It was a similar story in Adelaide for my betting column. Anirban Lahiri crept into the places at 66/1, which you can’t grumble at, I suppose.
Jon Rahm finished in the top 10 again. His form is good this year, but I am going to follow a different route this week on the Fanling course in Hong Kong.
This historic venue has hosted the Hong Kong Open since 1959, featuring winners such as Greg Norman, Rory McIlroy, Peter Thomson, Ian Woosnam, Tom Watson, Jose Maria Olazabal, Padraig Harrington, Bernhard Langer, Justin Rose and Colin Montgomerie.
Abraham Ancer won the event in a playoff against Paul Casey and Cameron Smith last season and although 2025 is a new year, the form from last year’s event will help to guide my column, as well as what I’ve seen from the LIV roster this season.
Let’s dive in.
LIV Golf Hong Kong Betting Tips
Venue: Hong Kong Golf Club (Fanling), Hong Kong
Date: March 7-9, 2025
Course stats: Par 70, 6,711 yards
Defending champion: Abraham Ancer (-13)
ALSO: LIV Golf Hong Kong Preview 2025
Joaquin Niemann @ 15/2
Like Jon Rahm, Joaquin Niemann has stamped his authority on the LIV Golf League since the first day he walked through the doors. The Chilean won in Adelaide last time out, making that his third win on the circuit and part of this is down to his tee-to-green play.
He is ninth in driving distance in LIV Golf and top of greens in regulation. In terms of Data Golf, Niemann ranks high when compared with PGA Tour players as well. He gained over a shot off the tee and on the greens in Adelaide, which led to his three-shot victory.
Niemann ticks many boxes both in the numbers and on the eye. With LIV Golf events, there is a certain pool of players you feel will always challenge at the top of the leaderboard. Rahm is one of them, Niemann is another, Tyrrell Hatton always scores well, and then you might throw in Bryson DeChambeau too.
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All three of Niemann’s LIV wins have come in the first three months of the year. Some players peak at certain points of the year, like Scottie Scheffler who just seems to dominate the first quarter of the golf season, and Niemann’s victories also show a similar trend.
Cameron Smith @ 16/1
Cameron Smith played solidly at Hong Kong Golf Club last year. He carded rounds of 67, 64 and 66 to make the playoff with Ancer and Casey. He gained well over a shot on the greens against the field that week, which is typical of his majestic short game.
Smith also came second at the Hong Kong Open in 2023, shooting scores of 63, 66, 65 and 68 to finish behind Ben Campbell. The former Open champion has great form at this golf course, so it might well be this week when Smith’s 2025 season finally kicks off.
He’s tied for seventh in scrambling and second in putting so far in the LIV Golf season, despite not catching fire with his general form. There is certainly room for improvement after finishes of 25th and 30th this season, but Smith possesses the quality to win at any time.
We are entering the run-in to the Masters, a tournament that Smith has a great record in. He has finished in the top six four times since 2018 at Augusta National, so there is no doubt Smith will want to peak for the first major of the season.
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Richard Bland @ 50/1
Richard Bland’s season kicked off in the second event of the year in Adelaide. He came outright fifth, five shots behind runaway winner Joaquin Niemann. Bland is third in fairways hit and tied for 10th in putting so far, so the Englishman is still ageing like a fine wine in the golf world.
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Bland has a little bit of history at Hong Kong Golf Club. He came tied for 15th at the Hong Kong Open in 2014 and in 2024, he came tied for eighth at LIV’s first event on the Fanling course. He gained over two shots in approaching the green at the tournament last year. This isn’t a wealth of form to go on, but Bland has proven he can play well at this venue.
The 52-year-old continues to be one of the most consistent performers on the LIV Golf circuit. He came in the top 15 of the 54-man leaderboards nine times in 2024, form many players would’ve bit his hand off for while battling to keep their team spots for this season.
Bland is yet to win since moving to LIV Golf in 2022 and at 50/1, there is obviously reason to think he won’t be at the top of the podium on Sunday. But I wouldn’t be shocked if he was, or if he placed, at a golf course where he has shown solid form in the past.
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