland you play back at home, where it gets very dry on the fairways and the greens firm but it’s quite lush around the edges, so you have to make sure the ball is under control.” Callum Shinkwin, 2022
"This is a golf course where you feel like, regardless of how you are playing that you’ve got lots of chances, you can always manage to get a couple of irons in the fairway and still give yourself some wedges, and the greens are rolling lovely and you can hole some putts around here." Ryan Fox, 2022
Soudal Open In Play Advice
Birdie Holes
The 18th played as the easiest hole last year but there were four other holes (8th, 11th, 12th and 16th) which were easier than the other par 5 (17th)
Hard Holes
The 10th hole was the hardest hole last year, closely followed by the 9th.
Fast or Slow Start
Sam Horsfield led after the opening round and the players who finished second, Yannik Paul and Ryan Fox, also made fast starts with rounds of 66 and 68.
Closing Stretch
The 16th is a driveable 344 yard par four, the 17th is a 568 yard par 5 and the 18th is a 424 yard par four.
Previous Soudal Open Blogs
2022
2023 Soudal Open Tips
You can sign up for all our Soudal Open picks and DP World Tour tips for 2023 by clicking the button below.
In-play
Soudal Open In-Play Blog
13 May 2023, 9.05pm (UK time)
| Player | Total |
|---|
| Forsstrom |
-15 |
| Detry |
-14 |
| Brun |
-12 |
| Dantorp |
-12 |
2023 Soudal Open Round 3 Summary
Simon Forsstrom and Thomas Detry went bogey free to separate themselves from the chasing pack. Both players will have a chance to win their first DP World Tour title on Sunday.
Notable Round 3 Soudal Open Quotes
"I feel like it’s going to be fun. I’m going to try and do my best and see where it ends. I’m very proud, it took a long time for me to get here. Finally I’m here and I hope I can win." Simon Forsstrom
"I don’t know what would mean the most, winning for the first time or winning on home soil. I think that they would both mean a lot. I think it would be a massive boost for my career and a massive boost for my confidence as well. It would be pretty special but, again, I’m not really thinking about that. I’m just going to try and enjoy the day and just have some fun." Thomas Detry
2023 Soudal Open Round 4 Weather
Sunny intervals with 5-8mph wind.
Back or Lay The Favourite?
Thomas Detry remains favourite, his odds now 6/4 to win his first DP World Tour title. Detry had cut a relaxed figure earlier in the week but he's often failed to impress at the business end of the tournament.
With that said, he's been playing on the PGA Tour this year and finished 2nd at the Bermuda Championship at the end of last year. He's undoubtedly dropping down a level to play in this event and that may well be the boost he needs to finally get over the line on the DP World Tour.
Detry will never have a better chance to get off the mark. However, we couldn't back him with any confidence at 6/4. Final rounds on the DP World Tour tend to have a few twists and turns, and it wouldn't be surprising to see the Belgian trade at a bigger price in running.
In-Play Soudal Open Bets We Considered
We backed Dan Bradbury pre-event and it's been frustrating to watch as he has struck the ball tremendously well but missed a number of short putts. Bradbury leads the SG: Tee to Green stats this week and is a fair price at 21/20 to record a top 20 finish. he is currently in a tie for 17th but likely just needs a solid day on the greens to secure a top 20.
In terms of the outright market, we can well see Detry winning but Forsstrom shouldn't be discounted. He won the Qualifying school at the end of November and there aren't many tougher tests in golf.
There isn't making too much appeal in the two ball match ups. Connor Syme to outscore Alejandro del Rey would be the selection if pushed but it's not a bet we'll be advising to subscribers.
Round 4 Bets
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12 May 2023, 10pm (UK time)
| Player | Total |
|---|
| Forsstrom |
-11 |
| Ko |
-10 |
| Detry |
-9 |
| Four players tied |
-8 |
2023 Soudal Open Round 2 Summary
Simon Forsstrom retained his lead by one shot over Jeong Weon Ko. Thomas Detry sits alone in 3rd place, two behind. All of the top three were from the early-late side of the draw
Notable Round 2 Soudal Open Quotes
"I hit a lot of greens. I think I only chipped three times in two rounds so I think that's the key. " Simon Forsstrom
"I was in this position a few times last year on the Challenge Tour. It’s not too different, just with more people watching. " Jeong Weon Ko
"Winning an event is great, winning your first event is even better and winning it at home would be just an absolute dream. I’m just going to try and enjoy it and we’ll see what happens. " Thomas Detry
2023 Soudal Open Round 3 Weather
Partly sunny and windy with scattered showers in the mid to late afternoon. Slight chance for a thunderstorm. Wind 15-20 mph.
Back or Lay The Favourite?
Detry has taken over as tournament favourite and can be backed at odds of 15/4. The Belgian is still trying to win his first DP World Tour event despite countless near misses and it would be fitting if he was to break through here. The combination is a lot of pressure though and although we agree he is a justified favourite, the price is not tempting us enough to get involved. Winds of 15-20mph brings more variables into play and everyone should have some struggles along the way, including Detry.
In-Play Soudal Open Bets We Considered
Thomas Detry is the only player in the top 200 of the world rankings inside the top six on the leaderboard so it is tempting to take a few players at 5/6 under par at big prices. Richie Ramsay, Kiredech Aphibarnrat and Marcus Kinhult all caught our attention at 50/1 and above but there were two plays we preffered in the end.
Round 3 Bets
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11 May 2023, 10pm (UK time)
| Player | Total |
|---|
| Forsstrom |
-7 |
| Wilson |
-6 |
| Dantorp |
-6 |
| Siem |
-6 |
| Morrison |
-6 |
| Eight players tied |
-5 |
2023 Soudal Open Round 1 Summary
Simon Forsstrom leads by one shot despite numerous afternoon starters getting close to his target of seven under par. Pre-event favourites Alexander Bjork and Thomas Detry are within striking distance, just a few shots back.
Notable Round 1 Soudal Open Quotes
"I always enjoyed playing in Belgium when we played here on the Challenge Tour. I like the course because it’s narrow and not so long, so it should fit me well. " Simon Forsstrom
2023 Soudal Open Round 2 Weather
Cloudy with rain likely through the morning. Becoming partly sunny in the early afternoon with a good chance for showers in the late afternoon and evening. Wind 8-15mph.
Back or Lay The Favourite?
Bjork's recent form makes him a justified favourite and his game is a perfect fit for this course. However, he relied on his putting for large parts today and odds of 7/1 look a bit skinny at this stage. The course setup means a lot of shorter hitters who can't usually compete have a chance this week so we would be keen to take the favourites on.
In-Play Soudal Open Bets We Considered
Marcus Kinhult makes a lot of appeal at 20/1 given he sits on the same score as fellow Swede Alexander Bjork but is almost three times the price at 20/1. Kinhult was 6th at Valderrama and 8th in Kenya last year which correlate nicely to the test this week. Ashun Wu is also high on the shortlist at 50/1, given he is a winner in Kenya last year but he may have a lot of ground to make up as an afternoon starter tomorrow. He also caught our eye at 7/4 to beat Daniel Gavins and Sami Valimaki tomorrow.
Round 2 Bets
Want to know which bets we went for? You can sign up for all our DP World Tour tips for 2023 by clicking the button below.
