Out of the Rough: Turkish Airlines Open (2025)

For the first time in six years, the DP World Tour heads to Turkey for the Turkish Airlines Open.

Once a main-stay of the DP World Tour Schedule between 2013 and 2019, the Turkish Airlines Open has been absent since the 2019 installment.

Regnum Carya Resort will once again play host, having hosted this event between 2016 and 2018.

This week also marks the kick-start of the Tour’s European Swing, consisting of eight events, two of which being the PGA Championship and U.S. Open.

The Field

With those of the DP World Tour that have qualified for next week’s PGA Championship state-side, this week’s field lacks most of the Tour’s biggest names.

Marco Penge is back this week, fresh off claiming his maiden DP World Tour title two weeks back at the Hainan Classic.

Other winners on the season teeing it up this week alongside Penge include Richard Mansell, Dylan Naidoo, Jacques Kruyswijk, Haotong Li, Alejandro Del Rey, John Parry, Johannes  Veerman and Ryggs Johnston.

Other notable golfers teeing it up this week include Julien Guerrier, Dan Bradbury, Angel Hidalgo, Frederic Lacroix and Ewen Ferguson.

Recent European Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald will also be teeing it up this week.

The Course

The Regnum Carya Golf & Spa Resort in Antalya, Turkey takes centerstage this week, having previously hosted this event between 2016 and 2018.

It plays as a par-71 at 7,220 yards.

This course’s claim to fame is that it has been deemed Turkey's first heathland inspired golf course.

The Regnum Carya Golf & Spa Resort is routed through a pine forest and is set on slightly undulating sand hills.

More than one million heather plants were added to the existing native heather to help create the unique look this course offers.

Off-the-tee, golfers will be faced with tree-lined bermuda fairways. These fairways too are narrower than the Tour’s average.

Water also comes into play on eight holes this week (fifth, sixth, 10th, 11th, 13th, 15th, 17th and 18th.)

Although the fairways are narrower than Tour average, the greens featured this week are larger than Tour average. Due to their size, these greens are easy to hit. 

They are also undulating and firm, expected to play at roughly 12 on the Stimpmeter. These greens too feature plateaus that create a sense of ‘greens-within-greens.’

This is a rather easy course, with the three events held here previously seeing winning scores of -20 in 2016, -18 in 2017 and -17 in 2018.

The tenth hole is the hardest hole on the golf course. It plays as a par-five for members but will be played as a par-four this week. Historically, it has played to an average of 4.4.

One of the more unique aspects of this golf course is the 16th hole that features a tee-box on top of a villa. 

Coming down the stretch, the final three holes (all par-fours) are three-of-the-six hardest holes on the golf course. The 16th played as the sixth toughest hole in 2018, the 17th the third toughest and the 18th the second toughest.

The only notable change to this venue since we last saw it in 2018 is a slight increase in length. The length was added to the 15th and 18th holes.

The Weather

As of the time of writing this, there is at most a ten-percent chance of precipitation across all four days this week (Thursday and Saturday.) The rest of the week calls for a zero-percent chance. Winds will range between five-and-seven miles-per-hour across all four days this week. Temperatures will be at the lowest on Thursday at 77-degrees before increasing to 80-to-81 degrees across Friday through Sunday. In all, a perfect four days for some golf.

Key Stats

• Greens in Regulation Percentage (GIR%)

• Strokes Gained: Putting (SG: PUTT)

• Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: APP)

• Total Driving (60-percent Driving Accuracy/40-percent Average Driving Distance

• Scrambling

• Birdie or Better Percentage

• Par Four Average Scoring

Betting Card

Adrien Saddier (+3500)

We haven’t seen Saddier on Tour since the Hero Indian Open but boy is he in some good form. He placed fifth at the Hero Indian Open, third at the Porsche Singapore Classic, 19th at the Investec South African Open Championship, seventh at the Magical Kenya Open, 35th at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters and 13th at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship. He is currently ninth on Tour in both scoring average and Strokes Gained: Total, 11th in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green, 21st in Strokes Gained: Approach, 23rd in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, 31st in Strokes Gained: Around the Green and 67th in Strokes Gained: Putting.

Jacques Kruyswijk (+5000)

Kruyswijk is currently fourth on Tour in scoring average, tenth in Strokes Gained: Putting, 11th in Strokes Gained: Total, 16th in Strokes Gained: Approach, 32nd in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green, 42nd in Strokes Gained: Around the Green and 109th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. It’s been awhile since we last saw Kruyswijk, last playing at the Joburg Open where he was the runner-up. Prior to that he placed 37th at the Investec South African Open Championship and won the Magical Kenya Open. 

Jacob Skov Olesen (+7000)

I have an Olesen problem and I’m okay with that. He did miss the cut in his last outing at the Hainan Classic but prior to that placed eighth at the Volvo China Open, seventh at the Joburg Open and 13th at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters. He is currently 11th on Tour in scoring average, 28th in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green, 32nd in Strokes Gained: Total, 46th in Strokes Gained: Around the Green, 47th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, 56th in Strokes Gained: Approach and 61st in Strokes Gained: Putting. 

Edoardo Molinari (+8500)

Molinari is going to be a betting favorite this week so if you are one to believe in staying away from the masses, this is not a bet for you. He is currently second on Tour in Strokes Gained: Putting, third in Strokes Gained: Total, 29th in scoring average, 49th in Strokes Gained: Around the Green, 51st in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, 66th in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green and 107th in Strokes Gained: Approach. He’s played each of the last four events on the DPWT, placing sixth in his last outing at the Hainan Classic, 36th at the Volvo China Open, ninth at the Hero Indian Open and 43rd at the Joburg Open.