The top 50 players in the Race to Dubai are primed and ready to go for the DP World Tour’s finale.
Rory McIlroy may have already won the Race to Dubai for the fifth time in his career, but there’s still much at stake at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
Jon Rahm is back to defend the title he won for a third time in 2022, headlining a super field that also includes Min Woo Lee, Robert MacIntyre, Viktor Hovland, Shane Lowry, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick.
But who will win? Where is the value? We’ve picked out some betting tips for this week’s action.
DP World Tour Championship betting tips
Venue: Jumeirah Golf Estates, Earth Course, Dubai
Date: November 16-19, 2023
Course stats: Par 72, 7,706 yards
Defending champion: Jon Rahm (-20)
The banker: Viktor Hovland @ 5/1 with Bet365
A boring pick perhaps, but can you see Viktor Hovland outside of the top five in this 50-man field?
The young Norwegian is the FedEx Cup champion and the Memorial winner of 2023 and made nine top-10s in the 23 cuts on the PGA Tour (he didn’t miss a cut either).
Hovland won the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic at the start of 2022, having come tied for fourth in Abu Dhabi the week before.
Although he is a short price, you must remember this is a limited-field event and he is arguably the best player in the world right now.
He is ranked in the top 10 of strokes gained total, strokes gained from tee to green, strokes gained off the tee and total driving on the PGA Tour this year.
He almost broke through at the majors in May when he battled with Brooks Koepka at the PGA Championship at Oakhill.
He has also won the Hero World Challenge twice, the event that Tiger Woods hosts each year in the Bahamas. The 26-year-old clearly maintains his A-game during this part of the calendar.
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The next best: Matt Fitzpatrick @ 12/1 with Bet365
To begin with, Matt Fitzpatrick has a superb record in this part of the world.
He won the DP World Tour Championship in 2016 and 2020, beating both Tyrrell Hatton and Lee Westwood by a stroke.
You can count on the Englishman being in the mix this week, dropping birdies among the rest of the European superstars.
The World No.7 shouldn’t be taken lightly when up against the likes of McIlroy, Rahm and Hovland. He made 11 top-25s in 23 events in America, including a memorable playoff win over Jordan Spieth at the RBC Heritage.
He was one of the best putters on the PGA Tour in 2023 and was ranked 20th in strokes gained in total.
Fitzpatrick also came tied for ninth at the Tour Championship in August, rubberstamping his place as one of the world’s best performers.
12/1 seems a very generous price for a player with such a good record in this event.
The long shot: Dan Bradbury @ 125/1 with Bet365
Dan Bradbury is hitting form on the DP World Tour.
He finished tied for 6th at the acciona Open de Espana, followed by a tied-for-13th finish at the Estrella Damn N.A. Andalucia Masters.
The man from Wakefield Golf Club mixed it with Max Homa and Justin Thomas at the Nedbank Golf Challenge by coming outright 5th in South Africa last week.
It was around this point last year when Bradbury burst on to the scene by winning the Joburg Open, and he should’ve finished better than tied for 28th at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic back in January while playing with McIlroy.
As you can see throughout this betting column, there’s a theme of players finding their game at the back end of the year, which I believe to be crucial. And Bradbury has proven this.
He is at huge odds, which suggests he mightn’t have a huge chance. But you can still find eight places with Bet365, at a slightly shorter price of 80/1, but this is still generous.
Fancy a punt on this week’s action? Take a look at the latest odds with Bet365
NOW READ: ‘Complete rage!’: Rory McIlroy reveals details of Ryder Cup caddie bust-up
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