The second leg of the European Tour’s Desert Swing takes place this week with a potent field competing for the title at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. The oldest Middle East tournament on Tour will again be contested at the majestic Emirates Golf Club, which has served as host every year since 2001 and in all but two editions since the first playing in 1989. The field is led by Tommy Fleetwood, who opened as the betting favorite at online sportsbooks. American Bryson DeChambeau is back to defend his title after running away with a 7-shot victory last year and both players are featured in tournament matchups. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of tournament matchup betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
Omega Dubai Desert Classic Matchup Odds at BookMaker.eu
Thomas Detry +100 vs. Paul Waring -120
Ian Poulter -120 vs. Marcus Kinhult +100
Andy Sullivan +100 vs. Joost Luiten -120
Edoardo Molinari +105 vs. Mikko Korhonen -135
Jazz Janewattananond +115 vs. Viktor Hovland -135
Brandon Stone -120 vs. Pablo Larrazabal -110
Tom Lewis -135 vs. Ross Fisher +115
Renato Paratore -110 vs. Jorge Campillo -120
Shugo Imahira +105 vs. Wade Ormsby -135
Victor Perez +105 vs. Bryson DeChambeau -125
Lee Westwood -110 vs. Thomas Pieters -110
Henrik Stenson -115 vs. Sergio Garcia -105
Henrik Stenson -140 vs. Shane Lowry +120
Bernd Wiesberger +105 vs. Bryson DeChambeau -125
Haydn Porteous -110 vs. Lucas Herbert -120
Louis Oosthuizen -115 vs. Matthew Fitzpatrick -105
Tommy Fleetwood -165 vs. Matthew Fitzpatrick +145
Matt Wallace -125 vs. Graeme McDowell +105
Tommy Fleetwood -135 vs. Louis Oosthuizen +115
Richie Ramsay -120 vs. Ryan Fox -110
Sergio Garcia -120 vs. Shane Lowry +100
Robert MacIntyre -110 vs. Danny Willett -110
Shaun Norris +125 vs. Sam Horsfield -145
Kurt Kitayama -115 vs. George Coetzee -105
Erik Van Rooyen -130 vs. Haotong Li +110
Matthias Schwab -135 vs. Mike Lorenzo-Vera +115
Adri Arnaus -105 vs. Jason Scrivener -115
Jordan Smith -105 vs. Romain Langasque -115
Guido Migliozzi -110 vs. Justin Harding -120
Scott Jamieson -120 vs. Zander Lombard -110
Benjamin Hebert -120 vs. Chris Paisley -110
Christiaan Bezuidenhout -120 vs. Eddie Pepperell -110
Martin Kaymer +100 vs. Rafa Cabrera-Bello -120
Bernd Wiesberger -110 vs. Victor Perez -110
Gavin Green -120 vs. Andrew Johnston +100
Need to Know
The flagship course at Emirates Golf Club, the Majlis is considered one of the finest in the Middle East and at 7,353 yards has a reputation for being one of the most difficult desert layouts on Tour. The length and exposed fairways play well to the big hitters, however there are a number of water hazards and bunkers that come into play, as well as the local desert landscape. The combination requires a mix of power and accuracy to successfully navigate the layout. For the most part the greens are flat, negating any advantage the best putters have. I turned in good results on matchups from last week going 3-1 with one pick not getting action when Robert MacIntyre withdrew before the start of the event due to injury. And all three winners were at plus-odds making the weekend even sweeter.
Omega Dubai Desert Classic Matchup Picks
Bernd Wiesberger -110 vs. Victor Perez
Still fuming after losing out to Jon Rahm in the Race to Dubai last season, Wiesberger picked up where he left off and just continues to stroke the ball. Showing he fully recovered from an injury that shelved him for most of 2018, he posted three wins last season and opened with a T8 in Abu Dhabi, though a final round 72 dropped him further off the pace. He’s done well here in the past with a three-year stretch of T9-T4-T16 from 2014-2016. And he’s looking for more than the MC he had last year.
Martin Kaymer +100 vs. Rafa Cabrera-Bello
A former World No. 1, Kaymer is having a resurgence of his career and the good times continued last week with a T8 in Abu Dhabi. The German got me a matchup win last week and I like his play in the desert. He blistered this course with four top-5s in his first six starts. And though the results haven’t been as good recently, three top-25s in the last three years isn’t too shabby.
Sergio Garcia -120 vs. Shane Lowry
It doesn’t matter what clubs Garcia uses he still hits the snot out of the ball. The Spaniard is playing superb golf and he’s keeping his nose clean. We’ll see how long both of those last. For now, I’m taking advantage of his playing skills. He opened the season with a T8 in Abu Dhabi last week and ended last season with three top-10s in four starts, including a title at the KLM Open. And he’s been good here with six top-20s in his last eight starts, including a win in 2017 and T3 last year.
Lee Westwood -110 vs. Thomas Pieters
It might be a lot to ask for the soon-to-be Champions Tour player to win again, but Westwood turned back the clock last week for his 25th Euro Tour win. Some time off over the Holidays helped and he better take advantage before the season starts to wear on him. He’s also had success here with eight top-10s at Emirates, including a T7 last year. I’ll ride the wave of good vibes to a triumph in this matchup.
Paul Waring -120 vs. Thomas Detry
The stroke comes and goes, but Waring played phenomenal golf last weekend with a pair of 67s to move into a tie for 12th, and he closed last season with nine top-25s in his last 10 starts. He may have figured out this track last season, too. After no better than T13 in his first eight starts, Waring exploded with a final round 64 to grab a podium finish. One excellent round and tournament alone aren’t enough, but solid play coming in makes him a worthwhile pick.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker.eu. The Omega Dubai Desert Classic is scheduled for January 23-26, 2020, and can be seen on Golf Channel.
