Golf betting tips: Dubai Desert Classic and Farmers Insurance Open predictions after huge 55/1 winner last week
Content Editor at Free Super Tips, Alex was born in the shadow of Old Trafford and is an avid Man Utd fan. After graduating from university he combined his love of football, writing and betting to join FST and now closely follows goings-on in all of the top European leagues.
Golf fans can look forward to another double-dose of action as the PGA Tour and European Tour continue this week, and it comes just a week after Steve Palmer landed two huge winners in the Abu Dhabi Championship and the American Express.
Sunday night saw Si Woo Kim hold onto the lead to land a massive 55/1 shot in the American Express, with that coming hours after Tyrrell Hatton put in a stunning final day performance in Abu Dhabi to land out 12/1 tip.
Can Steve do it again this week?
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Dubai Desert Classic predictions and betting tips
Abu Dhabi Championship winner Tyrrell Hatton dominates the market after Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas both headed back to the United States for the PGA Tour this week, with the Englishman hoping to make it back-to-back titles after last week.
Tommy Fleetwood and Collin Morikawa trail in the markets but are likely to provide stiff competition to the new world number five as they tee-off at the Emirates Golf Club on Thursday.
Dubai Desert Classic course guide and where to watch
Course: Emirates Golf Club, Dubai, UAE
Par: 72
Field: 132
Where to watch: Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Golf (from 04:00 on Thursday)
Dubai Desert Classic winner prediction: Tyrrell Hatton at 7/1
Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas have left the Middle East and returned to the States, skipping the Dubai Desert Classic, leaving Tyrrell Hatton as the man to beat at Emirates Golf Club.
Hatton destroyed a strong Abu Dhabi field last week to win the Rolex Series event and the buzzing Englishman will be confident of success again in a weaker line-up for the Desert Classic.
Collin Morikawa has joined the runners, making his first European Tour appearance of the year, but the American raider has never competed at Emirates Club before and will probably take time to adjust. Thomas missed the cut on his first visit to Abu Dhabi last week, highlighting how important it is to have previous experience of the Gulf.
Hatton deserves to be followed for a second week running, given bookmakers have chalked up a healthy price about the man of the moment. He has moved up to world number five and confidence is sky-high.
The Buckinghamshire boy won back-to-back European Tour events in 2017 – the Dunhill Links Championship followed by the Italian Open – and he can be fancied to repeat the dose. He has twice finished third in the Desert Classic and has the tools for some super-low scores in the forecasted fine weather.
Dubai Desert Classic outsider prediction: Matt Wallace at 22/1 (eachway)
Sunday could see an English one-two, with Matt Wallace potentially providing the main threat to Hatton. Wallace, who tied for seventh place in Abu Dhabi, appears to be improving his temperament – and he has just recruited a superb new caddie in the shape of Gareth Lord.
Wallace has finished runner-up in all three of the European Tour events in Dubai – the Desert Classic, the DP World Tour Championship and the Golf in Dubai Championship – and his fresh partnership with Lord could deliver some immediate silverware.
Farmers Insurance Open predictions and betting tips
The PGA Tour remains in California for the Farmers Insurance Open this week and it welcomes back a number of golf’s superstars after a relatively low-key event last week.
Tiger Woods may be sitting this one out, but the likes of Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy are back to lead the betting markets at Torrey Pines, but short prices make them poor value betting choices.
Farmers Insurance Open course guide and where to watch
Course: Torrey Pines South and North, La Jolla, San Diego
Pars: 72
Field: 156
Where to watch: Sky Sports Golf (from 17:00 on Thursday)
Farmers Insurance Open winner prediction: Harris English at 22/1
Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy are short-price market principals for the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, California, but neither have overwhelming credentials for the high-class PGA Tour gathering.
Rahm decided to skip last week’s American Express after injuring his back in a gymnasium, but the Spaniard insists he is back to full fitness. More worrying for his fans is the fact he put a new set of clubs and ball into his bag at the start of the year, so is still adjusting to fresh equipment. He finished seventh in the Sentry Tournament of Champions in his first appearance of 2021, but it was fantastic chipping which kept his score respectable that week – his ball-striking left a lot to be desired.
Rahm has a great record at Torrey Pines but may not be at full throttle for this edition, while McIlroy has jet lag to overcome after a long trek from Abu Dhabi. McIlroy squandered a final-round lead in Abu Dhabi and was well beaten by Tyrrell Hatton, so the Northern Irishman has probably suffered an untimely dent to his self-belief.
Much preferred at far superior odds is Harris English, who won the Sentry Tournament of Champions in fine style at the start of the year. That Hawaii success was no flash in the pan – English has been playing consistently well for 16 months – and he has actually won two of the last three tournaments in which he has teed up.
The other success was in a pairs event playing alongside Matt Kuchar – the QBE Shootout – but English was the star of the duo and they carded a record-breaking QBE total en route to victory.
Farmers Insurance Open outsider prediction: Cameron Davis at 55/1 (eachway)
Cameron Davis, third in The American Express on Sunday and clearly developing into a PGA Tour champion, is a bigger-price alternative to English.
The Australian has been growing more comfortable at the top of the pecking order recently and has already played the Farmers Insurance Open three times.
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