Matt Cooper steps in for Ben Coley this week, and has four bets to consider in his preview of the Nexo Championship.
Golf betting tips: Nexo Championship
2pts e.w. Casey Jarvis at 16/1 (Spreadex, Virgin Bet 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6)
1pt e.w. Dan Brown at 28/1 (Virgin Bet 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6)
1pt e.w. Kazuma Kobori at 55/1 (BOYLE Sports 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6)
1pt e.w. Matthew Southgate at 100/1 (Coral, Ladbrokes 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6,7)
The DP World Tour returns to Scotland this week for the second edition of the Nexo Championship, hosted by Trump International Links in Aberdeen which 12 months ago proved to be a test that links specialists enjoyed.
Indeed, ahead of his victory last year, Scotland’s Grant Forrest had finished T11, T19 and T22 at The Renaissance Club, T5 at Royal County Down, twice T10 in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, T10 at Yas Links, T3 at Hillside, T14 at Lahinch and his first win at this level had come at Fairmont St Andrews.
He had, in other words, proved himself an excellent linksland performer and he duly backed it up with the finest result of his career to date.
Runner-up Joe Dean has since won the Open’s Last Chance Qualifier at Royal Birkdale and the trio who shared third are no mugs by the seaside either: Jacob Skov Olesen won the Amateur Championship at Ballyliffin, John Parry is a two-time top three finisher in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and Kristoffer Reitan had finished T13 at Renaissance a few weeks prior.
Even the Dutchman Daan Huizing, who was T2 after 54 holes, is a player whose best golf has come by the British coast.
It is also notable that four of the top five had thrived on the links shortly before making their way to Aberdeen: Forrest was T22 in the PGA Tour co-sanctioned Scottish Open, Olesen was the first round co-leader and made the cut in the Open, Reitan finished top 30 in both the Scottish Open and the Open, and Parry was T16 in the Open.
As a starting point it feels realistic and immediately highlights an Englishman whose links form has been excellent over the last three seasons.
The man in question is DAN BROWN who ended the Open at Royal Birkdale in T18, a result that neatly backed up his T10 in the championship at Royal Troon in 2024.
After grabbing the first round lead in that latter effort he revealed that he’d not enjoyed links golf as an amateur, but was aware that he was keener on it since joining the paid ranks. His seasonal results corroborated that theory because he’d been T3 at Heritage La Reserve, T4 at St Francis Links, had played well for 54 holes at The Renaissance Club and would finish T4 at Royal County Down a few weeks later.
He did miss the cut at Renaissance this year after a slow start, but that was not an entirely poor week because he carded a second round 67.
After a fun off-the-course and tougher on-the-course rookie campaign on the PGA Tour this is the ideal location for him to rediscover his mojo – as evidenced by his T19 in the event last year.
Of the favourites, Patrick Reed has a GB&I links best of T10 which is a little off-putting and Eugenio Chacarra is yet to thrive on a genuine links. Note, however, that he is, like Forrest, a winner at Fairmont St Andrews.
Jacob Slov Olesen closed nicely last week on home soil in Denmark and has that links pedigree while Keita Nakajima has played The Renaissance Club very well – indeed, he was T3 there this year.
But we’ll also back CASEY JARVIS for whom this looks a fine opportunity to add to his tally of 2026 wins. The 23-year-old got the year off to a flier with wins in the Kenya and South African Opens before tailing off in the spring and early summer.
His T21 in the Scottish Open was a better return and he backed it up with a fine T6 in the Open. Moreover, it’s not the first time the South African suggested his game is a good fit for the British seaside.
He’s been a runner-up at St Francis Links and was T10 at the South African seaside course earlier this year. Shortly before then he was T3 in the Mauritius Open on the new links at Heritage La Reserve. If those are both good links interpretations, his T13 12 months ago on this week’s test points more directly to his suitability.
Among those who almost made the staking plan were Joe Dean, Andy Sullivan and Marcus Armitage.
But next up is the Kiwi KAZUMA KOBORI who was an excellent T28 in the Open at Royal Birkdale shortly after he qualified in T2 at West Lancs.
He first dropped a hint that he liked the seaside when T12 on his first DP World Tour regular start in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and he also grabbed a share of the first round lead at Yas Links at the end of last year.
Down under he was once a 54-hole six-shot leader at Moonah Links before tripping up on the final round and he’s also got a top 10 at 13th Beach on the same stretch of Victorian linksland.
He went into the final round at Royal Birkdale T11 and said: “I’m used to flighting the ball from back home. I’m really enjoying the challenge of links golf.”
Following that final round he immediately went off to watch his compatriot Ryan Fox in his ultimately successful quest for the Claret Jug. It might prove inspirational.
Final pick is MATTHEW SOUTHGATE who, like Kobori, qualified for the Open in style and then made the cut (when only a poor third round cost him a top 30 finish).
His linksland pedigree is well established and takes in two-time runner-up finishes in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, and a trio of top 25s in the Open.
His form has been poor for a while, but he is a winner on the Challenge Tour this year and did close with a 67 for T6 at that level last week. He’s a better golfer on the links and three-figure prices are well worth taking.
Posted at 18:55 BST on 17/08/26
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