GOLF EUROPEAN ARTICLES

A prize pool of $3 million dollars has attracted a number of big names to Dubai this week for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. World No. 1 Dustin Johnson leads the field and he is joined by other top players including Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson, Matt Kuchar and last year’s Race to Dubai winner Tommy Fleetwood. We are coming off a tough week with the matchup picks at the BMW SA Open, so we’ll look to turn things around this week. Let’s look at the odds and picks for this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.... 

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.... 

The European Tour gets back into action this week with the BMW SA Open in South Africa where Branden Grace is listed as the favorite. Grace and Charl Schwartzel are the top betting choices, as Grace is +625, while Schwartzel is +750. No other golfer is listed with odds of less than +1700. We are coming off a successful 2017 with the matchup picks and we’ll look to continue the success in 2018. Let’s look at the odds and picks for this week’s BMW SA Open.... 

The winter break is over for the European Tour, as players get back into action this week in South Africa. It is a top-heavy field in the BMW SA Open, with Branden Grace and Charl Schwartzel the clear favorites. Grace is listed at odds of +600, while Schwartel is +650. Only one other golfer is listed at odds of less than +2350 and that is Dylan Frittelli at odds of +1650. Let’s look at the tournament and predictions.... 

Louis Oosthuizen leads the field for the Joburg Open, the last event for the European Tour until January. South Africans have dominated their home tournament through the years, winning eight of the 11 events. Oosthuizen is listed as the favorite with odds of +535, while Dylan Frittelli is the second choice at odds of +850. We are coming off a 3-2 week with the matchup picks at the Australian PGA Championship. Let’s look at the odds and picks for this week’s Joburg Open.... 

The last event on the European Tour schedule for the 2017 calendar year is the Joburg Open in South Africa. Louis Oosthuizen is listed as the favorite to win the fourth event of the 2018 Race to Dubai at odds of +550. Only four players are listed with odds of less than +2250, as Dylan Frittelli is +850, George Coetzee is listed at odds of +1250, while Paul Peterson is +1850. Let’s look at the event and predictions.... 

Sergio Garcia and Marc Leishman headline the field for the Australian PGA Championship. They are listed as co-favorites at odds of +750, while Adam Scott is the third choice at odds of +850. It is a very top-heavy field this week, as only ten players are listed with odds of less than +4000. We are coming off a 2-3 week with the matchup picks at the UBS Hong Kong Open. Let’s look at the odds and picks for this week’s Australian PGA Championship.... 

The Australian PGA Championship may be going under the radar a bit this week because of the Hero World Challenge, which features the return of Tiger Woods. There are a few big names that will be competing in Australia, as Marc Leishman, Sergio Garcia and Adam Scott will be in action. Leishman is listed as the favorite at odds of +650, while Garcia is the second choice at +750 and Scott is the co-third choice at odds of +850. Let’s look at the event and predictions.... 

Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia lead the field for the UBS Hong Kong Open, which begins on Thursday. The European Tour 2017 season just wrapped up with last week’s DP World Tour Championship and now the 2018 season gets underway this week. It is a top-heavy field this week, with Rose, Garcia and Matthew Fitzpatrick the clear top three choices. We are coming off a 1-2-1 with the matchup picks at the DP World Tour Championship. Let’s look at the odds and picks for this week’s UBS Hong Kong Open.... 

There is no rest for European Tour players, as one week after the Race to Dubai Championship was decided, the new season begins. The first event for the 2018 season is the UBS Hong Kong Open and some big names have chosen to stay in action this week. Justin Rose is listed as the +450 favorite, while Sergio Garcia is the second choice at odds of +650. Matthew Fitzpatrick is the third choice in the betting at +1050, while last season’s Race to Dubai winner, Tommy Fleetwood is the fourth choice at +1350.... 

The Race to Dubai concludes this week with the DP World Tour Championship, as three players battle it out for the title. Tommy Fleetwood leads the rankings, but Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia still have a chance. Fleetwood will win the championship if Rose doesn’t finish in the top five and Garcia doesn’t win. Rose can take the title by winning or finishing second if Fleetwood doesn’t win, while Garcia needs to win and then needs Rose to finish fourth or worse and Fleetwood to finish outside of the top 20. We are coming off a 2-2-2 with the matchup picks at the Nedbank Challenge. Let’s look at the odds and picks for this week’s DP World Tour Championship.... 

The final event of the European Tour season is the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. Tommy Fleetwood leads the standings, but Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia still have a chance to win the championship. Both Rose and Garcia are in excellent form, as Garcia won in Spain in his last event, while Rose won in China and in Turkey before taking last week off. Rose is the favorite to win this week’s tournament in Dubai at odds of +650, while Garcia is the second choice at odds of +1150.... 

World No. 10 Rickie Fowler is favored to win this week’s OHL Classic at Mayakoba. Fowler has not been in action since playing in the Presidents Cup but oddsmakers have him as the top choice at +926. Defending champion Pat Perez is the second choice in the betting at +1601, while Gary Woodland is the third choice at +1978. We’ll look to bounce back strong after struggling with last week’s matchup picks. Let’s look at the odds and picks for this week’s OHL Classic at Mayakoba.... 

