Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy headline the field for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship which begins on Thursday, January 18. Johnson is the No. 1 ranked player in the world and coming off an impressive victory two weeks ago in the Sentry Tournament of Champions, while McIlroy is ranked No. 11 in the world. Johnson, McIlroy and Justin Rose are the only three players listed at single-digit odds. Let’s look at the tournament and predictions.
Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship Odds
Dustin Johnson +450
Rory McIlroy +750
Justin Rose +850
Henrik Stenson +1450
Paul Casey +1850
Tommy Fleetwood +2050
Branden Grace +2250
Tyrrell Hatton +2250
Martin Kaymer +3050
Matt Kuchar +3050
Rafa Cabrera Bello +3550
Kiradech Aphibarnrat +4050
Matthew Fitzpatrick +4050
Thomas Pieters +4050
Bernd Wiesberger +4550
Ross Fisher +4550
Byeong Hun An +6050
Lee Westwood +6550
Thorbjorn Olesen +6550
Ian Poulter +7050
Joost Luiten +7550
Dylan Frittelli +8050
Haotong Li +8050
Bryson DeChambeau +8550
Graeme McDowell +8550
Paul Dunne +8550
Pablo Larrazabal +10000
Odds Analysis
Dustin Johnson +450
The best player in the world right now is Johnson and when he is on his game he doesn’t lose. He has the distance to dominate this golf course, so it is all a matter of how motivated he will be. He tied for 2nd in this event last year.
Rory McIlroy +750
Who knows what to expect from Rory as he begins 2018. He didn’t win a single time last year but he loves this course. He has finished second four times and he has finished third twice. He is a true wild card this week.
Justin Rose +850
Rose was outstanding at the end of last year with wins in the WGC-HSBC Champions and Turkish Airlines Open and he almost caught Fleetwood in the Race to Dubai. He finished second in this event in 2013.
Henrik Stenson +1450
I think Stenson has some value this week at these odds. He has two second place finishes, a third and a tie for 8th in this event. He got back into the swing of things last week at the EurAsia Cup and won his last two matches.
Paul Casey +1850
Casey has not played this event the last three years but he won it in 2007 and in 2009. The concern with backing Casey is that he oftentimes does just enough to finish in the top 10 but not enough to win.
Tommy Fleetwood +2050
The defending champion had not played this course well in the past with four missed cuts but he shot 17-under to win last year. He prepped by playing last week in the EurAsia Cup and was in fine form.
Branden Grace +2250
Grace couldn’t quite get the job done last week at the BMW South African Open but he still finished second. He has four top 20 finishes in this event in his last five tries.
Rafa Cabrera Bello +3550
Cabrera Bello likes playing in Dubai, as he has done well in this event and in next week’s Dubai Desert Classic. He is closing in on the top 20 in the World Rankings and he played well in Sunday’s singles at the EurAsia Cup, as he defeated Gavin Green.
Pablo Larrazabal +10000
I am taking a flyer on a huge longshot this week in Larrazabal. He won this event in 2014 and he tied for 2nd last year. I know he hasn’t played that great recently, but his course form makes him worth a longshot flyer.
Course: The Abu Dhabi Golf Club is a par 72 that measures 7,583 yards. It is a long course, and it features water on 10 of the 18 holes. Greens in regulation is the key statistic to consider, as seven of the last 11 winners have finished in the top 10 in GIR. The weather should be fine for this event, although wind could be a factor on Sunday.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel
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Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker.eu. The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship is scheduled for January 18-21, 2018. Abu Dhabi Golf Club will host the event and Golf Channel will televise it.
