Oman Open betting tips
Oman Open betting tips: Top-tips
Joost Luiten (10/1) and Thomas Pieters are the class acts in this field and I fancy the former to put up a strong defence of the title he won last year.
The Dutchman has begun the season in fine form – finishing third in Abu Dhabi, top six in Saudia Arabia and doing his ever expanding bank balance no harm with a final round 64 in Mexico to reach the top 10.
It’s a bit of an ask to jet across from South America to the Middle East but Luiten had a couple of weeks off after his Saudi excursion so should still be relatively fresh.
A double-digit price, in this kind of form and considering what he has recently achieved in much greater company, feels an attractive combination.
Not much has happened for Paul Dunne since winning the British Masters at Close House in 2017 but there are signs he is making his way back to form.
The Irishman carded a top 20 finish at the Vic Open and then got all the way to the semi-finals at the Super 6s before falling to eventual winner Ryan Fox.
He’s not played here before but that’s a trait he shares with a chunk of the field and I’ll take a chance, at 40/1, that it suits his eye.
Alexander Levy (28/1) was in the frame last year but couldn’t bridge the gap to Luiten and finished five shots behind in fourth.
The Frenchman finished fifth in Saudia Arabia a couple of weeks ago – with rounds of 69, 65, 67 and 65 – and should have every chance on his return to the Middle East.
He has already overcome sickness and niggling injury already this season, which makes his performance last time out all the more impressive.
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Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
