Let’s put all the politics aside and focus on golf for a few days. That’s what the European Tour is looking to accomplish this week with the second playing of the Saudi International. And this event is proof that money talks with a number of high-profile players taking an appearance fee to peg it up at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club. Making his second start since knee surgery, World No. 1 Brooks Koepka headlines the field, but defending champion and OWGR No. 5 Dustin Johnson opened as the betting favorite at online sportsbooks. In all eight of the World’s top-30 golfers will compete for the $3.5 million prize pool. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of betting odds and to place your wager.
Odds to Win Saudi International at BookMaker.eu
Dustin Johnson +710
Brooks Koepka +985
Patrick Reed +1200
Sergio Garcia +2000
Shane Lowry +2000
Victor Perez +2000
Henrik Stenson +2200
Abraham Ancer +2500
Tom Lewis +2800
Robert MacIntyre +2800
Martin Kaymer +3000
Thomas Pieters +3000
Bernd Wiesberger +3300
Erik Van Rooyen +4000
Matthias Schwab +4000
Lee Westwood +4000
Rafa Cabrera-Bello +4000
Mike Lorenzo-Vera +4500
Thomas Detry +4500
Ian Poulter +5000
Haotong Li +5000
Jazz Janewattananond +5000
Joost Luiten +5000
Gavin Green +5500
Adri Arnaus +5500
Min Woo Lee +5500
Paul Waring +6000
Lucas Herbert +6600
Romain Langasque +6600
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +6600
Andy Sullivan +7000
Matt Wallace +7000
Phil Mickelson +7000
Ross Fisher +8000
Ryan Fox +8000
Graeme McDowell +8000
Jordan Smith +8000
Marcus Kinhult +9000
Jhonattan Vegas +9000
Mikko Korhonen +10000
Sam Horsfield +10000
Dean Burmester +10000
Odds Analysis
Brooks Koepka +985
Is it too early to trust Koepka? He returned from a three-month layoff after knee surgery and shot a 66 in the first round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, but he couldn’t replicate that effort and settled for a T34. Not bad, though, considering the lengthy rehab time. At some point the No. 1 ranked golfer is going to have to kick things up a notch with Major season right around the corner. And he’s looking to improve on his T57 in last year’s inaugural playing.
Dustin Johnson +710
The talent sits at the top of the odds board and throwing down on Johnson might be the way to go. The course is obviously a good fit considering he shot 61-65-67 over the final three days last year to finish two-shots in the clear at -19. He’s also working through injury issues that limited him last fall, but he showed good form with a T7 at the Sentry TOC, and he knows about the politicking at this event. “I’m going to play golf, not support them. I’m not a politician, I play golf,” And he does that very well.
Victor Perez +2000
A stellar run to close last season continued lifting Perez to No. 41 in the World making him the highest ranked Ryder Cup points earner in the field. I know, it’s still early in the year and things will change. But Perez won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and had two other top-4s in the last six events of last season. He opened 2020 with a T2 in Abu Dhabi and was in the final grouping last week before stumbling on Sunday to a T16. His desert form is solid logging a T13 here last year and he’s worth a look.
Bernd Wiesberger +3300
I’m not sure what to make of Wiesberger early in the season. He opened at Abu Dhabi a shot off the lead after 54 holes but stumbled to a T8. Last week was a disaster when he missed the cut in Dubai. We don’t hope for strong rounds for the Austrian, we expect them after his three-win last season and fight for the Race to Dubai. He’s had strong results in the desert and I fully expect him to bounce back and be in contention this week.
Abraham Ancer +2500
Returning to the Euro Tour after several quality outings on the PGA circuit has Ancer feeling confident about his chances. Last we saw him was at The American Express when a final round 63 lifted him into solo second two-shots off the pace. It was his third top-10 in four starts that also included a T4 at the WGC-HSBC Champions in November. He’s debuting in Saudi Arabia, but his game is solid anywhere.
Course: Royal Greens Golf & Country Club – 7,010-yards, par-70
The course is still young after opening in April 2018. At just over 7,000 yards it’s a short track with par reduced from the normal 72 to 70 for the European Tour pros. The 569-yard fourth and the 607-yard 18th are the only par 5s, so making birdies or better on those two over the course of the week will be critical in determining a champion. There are a few man-made water hazards with several lakes coming into play on five holes and a few holes play along the coast of the Red Sea. Designers worked in a gently rolling effect, but the layout is for the most part typical of Middle Eastern courses. Situated on the coast of the Red Sea wind gusts are always a factor.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel
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