It is shorts weather for the world’s best golfers on both major Tours this week, with the action divided between Hawaii and Dubai.
Rory McIlroy heads the field for the DP World Tour’s first event of 2024, the Dubai Invitational – and is a red hot favourite at a best priced 3-1.
While the PGA Tour moves from the Big Island to Maui for the Sony Open, with just under forty of the players who teed it up at The Sentry last week in action again.
They usually have a big advantage over the rest of the Sony field, as 2023 champion Si Woo Kim was only the second winner in the last ten years who did not enjoy the benefit of an outing the previous week.
The Sentry contingent looks far stronger than in previous years so normal service is likely to be resumed. Taking that into account, the best bets are likely to be found in Hawaii.
Here are five easy steps for beginners.
1. Choose Your Favourite Sportsbook – there are plenty to choose from and most have their own app or mobile site.
2. Make a Deposit – each sportsbook will walk you through how to connect your bank account to their system including providing a list of all the safeguards they have set up to ensure the safety of your transactions.
3. Claim Your Bonuses – most sportsbooks offers bonuses to first time bettors in the form of free bets.
4. Place Your Bet – now it’s time to navigate through your sportsbook’s odds where they will offer a variety of options including outright winners, or top finishing positions, such as top 10 or 20, or even to make the cut. For the event this week each way odds are generally paid on the top eight players.
5. Collect Your Winnings – If you’re successful you will be able to withdraw your winnings once the bet is complete. Some bookmakers offer cashout options on certain bets as well, which is worth keeping an eye on.
Lots of bookmakers have different options for betting on the golf this week, including competitive odds and different place markets.
We like the markets on bet365, including the price boosts on offer pre-event.
This week you can get Rory McIlroy to lead after round one and win the event at 9/1, Tommy Fleetwood at 8/1 and a top 10 treble for the Sony of Ludvig Aberg, Matt Fitzpatrick and Tyrrell Hatton at 30.68/1.
Let’s have a look at the golfers hoping to prevent McIlroy making a winning start to the year at Dubai Creek.
The nearest players to him in the betting are Ryder Cup team-mates Tommy Fleetwood and Nicolai Hojgaard, who can be backed at 8-1 and 12-1 respectively.
Hojgaard’s odds look pretty attractive, especially as he followed up his European debut by running out an impressive winner of the DP World Tour Championship just down the road a couple of months ago.
That came on the back of a runner-up finish in South Africa. So at these odds, I would rather rely on Hojgaard than McIlroy, who is likely to be more focussed on the more prestigious Hero Desert Classic next week.
Hojgaard does not have the luxury of cherry picking his targets, and with just sixty players in action – playing a 54 hole Pro-Am before going it alone on Sunday – this may not take a lot of winning.
There are plenty of bookmakers offering six places despite the small field. The pick of the each way bets could be Pablo Larrazabal, at around 90-1.
The Spaniard is not the most consistent golfer, but when he finds a course he likes, he takes a lot of stopping. He won twice in the first half of 2023, and I’m sure he will add to his tally this year.
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Concentrating on the PGA Tour golfers who shook off the rust last week brings in defending Sony champion Si Woo Kim.
But his share of 25th last week continued a miserable run of form in the last six months, where he has not looked like contending.
The 33-1 on offer for him to retain his titles looks less than generous – but the odds on a Chris Kirk double look a lot more appealing.
Kirk’s successful battle against alcoholism seems to have given him great perspective, and his victory over a star-studded field last week was a hugely popular outcome.
He is 28-1 to complete the Hawaii double – not bad for an in-form player who was third in the Sony a year ago, and has also been runner-up here twice.
He deserves to be the top pick in a market dominated by European stars Ludvig Aberg, Matt Fitzpatrick and Tyrrell Hatton, and Open champion Brian Harman, who finished in a tie for fifth last week.
But Harman has not shown much in his previous visits to Maui, while I am reluctant to take short odds on the European trio, given their lack of familiarity with the course.
I prefer the prospects of 30-1 shot Sahith Theegala, runner-up to Kirk last week, and Ben An, who was a close fourth at The Sentry.
An’s excellent effort last week followed a runner-up finish and a third place in his previous five starts. So he is in much better form than when he finished in a share of 12th here last year.
Nicoi Echavarria was one of the players who finished on the same mark as An last year, and the improving Colombian went on to open his PGA Tour account in Puerto Rico.
A tie for 25th last week was not too shabby, and at 250-1 Echavarria could reward each way backers.
His countryman, Camilo Villegas, has a win and a second place in his last four starts, and he also looks decent value at 150-1. Together, they present a dangerous Colombian cartel…
And although Erik van Rooyen failed to justify each way support last week, he could be worth another chance at 90-1.
The South African faced an impossible task after an opening 72 on a course giving up tons of low scores, but he played the next three rounds in twenty under par. Fingers crossed for a decent start this time.
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