PREVIEW
This is my first European Tour Preview of the year. The tournament is the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, it is played at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. It is a Par 72 measuring approximately 7,600 yards. You don’t have to be a long-hitter to win despite the length of the course. To win here you simply have to play well and card a few low rounds. Martin Kaymer won here three times in four years between 2008 and 2011. The edition he didn’t win, in 2009, resulted in a 2nd place finish. There are a lot of players with very strong records here, McIlroy and Stenson also have multiple Top 5 finishes, for example.
TIPS
Branden GRACE 1.25 Points E/W at 33/1 with 6 Places (Paddy Power)
Grace almost won last week and were it not for some poor play around the greens on the back 9 on Sunday then he definitely would have. He missed the cut on his first appearance here in 2012 but last year he fared much better. He shot a 65 (best round all week) in the final round to shoot up the leaderboard and he eventually finished in solo 5th. He won 5 times (4 ET wins and 1 Sunshine Tour win) in 2012 but went winless last year. He seems the most likely candidate to join the group of South Africans who have won a major in their 20s. 40/1 was available early and 35/1 is still around but I’d rather take 33/1 and an extra place.
Thorbjorn OLESEN 0.75 Points E/W at 60/1 with 6 Places (Paddy Power)
I haven’t been that impressed with Olesen of late. At the Masters he shot 78 on Thursday but rallied back and managed -10 for the final 3 days, the best of any player. That was good enough for a T6 in his first ever Masters but since then he’s seemed a bit lacklustre. Nevertheless, he has appeared here twice and has finished in the Top 10 both times. In 2012, he shot 4 rounds under par on his way to a tie for 8th and in 2013 he was the only player to manage 4 rounds in the 60s. He finished 1 stroke behind winner Jamie Donaldson. Clearly the course suits and once again longer odds are available but I’m opting for the extra place.
Matteo MANASSERO 0.75 Points E/W at 70/1 with 6 Places (Stan James)
He has won on Tour every year for the last four years. It’s sometimes easy to forget that he is only 20. He is an immense talent and is a future major winner for sure. He’s played in this event four times, garnering one top 10. He’s never missed a cut there and hopefully he can challenge this week. He was 10th in his last event and I believe that if he plays his best then he can hold his own against the best in the world.
Points Staked: 6.0 Points
Profit/Loss: +200.64 Points
FMcK's Golf Betting Preview 