Top Betting Picks for the Italian Open in 2021

The European Tour returns to Marco Simone Golf and Country Club to host the Italian Open for the first time since 1994. A trip to this lush setting in Rome is a pretty good consolation for the European golfers who didn’t make it to Atlanta. Not to mention, it’s the site of the 2023 Ryder Cup.

Led by 2021 Ryder Cup locks Matthew Fitzpatrick and Tommy Fleetwood, the Italian Open odds sheet is bubbling with some big names. After scanning the pricing at various sportsbooks, here are my top Italian Open betting picks.

The value starts to open up once you get past the trio listed under +2000 (Fitzpatrick, Fleetwood, Wiesberger). Among the players grouped into the second tier, here are two names that caught my attention.

If you’re looking to back an Italian golfer to win on his home soil, look no further than the lowest-ranked Italian golfer in the world. Clocking in at #69, Guido Migliozzi has been on a tear over the last five months.

I love targeting hot golfers – it’s worth noting that Guido closed with 65 on Sunday in the Swiss Alps.

Arriving in Rome on the heels of finishing 2^nd and 4^th the past two weeks, few golfers in the Italian Open field are as confident as Sean Crocker. Now armed with a trio of runner-up finishes on the European Tour, Crocker wisely isn’t putting extra pressure on himself to get over the hump. The 54-hole co-leader last week in Crans knows his game is solid and knows his time will come.

The nonchalance you’re hearing is the sound of a supremely confident golfer. Adding to the good vibes, Sean will kick off the week by celebrating his 25^th birthday on Tuesday.

Now for a couple of Italian Open picks that are a little more off-the-radar.

He’s won three European Tour events in the last 12 months. That’s more victories than tournament favorites Matthew Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, and Bernd Wiesberger have combined during that span.

Catlin recently finished 7^th at the ISPS World Invitational and was in 6^th-place heading into the final round last week before a Sunday 72 dropped him back to T21. Installed at +5500 at all of the top golf betting sites, you could do a lot worse than take a flier on the 30-year-old American.

Having connected on 9 of his last 10 cuts, five of which are top-20s, Will Besseling heads into the Italian Open feeling great about his game. The 35-year-old Dutch golfer carded just four bogeys over the final 54 holes in Crans (T13), notably putting on a ball-striking clinic in the final round.

Worth noting, Will also led the field in GIR during Saturday’s third round. The dude is a hot putter away from being insincere contention.

In this H2H matchup of two South African golfers, I’ll take the elder. Garrick Higgo got from April through June but has since tapered off dramatically. In fact, since triumphing at the Palmetto Championship at Congaree, the young lefty has failed to post a top-40 finish.

On the flip side, Burmester cruises into Rome, having finished inside the top 40 in each of his last four starts. Dean led the Omega European Masters by one after 36 holes – he’s simply playing much more consistent golf than Garrick Higgo at this time.

Can you get on board with any of these Italian Open predictions? Perhaps you’re interested in taking a look at my best bets for the TOUR Championship.