The European Tour remains in the UAE for the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in a field shorn of two of the biggest stars from last week – Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas – although US PGA champion Collin Morikawa will be making his debut. 

Tyrrell Hatton closed with a superb 66 on Sunday to win the Abu Dhabi Championship by four shots from Jason Scrivener and the Englishman is a worthy 7/1 favourite to go back-to-back.

Lucas Herbert is the defending champion after coming off the pace in windy conditions to win his first title in a play-off with Christiaan Bezuidenhout 12 months ago and the latter kicks off our tips from the par-72 Emirates Golf Club.

Tournament information

When is the Omega Dubai Deseert Classic? Thursday-Sunday, January 28-31

What time does the US Masters start? 03:10

Where is it being played? Emirates GC, Dubai

Which channel is the US Open on? Sky Sports

Omega Dubai Desert Classic betting tips

Bezuidenhout is one of two South Africans in this week’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic tips and his performance last week suggests he can go well again.

The 26-year-old is in the form of his life having secured back-to-back victories at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the South African Open last month which he immediately followed with 14th on his debut at the end-of-season DP World Tour Championship.

Also of significance was his performance in Abu Dhabi where he was eighth heading into the final round and looked ready to make a charge after making birdie at the long second but 16 subsequent pars meant he had to settle for 12th place.

The Emirates is a course which undoubtedly favours long hitters, but approach and putting are also important, areas which should give Bezuidenhout a chance of contending.

The world number 35 was third for strokes gained approach last week and he finished the 2020 season in fourth for SG: putting, but surprisingly his flat stick let him down in Abu Dhabi.

Bezuidenhout has set his sights on earning a PGA Tour card this year and after a decent start to 2021 he can take a major step towards his goal as the first of our Dubai Desert Classic tips at 22/1.

 

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Adri Arnaus finished in the same position as Bezuidenhout in Abu Dhabi but is probably better value to win at twice the price.

The 26-year-old Spaniard was 11th and 15th respectively for strokes gained in putting and approach, plus he was in the top 40 for driving distance at just under 310 yards on average so he has the skills to tame this course.

The Catalan finished inside the top 30 on his 2019 debut but 12 months ago was third, just two shots behind the leaders in tricky conditions and interestingly at a place where the rough is not particularly penal he was sixth in driving distance.

This week’s forecast is benign so it will be interesting to see how he fares without wind, but he has made a decent start to the season and should be in the mix on Sunday.

George Coetzee also looked in decent nick last week and had he birdied the par-five 18th as he had done all week he would have finished in a tie for seventh, but a par meant he finished just outside the top 10.

 

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The South African drove the ball reasonably well and his exceptional putting made up for so-so approach play, so if he can get closer to the flag he should be in with a shout at a venue where admittedly he has missed the cut twice in his last three appearances but finished fifth and seventh in the last nine years. 

Last year he won the Portugal Masters, a tournament which correlates nicely with players who perform well in Dubai, so we’ll take a chance on another big week for Coetzee at 80/1.

Finally, we’ll throw a dart on the prospects of Nacho Elvira at 200/1 as the last of our Dubai Desert Classic betting tips after a promising start to the season.

 

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The Spaniard was tied for third at the halfway stage but was undone by a disappointing Saturday when he bogeyed three of the last four holes on his way to ending the week in a tie for 16th which was where he finished in Dubai last year.

Elvira was solid on the greens (15th SG: putting) and approach (27th), and although his driving was a bit wayward at times there will be more room off the tee this week to give him chances. 

It has been a case of feast or famine for Elvira at this course with four missed cuts in six appearances, but he was 11th in 2017 so if we add to last year’s showing and his performance in Abu Dhabi to the equation he looks a lively outsider.

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