Mauritius Open betting tips and preview
The European Tour heads to the exotic Indian Ocean island this week. Our tipster Keel Timmins previews the action
Venue: Four Seasons Golf Club at Anahita
Date: November 29-December 2, 2018
Course stats: Par 72, 7,401 yards
Purse: €1 million (£884,000)
Defending champion: Dylan Frittelli (-16)
TV coverage
Thursday: Sky Sports Golf – from 8.30am
Friday: Sky Sports Golf – from 8.30am
Saturday: Sky Sports Golf – from 7.30am
Sunday: Sky Sports Golf – from 7.30am
Mauritius Open preview
The European, Asian and Sunshine tours all come together this week in the spectacular setting of Mauritius – an island nation in the Indian Ocean, 700 miles off the east coast of Madagascar.
Four Seasons Golf Club at Anahita is the host, an Ernie Els design which was last used for this tournament two years ago. Jeung-Hun Wang ran out the winner that year, in the process securing his second European Tour title in as many weeks.
The course played brutal back then, with only Wang and Siddikur Rahman shooting unde par across the four days due to windy conditions. The course is set to get battered by rain over the coming days, and with forecasted light winds from Thursday to Sunday, expect scoring to be much easier this time around.
Mauritius Open betting tips
Perhaps surprisingly, a half decent field has turned up for what is one of the lower-grade events of the season. Last year’s winner Dylan Frittelli leads the way at the top of the betting, with Jordan Smith following close behind. Bernd Wiesberger makes his first start since April after taking a lengthy break due to a wrist injury, while there’s also a start for Ernie Els on the course that he designed.
It’s difficult to draw much from the 2016 tournament because of the wildly contrasting conditions, but the fairways are forgiving so surely this is going to suit someone that can get it out there a good distance off the tee and make plenty of birdies, particularly with sodden fairways expected.
Nicolas Colsaerts (28/1, 6 places) fits the bill perfectly, and the Belgian rates as the best bet from the market leaders.
The 36-year-old is known as one of the longest players on tour, and last week in Hong Kong he hit the second most greens in the field, which is interesting given that Hong Kong Golf Club is perhaps the tightest track that the players face all year.
Colsaerts will be able to open up his shoulders from the tee boxes here at Four Seasons and, if the wind does get up at all during the week, he’s one of the few players in this field that is capable of flighting the ball low – it’s just one of the many reasons why Colsaerts holds a strong links record.
That’s our betting expert’s top tip – but where does he really think you can make some profit? He has four more names for you 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.
