Golf betting tips and predictions for the Abu Dhabi Championship
RORY MCILROY has the chance to erase a rare blot on his record this week, and clinch the European money list for a sixth time with a week to spare.
If McIlroy finally wins the Abu Dhabi Championship he will take an unassailable lead going into the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, and will equal Seve Ballesteros as a six time European champion.
It might not even take a victory in Abu Dhabi for the Northern Irishman to sew things up, depending on where nearest rivals Thriston Lawrence and Ramus Hojgaard finish.
A near-miss could be enough – which should be reassuring for McIlroy considering he has racked up three runner-up finishes and four thirds in Abu Dhabi without actually winning!
He will be determined to do it in style with a long-overdue victory here – and if you are willing to take 5-1 on him getting over the line, you are pretty much guaranteed a good run for your money.
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Golf tips
It needs to be pointed out though that all of Rory’s close things in this event came at the Abu Dhabi golf club, which was replaced as the host venue by Yas Links two years ago.
McIlroy finished 12th at Yas in 2022, and did not play here last year. It is a quirky course, another one of those unsuccessful attempts to manufacture a links course on ground that is not really suited to the purpose.
Tyrrell Hatton memorably said he’d like to “drop a bomb” on the par five finishing hole after taking a seven and a nine there in 2022 – before making a birdie in the final round on his way to a share of sixth.
Hatton returned last year and finished joint seventh after closing with a brilliant 65. He is back for more this time – and at 13-2 he could be the player to deny McIlroy that eagerly-awaited victory.
Hatton’s third Dunhill Links triumph a few weeks ago showed he is as hungry as ever, despite accepting a multi-million offer from LIV at the start of the year.
Adam Scott showed a liking for this course with a top ten finish in 2022, only a shot behind Hatton despite a poor final round. At 25-1, the veteran Aussie looks a decent each way bet.
Sebastian Soderberg and Min Woo Lee finished joint runners-up here last year behind Viktor Perez – who is too far down the money list to earn the right to defend his title in what is now an elite, 70-man, no cut event.
Lee is brilliant on his day, but the 25-1 shot has not had many of those days recently. At 70-1 Soderberg looks a more attractive proposition to reproduce last year’s form.
Shubhankar Sharma also has the course form to suggest his 110-1 quote is pretty generous – he finished second two years ago and was seventh in 2023 – while Andalucia Masters runner-up Jorge Campillo deserves respect at 66-1.
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The PGA Tour’s offering this week, the World Wide Technology shoot-out in Mexico, is desperately short on star quality, with rookie Max Greyserman heading the market at 16-1.
Greyserman’s share of second place at the Zozo in Japan a couple of weeks ago was his third runner-up finish of the year, and he has climbed to 40th in the world rankings. So he is a worthy favourite in this company.
But could this be the week when 2022 Open runner-up Cameron Young finally gets that elusive first PGA Tour victory? At 22-1, it might be worth backing him to shed the bridesmaid tag.
Harris English has been knocking on the door and can be backed at 25-1, while Cameron Champ makes most appeal of the outsiders at around 80-1.
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