The excitement ahead of the 2024 season is rising and for EuroDov Reporter and the From the Locker Room team life on the road with the Tour is just around the corner.

Winter on Tour is stranger, with no organized golf, we get rumors and chatter of “this player is hitting better than ever before” or “a new addition to his bag is really helping his game,” or “we’ve not seen him on the course since September,” but what does it all mean?

Well, those days are soon to be over, as of the 21st March we’ll be watching closely every ball struck, every players move, and we’ll be bringing you stats, analysis and predictions till your screaming for mercy.

In 2023 EuroDov Reporter had Kevin Brannan listed as second favorite to win it all, and he did, so let’s go take a look at the 2024 field and see where the chips are going to land for the season’s opening Major.

Kevin Brannan
Odds: 3/1
Notes: Only one player has ever won the EuroDov Cup back-to-back and that was McColgan in 2021-22.

However, Brannan has created a name for himself winning multi-round events (Tour Champs (2022), EuroDov Cup & Invitational (2023)) and has shown he is capable of winning very early in the season.

In 2023 Brannan was 15 over par for his rounds on Quinta da Marinha and Penha Longa leading the 2024 field by 6 shots on his nearest rival.

If he can repeat this form and put a good score in at Oitavos Dunes, he might need allowance in his luggage for the EuroDov Cup for a second year.

Graeme Connor
Odds: 4/1
Notes: Connor now has 3 runner-up finishes in Majors and he’s itching to get this monkey off his back. He carded 12 over (Penha Longa) and 9 over (QDM) rounds in 2023 and missed out on winning the Cup by a stroke.

If he can, and I think he’s got the mental capabilities to, capitalize on his previous experience on these 2 courses he could find himself joining the Major winner ranks in 2024.

David McColgan & Stuart Allan
Odds: 5/1
Notes: Let’s state the obvious here, McColgan has never won in Portugal (2019 & 2023) and never won when Quinta da Marinha was on the rota (same years), can he get the monkey off his back in 2024?

Anyone who played with him in 2023 will know he struggled with lefts off the tee, and this punished him greatly. He’ll need to play better over the full 54 holes to be in with a chance in 2024 for sure.

Allan’s charge for the Cup in 2023 was disappointing carding the most over par over Penha Long and Quinta Da Marinha of any player returning in 2024. However, this isn’t his game, he’s got all the tools to win this, and at a canter.

If his winter routine is anything to go by, he’s got to be seen as a contender.

Andy Love, Denis Duncan & Stephen Green
Odds: 6/1
Notes: Let’s deal with these guys in 2 groups.

Firstly, Duncan and Green return in 2024 after shooting 25 and 26 over respectively on Penha Longa and Quinta da Marinha. They both finished 12 and 8 shots of the eventual winner, so definitely in the margins here.

They’ve got steady games, and steady swings and a putt dropping here, or a bounce there, they could find themselves in the race come Saturday.

Love will be playing all three courses for the first time, but he’s been really stepping up his game, thinking differently and adding elements, like wedge play, that has seen his handicap come down.

He’s definitely on the edge as a contender but he might push himself into the leading pack quickly and if he does, do not be surprised.

Paul Gowens
Odds: 7/1
Notes: It’s a small field and feels harsh putting 2022 rookie of the year Paul Gowens down here.

But let’s look at this objectively; he’s playing all three courses for the first time; this is his first international event; and he’s still building back from his 2023 health scare.

Do we want to see him win, of course we do, what a story that would be. Can he do it? well in a reduced field, in warmer conditions. It might just be the perfect recipe for the comeback story.

Well, there we have it folks, that’s our predictions for the 2024 EuroDov Cup. The Tour’s first Major of 2024 takes place in Cascais, Portugal from the 21st-23rd March.