DS Automobiles Italian Open: Rory Can Ride Ryder Cup Angle 

• The DP World Tour moves from England to Italy
• Host course, Marco Simeone GC, stages next year’s Ryder Cup
• Rory McIlroy is the hot favorite to win

DS Automobiles Italian Open Odds

The odds for this tournament are provided by Caesars Sportsbook. Click on the odds below to head to Caesars and place a bet.

DS Automobiles Italian Open Picks

Rory McIlroy should relish playing at next year’s Ryder Cup venue and can go one better after last week’s second place. Back him for the win at +400 with Caesars Sportsbook.

Local star Francesco Molinari is a two-time Italian Open winner. He has the current form to beat Tyrrell Hatton is a 72-hole match bet at -110 with bet365.

Guido Migliozzi is another home Italian who can shine in front of his own fans. He can land a top 20 at +300 with bet365.

Given the huge disruption caused by LIV, it’s hard to know just who’ll be playing at the 2023 Ryder Cup.

But we get another taster of the course this week when chosen venue Marco Simone GC hosts the Italian Open for just a second time.

Last year this track, located just 10 minutes from Rome’s city center, showed its teeth by producing a winning score of just 13-under – the highest total to secure an Italian Open since 1996.

Victory on that occasion went to youngster Nicolai Hojgaard and with Rory McIlroy suggesting the game might be up for some of the Ryder Cup stalwarts who defected to LIV, the Danish youngster and his twin brother Rasmus could be contenders for Luke Donald’s European team.

Hojgaard edged out Tommy Fleetwood and Adrian Meronk by a shot 12 months ago thanks to a birdie at the 72nd hole.

Marco Simone GC is a tree-lined parkland course with water coming into play on half the holes.

The par 71 which measures 7,268 yards underwent a radical redesign overseen by European Golf Design in cooperation with Tom Fazio II a couple of years ago.

Hojgaard ranked 1st for both Strokes Gained: Tee To Green and SG: Off The Tee. Six of the top seven were top eight for TTG.

On the greens, Hojgaard was only 33rd for SG: Putting although runner-up Fleetwood ranked 1st. No-one else in the top eight was better than 15th for SGP.

So, overall, it looks like a track where strong tee-to-green play is rewarded most. The fairways are relatively narrow and the rough is penal.

As for the field, it’s sprinkled with star power as those set to play in the 2023 Ryder Cup take the chance to see it up close.

Rory is the clear market leader while Matt Fitzpatrick, Viktor Hovland and Tyrrell Hatton all fly in from England having contested the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

Rory Can Ride Ryder Cup Angle

If this were just a standard Italian Open, there’s an argument for saying Rory McIlroy would perhaps be breathing out a little after his near-miss and busy week at the BMW PGA Championship.

But the fact that Marco Simeone GC is the next host of the Ryder Cup makes me think McIlroy’s focus will be sharp.

He’s clearly playing the best golf of anyone in the field and his second place at Wentworth on Sunday followed that barnstorming victory in the TOUR Championship at East Lake.

At Wentworth, he reflected: “My game is in good shape and I feel like everything feels simple. I’m playing within myself and I know my patterns.

You keep putting yourself up there and you keep playing good golf, enough are going to fall your way.

McIlroy has two wins in his last eight starts and also a second, a third, a fifth and an eighth in that run so he’s operating at a high level virtually every time he pegs it up.

He’ll want to put on a show and flex his muscles over the 2023 Ryder Cup course and I don’t want to miss the opportunity to back him while he’s in this form.

Take McIlroy for the win at +400 with Caesars Sportsbook.

Molinari Can Outscore Hatton

We landed another 72-hole match bet winner last week when +110 Shane Lowry not only won his duel with Matt Fitzpatrick but also captured the tournament itself.

This week, I’m going to take local hero Francesco Molinari to get the better of England’s Tyrrell Hatton in a -110 pick ‘em.

Molinari has won his home event twice (2006 and 2016) and was also runner-up in 2018. Widening the lens he’s posted 12 top 20s in his last 16 appearances.

Encouragingly for another big week in front of his home fans, he returns to Italy on the back of a top 10 at the BMW PGA Championship.

That was his first start since a top 15 in the Open Championship at St Andrews.

Molinari ranked 6th SG: Tee To Green at Wentworth whereas Hatton was outside the top 50 in that category when finishing tied 57th.

Hatton also won this event in 2017 but this is his first start at Marco Simeone and Molinari’s accurate game looks better suited for success there.

Migliozzi for a Top 20

Fabrizio Zanotti added to our strong week at Wentworth by landing the Top 20 money at +350 when finishing in a tie for 13th.

This week I’m going to turn to another Italian local, Guido Migliozzi.

The 25-year-old has a touch of class as shown by tied fourth and tied 14th in the last two US Opens.

Last week he made it two top 20s in his last four starts when shooting a trio of 68s for tied 13th in the BMW PGA Championship.

Migliozzi is a three-time winner in Italy on the Alps Tour so can thrive in front of his home fans.

At the Italian Open he was tied 22nd in 2020 and tied 34th here last year.

On current form, he looks very capable of moving into the top 20 and landing the +300 with bet365.

DS Automobiles Italian Open Information