The European Tour’s swing through the Arabian Peninsula concludes this week in Saudi Arabia with the second playing of the Saudi International at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club. You may not be a fan of its track record on human rights, but Saudi Arabia has embraced the game of golf and is paying large sums of money to attract the biggest names in the sport. They got the best this week with World No. 1 Brooks Koepka scheduled to peg it up alongside OWGR No. 5 and defending champion Dustin Johnson. Not surprisingly those two sit at the top of the odds board. A strong field allows for a number of intriguing tournament matchups and we’ll have a look at some of them. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of tournament matchup betting odds and to place your wager.
Saudi International Matchup Odds at BookMaker.eu
Sam Horsfield -117 vs. Renato Paratore -113
Jhonattan Vegas -124 vs. Andy Sullivan -106
Jordan Smith -120 vs. Ross Fisher -110
Joost Luiten -132 vs. Haotong Li +102
Romain Langasque -134 vs. Lucas Herbert +104
Gavin Green +120 vs. Paul Waring -150
Thomas Detry -127 vs. Lee Westwood -103
Dustin Johnson -140 vs. Brooks Koepka +110
Phil Mickelson +117 vs. Matt Wallace -147
Shane Lowry -129 vs. Tom Lewis -101
Erik Van Rooyen +110 vs. Matthias Schwab -140
Shane Lowry -125 vs. Abraham Ancer -104
Min Woo Lee +108 vs. Christiaan Bezuidenhout -138
Ian Poulter -128 vs. Adri Arnaus -102
Robert MacIntyre -115 vs. Thomas Pieters -115
Sergio Garcia -140 vs. Henrik Stenson +110
Dustin Johnson -170 vs. Patrick Reed +135
Abraham Ancer -120 vs. Tom Lewis -110
Marcus Kinhult -121 vs. Ryan Fox -109
Martin Kaymer -126 vs. Bernd Wiesberger -104
Brooks Koepka -145 vs. Patrick Reed +115
Victor Perez -121 vs. Henrik Stenson -109
Victor Perez +100 vs. Sergio Garcia -130
Jazz Janewattananond -114 vs. Graeme McDowell -116
Rafael Cabrera Bello -115 vs. Mike Lorenzo Vera -115
Need to Know
After a slight delay the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club finally opened in April 2018 and will serve as host for the second straight year. Some reconfiguring on several holes reduced par to 70 and it measures at 7,010 yards, making it one of the shorter tracks on Tour. There are only two par-5s and the greens on both are reachable in two, making those holes important for scoring. Lakes come into play on few holes and there are large bunkers in place that can be hazardous. There is a stretch that runs along the coast of the Red Sea, which provides a natural wind hazard. Designers worked in a gently rolling effect, but the layout is typical of Middle Eastern courses. I thought we were playing pick the losers last week and I went 4-1. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case and my one victory set me back a few shekels. I’ll do my best this week to not only regain my confidence, but yours too.
Saudi International Matchup Picks
Abraham Ancer -104 vs. Shane Lowry
It won’t be easy beating Lowry in this matchup, but Ancer comes in riding a wave of good form after several quality finishes on the PGA Tour. His last start ended with a 63 that pushed him up the leaderboard into solo second at The American Express, just two shots off the pace. It was his third top-10 in his last four PGA Tour starts and he returns to the Euro circuit feeling good about his game. He’s debuting in Saudi Arabia but so is Lowry, so that’s a wash.
Victor Perez -121 vs. Henrik Stenson
Perez had a nice run to close last season and started 2020 on a roll. His final round meltdown in Dubai last week aside I still like his form and his chances to triumph over a slumping Stenson. A win at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship was one of three top-4s in six events, and he opened the year with a T2 in Abu Dhabi. A 79 on Sunday cost him from a chance at winning in Dubai, but his form on desert courses is solid over his career evidenced by a T13 here last year.
Bernd Wiesberger -104 vs. Martin Kaymer
Wiesberger was good to me last season so I’m not giving up on him after he missed the cut last week. It’s been a strange start to the year for the Austrian, who strung three solid numbers together in Abu Dhabi before fading to a T8 with a final round 72. The mess last week just added to the concerns over his game. Again, it’s too early to give up and I like Wiesberger’s comeback mentality. He has to work back from his MC last week and here last year, and I’m banking on it.
Min Woo Lee +108 vs. Christiaan Bezuidenhout
He’s just a youngster on the Tour and he’s already achieved so much. And Lee returns to a venue he navigated brilliantly last season. One of the brightest young players on the Euro circuit, Lee has four top-15 showings in his last six worldwide starts, and he tamed Royal Greens last year with a pair of 63s over the weekend to secure a solo fourth. I had to go after a plus-odds player in my picks and Lee just stood out.
Brooks Koepka -145 vs. Patrick Reed
The odds for DJ were too short in his matchups so I went with the next two notable players; I couldn’t pass on a pair of Americans teeing up in Saudi Arabia. Reed has been on a major heater for months, but he struggled here last year. Koepka, meanwhile, is working his way back to form after knee surgery. Brooks is still No. 1 in the World and he needs to start playing like it to maintain his status. He’ll have added motivation from Kobe this week leading to a matchup victory.
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