While a good chunk of the top 10 players in golf are over in San Diego competing in the Farmers Insurance Open this weekend, some have headed to the Middle East instead for the Dubai Desert Classic.
Held at the Emirates Golf Club in Dubai as part of the European Tour, this will be the 35th time the Dubai Desert Classic has been contested by golf professionals. Last year saw an upset victory with Norway’s Viktor Hovland claiming the title, but this year the restructuring of the PGA Tour has meant Hovland won’t be back to defend his crown, and the field is looking wide open for a winner.
We look at the best bets to make with odds from bookmaker William Hill ahead of the first tee on Thursday.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: January 25th, 4:00 A.M. (GMT)
There’s no question that one man stands head and shoulders above the rest of the pack in Dubai: Rory McIlroy. Not only is McIlroy the No. 1 ranked player in golf right now, but he’s the highest ranked player in this tournament by a long way. The Northern Irishman’s odds of 4.33 to win the Dubai Desert Classic indicate this disparity in the field with the second favourite in the betting odds, Tyrrell Hatton, sitting well back on 12.00. Top 50 players Shane Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood and Min Woo Lee round out the top five favourites with odds between 17.00 and 21.00 to win.
This is Rory McIlroy’s tournament to lose, and we don’t think he will. The 33-year-old knows what it’s like to win here having done so twice previously. While Jon Rahm is off in San Diego chasing three tournament wins in a row, McIlory is also after his third—title in Dubai, that is.
The world No. 1’s path to victory here has been made significantly easier after the PGA Tour announced that players in the Player Impact Program must compete in a minimum of 19/20 of designated events. As a result, a tournament with a purse of $9,000,000 has only one top 20 player in it—McIlroy himself. Betting on McIlroy to win here is the logical move and still brings a respectable return of 4.33.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: January 25th, 4:00 A.M. (GMT)
With one player the clear favourite to win, a good betting market to look at is often the odds for top five finishes.
We say Min Woo Lee is a decent wager here with the Australian paying 5.50 for a top five finish. Just last week the 24-year-old finished second at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, one shot away from winner Victor Perez. Should he replicate this form again in the Middle East, the world No. 50 has a good crack at the top five here.
