CIMB Classic betting tips and preview
To be completely honest, there’s nothing really grabbing my attention here, but I did find the price about Ollie Schniederjans (200/1, 5 places) slightly surprising.
This 25-year-old is undoubtedly a huge talent but, to the surprise of many, he hasn’t been able to breakthrough on the PGA Tour ever since he got his card last year.
In many ways, there are parallels between Schniederjans and Thomas. Both won on the Web.com Tour and both failed to win in their debut year on the PGA Tour despite going close on a number of occasions.
Thomas then went on to get his first win in 2014 here in Malaysia in a field that was, and still is, vastly inferior to regular PGA Tour fields. In many ways, that win in 2014 kick-started his career.
Admittedly Schniederjans is now a lot older than Thomas was at the time of his breakthrough, but I can’t help but see the similarities between the two career paths.
A 23rd place finish on debut here last year won’t harm, either.
Of the non-PGA Tour members, Kiradech Aphibarnrat (80/1, 6 places) holds the most appeal.
The eccentric Thailand star has a win here at TPC Kuala Lumpur in the shape of the 2013 Maybank Malaysian Open, and he undoubtedly has better course knowledge here than almost everyone in this field.
Six of his seven starts at this course have all come on the European Tour, but in his sole start in this event in 2013 – seven months after his European Tour win – he finished third. A birdie at the par-5 18th would have seen him make a playoff with Ryan Moore and Gary Woodland.
At that price, he looks worth chancing.
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Tom Irwin
Tom is a lifetime golfer, now over 30 years playing the game. 2023 marks 10 years in golf publishing and he is still holding down a + handicap at Alwoodley in Leeds. He has played over 600 golf courses, and has been a member of at least four including his first love Louth, in Lincolnshire. Tom likes unbranded clothing, natural fibres, and pencil bags. Seacroft in Lincolnshire is where it starts and ends.
