Irish Open: Five sleeper picks to steal the show at Portstewart

Matt Fitzpatrick: OWGR – 37, Odds to Win – 50/1

Matt Fitzpatrick may have missed the cut last week at the Open de France but his runner-up finish at the Nordea Masters, combined with his top-15s at the BMW PGA Championship and the Arnold Palmer Invitational let me know he’s a young player with game this year. His very respectable finish at the U.S. Open (35th) shows me Fitzpatrick is ready to compete at the highest level of the game.

Fitzpatrick’s history at the Irish Open is mixed. He’s finished as high at 6th and he’s missed the cut, so there’s little predictive power in his performance record at the event.

However, Matt Fitzpatrick has a lovely short game. He’s a wizard with his wedges and his flatstick, so if he doesn’t run into any big trouble in his tee-to-green play, look for him to be dominant inside 100 yards.

Fitzpatrick could be the spoiler this week.