You may not be a fan of the Prince and the country’s track record on human rights, but Saudi Arabia has embraced the game of golf and will host the inaugural Saudi International on this week’s European Tour stop. And the country couldn’t have assembled a better field for the event with four of the world’s top five golfers headlining the field, including No. 1 Justin Rose, who vaulted to the top spot after winning last week’s Farmer’s Insurance Open in San Diego. No. 5 Bryson DeChambeau is also competing after winning his first Euro Tour event by taking the Dubai Desert Classic last week. Fellow Americans Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka are also ranked and among the listed favorites. Matchup odds for the tournament contested at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club are listed below.
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Saudi International Matchup Odds at BookMaker.eu
Bryson DeChambeau +107 vs. Justin Rose -137
Bryson DeChambeau -118 vs. Dustin Johnson -112
Justin Rose -142 vs. Dustin Johnson +112
Brooks Koepka -115 vs. Sergio Garcia -115
Brooks Koepka -144 vs. Patrick Reed +114
Sergio Garcia -145 vs. Patrick Reed +115
Ian Poulter -134 vs. Matt Wallace +104
Ian Poulter -130 vs. Hao Tong Li +100
Matt Wallace -113 vs. Hao Tong Li -117
Thorbjorn Olesen +114 vs. Henrik Stenson -144
Lee Westwood -131 vs. Thomas Pieters +101
Jordan Smith +102 vs. Joost Luiten -132
Tom Lewis -113 vs. Eddie Pepperell -117
Ross Fisher -122 vs. Thomas Detry -108
Romain Langasque +134 vs. Pablo Larrazabal -169
Aaron Rai -124 vs. Andy Sullivan -106
Paul Waring -111 vs. Ryan Fox -119
Richard Sterne -106 vs. Victor Dubuisson -124
Soren Kjeldsen -112 vs. Ernie Els -118
Adri Arnaus -146 vs. Alvaro Quiros +116
Victor Perez +107 vs. Dean Burmester -137
David Lipsky +128 vs. Bernd Wiesberger -161
Erik Van Rooyen -132 vs. Scott Jamieson +102
Jorge Campillo -101 vs. Matthias Schwab -129
Justin Harding -127 vs. Chris Paisley -103
Need to Know
After a delay, the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club finally opened in April 2018 and will host its first major event this week. Some reconfiguring on a number of holes reduced par from 72 to 70 and the length is just over 7,000 yards, making it one of the short tracks on Tour. There are only two par-5s and the greens on both are reachable in two, making those holes important for scoring purposes. Several lakes come into play on five holes and there are large bunkers in place that present a few hazards. A couple of holes play along the coast of the Red Sea, providing a natural hazard, and the course is described as undulating. Without any history it’s hard to gauge how the track plays, but we will know more after the opening round.
Saudi International Matchup Picks
Bryson DeChambeau -118 vs. Dustin Johnson
DeChambeau is hotter than Saudi asphalt in the middle of July. He ran away from the field last week in Dubai, winning his first title outside the U.S. by eight swings while setting a tournament record with a 264. And admittedly he didn’t play his best golf. Imagine what he can do when he finds his A game. It was DeChambeau’s fourth title in his last eight starts. We all know how difficult it is to win back-to-back, so I’m a little hesitant, especially when matched up against a player as polished as DJ. But I get the sense that Johnson is more about the hefty appearance fee and not as concerned with winning. That has me leaning Bryson’s way in this matchup.
Thorbjorn Olesen +114 vs. Henrik Stenson
When talking about what the course can do, Olesen’s name continually pops up. It’s in the Middle East, by the coast and should yield plenty of birdie opportunities. Check, check and check. Olesen has his game all over this one. Not to mention he’s playing solid golf. His T7 last week was his third in five starts and he climbed the leaderboard nicely, falling a missed birdie putt shy of a podium finish. Stenson, meanwhile, is heading the other direction. Talking big about his game he fell flat in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, missing the cut in both events. That has to play with a man’s head and until he figures it out, it’s time to fade Henrik.
Paul Waring -111 vs. Ryan Fox -119
Coming off a pair of nice finishes in his last two starts, Waring brings nice form into the Saudi International. He finished T6 in Abu Dhabi a few weeks ago playing with former World No. 1 Brooks Koepka, toppling him by a few strokes. Bolstered by his showing, Waring grabbed a share of third last week in Dubai with a final round 64. Fox missed the cut last week and has yet to earn a top-15 finish in nine Middle East starts.
Golf Betting Odds
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