DP World Tour Championship betting tips and preview
The European Tour season finale is here. Who is our resident betting expert Keel Timmins backing for glory in Dubai?
Venue: Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Date: November 15-18, 2018
Course stats: Par 72, 7,675 yards
Purse: $8 million (£6.2m)
Defending champion: Jon Rahm (-19)
TV coverage
Thursday: Sky Sports Golf – from 7am
Friday: Sky Sports Golf – from 7am
Saturday: Sky Sports Golf – from 7am
Sunday: Sky Sports Golf – from 6.30am
DP World Tour Championship preview
With no sign of Justin Rose, Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood go head to head in the battle for the Race to Dubai and the Harry Vardon Trophy in the season finale at the DP World Tour Championship this week.
The Italian has a fairly comfortable cushion at the top of the standings, but Fleetwood can topple his Ryder Cup partner and land consecutive Race to Dubai titles by winning the tournament with Molinari finishing worse than a share of 5th with one other player.
Played on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, the tournament has often played into the hands of the classy players. Rory McIlroy and Henrik Stenson have two titles apiece, while Jon Rahm won on his course debut 12 months ago.
While all eyes will be on ‘Moliwood‘, McIlroy and Sergio Garcia headline the field, while there are also starts for the United States duo of Xander Schauffele and Patrick Reed.
DP World Tour Championship betting tips
At the top of the betting, Rory McIlroy could be tough to beat on one of his all-time favourite layouts. A double-figure price about the Northern Irishman is entirely fair, but I’m going to give him a swerve after two underwhelming recent performances in China and South Africa.
So instead, I’m happy to get Henrik Stenson (25/1, 5 places) on board, with the Swede gunning for his third title here at Jumeirah.
The 42-year-old is making his first start since winning all three of his matches at the Ryder Cup, and after a good bit of time out of the sport, Stenson can add to his trophy collection while playing under very little pressure and expectation.
His record on the Earth Course is very good: two wins and two other top 10s in his last five starts here evidence that this lengthy layout, which undoubtedly suits premium ball strikers, is right up his street.
So with Stenson as a top pick for our tipster, where does he think you can make some real profit? Find out his two outsiders for Dubai glory on the next page…
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.
