Some 156 players will battle it out until Sunday over the 7,453, Par 72, Robert Trent Jones-designed course at the Adare Manor Hotel and Golf Resort. The strong home contingent will be hoping to maintain the excellent run enjoyed by Irish golfers in recent weeks which has seen golfers from the island win four of the last nine European Tour events.
Defending champion Padraig Harrington is the bookies' favourite to prevail in West Limerick this weekend. Harrington, who has an excellent record around the course, is currently a best-priced 15/2 shot to make it back-to-back wins.
Harrington will be anxious to maintain his splendid record on the course which has also seen him win the JP McManus Pro-Am in recent years.
However, Fill Your Boots' tip to win the title is another player who missed the cut at last weekend's Players' Championship at Sawgrass.
Englishman Lee Westwood has an excellent record in Ireland having won the Smurfit European Open when it was staged at the K Club on two occasions. He is sure to have benefited from having extra time to prepare for Adare as a result of missing the cut in Florida last weekend.
After four years out of the winner's circle, Westwood returned with a vengeance in 2007 with two victories; the Valle Romano Open de Andalucia and The Quinn Direct British Masters.
The latter success brought him level with Mark James as the second most prolific English winner in European Tour history, both having won on 18 occasions.
In 2006, Westwood embellished an already impressive Ryder Cup record when, as one of Captain Ian Woosnam's wild card selections, he remained unbeaten for the second Ryder Cup running, returning four points out of five at The K Club.
Westwood finished tied 21st in last year's Irish Open in Adare. However, his finishing position would have been considerably higher had he not shot 77 in very poor weather conditions on the Friday. True, Westwood did experience some putting problems at the US Masters last month, but the greens at Adare are sure to be more to his liking and the popular Ryder Cup star is a solid choice to land the title.
Generally available at odds of 12/1, Westwood looks a good choice.
The betting market for top Irish player this week is fascinating. Not surprisingly it is headed up by Padraig Harrington, but Boylesports offering best odds at just 11/8, it is hardly a favourable betting proposition. There is plenty of value to be had elsewhere in the market.
Forty one-year-old Paul McGinley has tasted success at Adare Manor Hotel and Golf Resort in the past, winning the Irish PGA Championship at the venue in the past.
McGinley remains fiercely competitive and has recorded five top 20 finishes already this season.
McGinley can further embellish his already impressive record in the Irish Open by emerging at the top home competitor this weekend.

Tip
Lee Westwood to win the 2008 Irish Open at Adare Manor Hotel and Golf Resort, 12/1, generally
Paul McGinley to be top Irish player at the 2008 Irish Open, 12/1, Paddy Power

Gaelic Football Fancies
Handicap Double
Wicklow +5 to beat Kildare, Leinster SFC, 10/11, Paddy Power
Galway -7 to beat Roscommon,
Connacht SFC, 10/11, Paddy Power

The Post Mortem
Those who coined the phrase that backing odds-on shots is the quick way to the poorhouse could well have been right.
Take our eircom League soccer treble last weekend for instance. Fill Your Boots opted to place its faith in three odds-on shots, Limerick 37 at home to Monaghan, Waterford United at home to Wexford Youths and Cork City at home to Sligo Rovers. The treble paid close to 7/2. But as so often happens, while two legs came in, the third, somewhat ironically Limerick 37, failed to oblige. Two out of three ain't bad, but it's not enough to receive a pay-out from the bookies.
Elsewhere, despite threatening to make a major surge through the field on both Friday and Sunday afternoons, Jim Furyk, our tip for the Players Championship had to make do with a tied 27th-placed finish in Florida. A triple bogey six on the notorious Par 3 17th hole on Sunday afternoon proved Furyk's undoing in the end. And to complete a disappointing weekend, Garryowen's hopes of retaining the All-Ireland League title were shattered by Cork Con in Sunday's decider at Musgrave Park.
So all round, a none-too-profitable weekend.

Betting Update
€5 e/w Jim Furyk to win the Players' Championship at Sawgrass: -€10
eircom league Soccer treble: -€10
Garryowen to win AIL final: -€10
Overall for February-May: +€49.50

NB: Odds quoted are correct at the time of writing