The last chance for golfers to make up ground before next week’s DP World Tour Championship in Dubai is the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa. Tyrrell Hatton has a chance to move up, as the three of the top four in the standings, Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia and Jon Rahm are all taking the week off. Hatton is the top choice to win in South Africa at odds of +1350, while Branden Grace, Louis Oosthuizen and Ross Fisher are the co-second choice at odds of +1650. Let’s look at this event, odds and predictions.... 

Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose are co-favorites to win this week’s Turkish Airlines Open. Just three tournaments remain in the 2017 European Tour season, with Tommy Fleetwood leading the Race to Dubai standings. 13 of the top 20 in the standings are in the field for this week’s Turkish Airlines Open. We are coming off a 2-2 week at the WGC-HSBC Champions. Let’s look at the matchups and picks for this week’s Turkish Airlines Open.... 

Most of the top players in The Race to Dubai Rankings are in the field this week for the Turkish Airlines Open. Tommy Fleetwood leads the rankings, but he is not the favorite for this tournament in Turkey, as Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose are listed as co-favorites at odds of +750. Rose is coming off a win last week in China to move up to third place in the rankings behind Fleetwood and Sergio Garcia. Let’s look at this event, odds and predictions.... 

Five of the world’s top ten golfers are in the field for this week’s WGC-HSBC Champions in China, led by World No. 1 Dustin Johnson. He is listed as the favorite at +825, while World No. 4 Hideki Matsuyama is the second choice at golf odds of +1215. We are coming off a 3-2 week with the picks at the Andalucia Valderrama Masters. Let’s look at the matchups and picks for this week’s WGC-HSBC Champions.... 

Dustin Johnson leads a strong field for the WGC-HSBC Champions, which begins on Thursday in China. Johnson is ranked No. 1 in the world and he won this event in 2013, but he hasn’t finished in the top 15 in a tournament since he won The Northern Trust in August. Johnson is listed at odds of +850, while Hideki Matsuyama is the second choice in the betting odds at +1050. Let’s look at this event, odds and predictions.... 

Spaniards Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia will get much of the attention from fans in Spain this week in the Andalucia Valderrama Masters, which begins on Thursday. Rahm and Garcia are also the two betting favorites, with Rahm listed at +505, while Garcia is listed at +565. There is a big drop to the third choice in the betting, as Shane Lowry is listed at +1452. We are coming off a 3-2 week with the picks at the Italian Masters. Let’s look at the matchups and picks for this week’s Andalucia Valderrama Masters.... 

Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia are co-favorites to win the Andalucia Valderrama Masters, which begins on Thursday in Spain. It is a very top-heavy field, as Rahm and Garcia are listed at +550 and then it drops to Shane Lowry, who is the third betting choice at +1450. Looking further, it is even more top-heavy as Soren Kjeldsen, Martin Kaymer and Joost Luiten are the only other golfers listed at odds of less than +4050. Let’s look at this event, odds and predictions.... 

Jon Rahm leads the field for the Italian Open, which begins on Thursday. Rahm is a solid favorite to win this event but he should get some competition, as many of Europe’s top players are in the field. 14 of the top 20 in the Race to Dubai standings are expected to compete. We’ll look to improve upon last week’s 2-3 record in the matchups, as we have five plays this week, including two underdogs. Let’s look at the odds and picks for this week’s Italian Open.... 

Seven of the top ten in the Race to Dubai rankings are in the field for the Italian Open, which begins on Thursday at Golf Club Milano. Tommy Fleetwood leads the Race to Dubai but he is not the favorite this week, as Jon Rahm is the solid favorite at odds of +650, while Sergio Garcia is the second choice at odds of +1550. Francesco Molinari and Tyrrell Hatton are co-third choices at +1650, while Fleetwood and Alex Noren are next at +2250. Let’s look at this event, odds and predictions.... 

Rory McIlroy leads the field for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship that is played at the Old Course St. Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns. There are just four events remaining until the Race to Dubai Final Series. Unlike last week’s British Masters, where the weather was favorable, conditions in Scotland should be more challenging, with wind and rain in the forecast. The winning streak ended last week, as we went 1-3 in the British Masters. Let’s look at the matchups and picks for this week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.... 

Rory McIlroy is a solid favorite to win the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, which begins on Thursday in Scotland. It is links golf this week, as the action is held at St Andrews Old Course, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns. McIlroy has been struggling with an injury but he played well last week at the British Masters, finishing second. McIlroy is the top betting choice this week at +550 and then there is a big gap to the next six players who are listed at +2050. Let’s look at this event, odds and predictions.... 

Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia lead the field for the British Masters, which begins on Thursday. McIlroy is listed as the favorite at odds of +800, while Garcia has been getting some late money and is now a close second choice at odds of +904. As I noted in the overall preview, I think Garcia should be listed as the favorite, as McIlroy has been playing hurt for more than a month. I went a perfect 5-0 with the matchups in last week’s Portugal Masters. Let’s look at the odds and picks for this week’s British Masters....