European Tour preview: Dubai Championship TV times and betting tips
The penultimate event of the European Tour season is here, and with it comes a few familiar faces. Paul Casey and Tommy Fleetwood make the trip, assumedly in preparation for the big one next week, and will surely have eyes on securing a valuable win. With a strong field on offer, and some interesting course form thrown into the mix, I have picked out three potential Dubai Championship champions. But first…
Dubai Championship: The details
Venue: Jumeirah Golf Estates (Fire course), Dubai, UAE
Date: November 11-14, 2020
Course stats: Par 72; 7,480 yards
Course summary: The Fire course has a linksy feel, with undulating fairways that are exposed to wind. The greens are well-protected with strategic bunkering, so finding the fairway from the tee will be important. Four par-fives, including the 18th, will surely give the longer players opportunities to play aggressive golf – and that should make for an interesting finish come Sunday.
Purse: £1,200,000
Defending champion: Antoine Rozner (-25)
Golf in Dubai Championship: TV coverage
Thursday: Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main Event from 8am
Friday: Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main Event from 8am
Saturday: Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main Event from 8am
Sunday: Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main Event from 8am
Dubai Championship: Betting tips
Bazza’s Banker: Dean Burmester @ 33/1 with bet365
Following a stunning display at the Dunhill Links a few weeks ago, Burmester appears to arrive here fresh from a short break. While the South African didn’t tee it up in the inaugural event last year, Burmester has some notable form on the sister ‘Earth’ course. With two T4 finishes and a T14 finish in recent years at the statistically harder course out of the pair, Burmester should have no trouble negotiating the demands of the ‘Fire’ course.
The venue this week appears to reward length off-the-tee, something which Burmester has in abundance. In fact, in the 2020 season, Burmester ranks 2nd for Driving Distance and 19th for SG: Tee-to-green. That will stand him in good stead for a strong challenge, and at a big price for what should be one of the favourites to take this, I can’t resist.
The Each-Way Play: Grant Forrest @ 60/1 with bet365
Forrest is another player with interesting form in this part of the world, and after a strong run of events recently I think he has a great chance. A third place finish in Madrid certainly caught my attention, and an impressive display in the wind at the Dunhill Links suggests he will cope fine with conditions.
The Scotsman was 6th in this event last year, and has consistently played well at the Dubai Desert Classic, suggesting he knows how to negotiate courses of this nature. Forrest is no slouch off-the-tee, ranking 15th for Driving Distance, and with a win earlier in the season I think he represents an interesting each-way punt.
The Long-shot: Kristoffer Broberg @ 125/1 with bet365
After a pretty barren spell for Broberg in recent years, his form seems to be peaking just in time for the tour’s grand finale. Broberg has a win and two top-12 finishes in his last five events, and while results seem disappointing during the Spanish Swing he actually played well enough. A T16 finish in Abu Dhabi at the season opener suggests he should be ok with this style of venue, and at a big price he is certainly an interesting candidate.
While not being the longest off-the-tee, Broberg certainly knows how to find the putting surface – ranking 18th for SG: Approach and 28th for SG: Tee-to-green this season. An impressive display in Portugal last time out saw him rank in the top-15 for putts-per-GIR, which is a strong improvement on season averages, so now could be a great time to be on his side as everything starts to click.
For more prices, visit bet365.
