After taking a break for the WGC in Mexico last week, it’s back to work for the European Tour with a return trip to the Middle East for the second playing of the Oman Open, the first of two straight events in the Persian Gulf. The field won’t be nearly as strong as what we had a few weeks back when the Tour visited Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, but there are some well-known figures who will challenge for the title. The betting favorite Joost Luiten also happens to be the defending champion, taking the inaugural title last year by two shots. The Dutchman opened with long odds of +1000, suggesting the field is wide open.
Odds to Win Oman Open at BookMaker.eu
Joost Luiten +1000
Thomas Pieters +1100
Alexander Levy +2200
Ross Fisher +2500
Justin Harding +2800
Jordan Smith +3000
Thomas Detry +3000
Minwoo Lee +3300
David Lipsky +3300
Chris Wood +3500
Paul Dunne +4000
Victor Dubuisson +4000
Andy Sullivan +4000
Romain Langasque +4500
Lucas Herbert +4500
Marcus Kinhult +4500
Chris Paisley +4500
Dean Burmester +5000
Paul Waring +5000
Matthias Schwab +5000
Pablo Larrazabal +5000
Jorge Campillo +5500
Clement Sordet +5500
Sihwan Kim +5500
Victor Perez +5500
Scott Vincent +6000
Fabrizio Zanotti +6000
Callum Shinkwin +6600
Scott Hend +6600
Shubhankar Sharma +6600
Zander Lombard +6600
Robert Rock +7000
Bernd Wiesberger +7000
Bradley Dredge +7000
Matthew Southgate +7000
Andrew Johnston +7000
Nicolas Colsaerts +7500
Mikko Korhonen +8000
Jeff Winther +8000
Andrea Pavan +8000
Matthieu Pavon +9000
Gaganjeet Bhullar +9000
Gavin Green +9000
George Coetzee +10000
Brandon Stone +10000
Max Orrin +10000
Renato Paratore +10000
Jaco Van Zyl +10000
Joachim B. Hansen +10000
Thomas Aiken +10000
Scott Jamieson +10000
Adri Arnaus +10000
Odds Analysis
Joost Luiten +1000
One of the few in this week’s field making the trip from Mexico and that could be a problem. But it’s hard to overlook Luiten’s recent form as he makes a stellar return from a wrist injury that sidelined him for most of last season. He captured this event last year with a -16, scoring 68 or lower in the final three rounds. Two top-10s followed before the injury put him on the shelf. He returned with a T11 at Valderrama and fared well during the first desert swing with a solo third in Abu Dhabi and T6 in Saudi Arabia. He even grabbed a share of 10th at last week’s WGC. The only issue is how the 26-hour flight affects him.
Thomas Pieters +1100
It’s time to take a hard look at Pieters again as recent form suggests something positive is about to happen. It’s been a struggle for him over the last year or so, dropping down the world rankings and failing to post a top-10 finish. But this is just the event to end his misfortune. There is no clear-cut favorite and Pieters has been solid in the desert with a 16, 29 and 22 in the three earlier events with a stronger field. He finished T11 two weeks ago at the World Super 6 Perth and his strong putting numbers recently are a good sign.
Chris Wood +3500
That first tournament when returning from an injury is always tricky, and Wood hasn’t pegged it up since November while recovering from a neck ailment. Recent Twitter updates suggest he’s ready to go and has been working tirelessly in an attempt to comeback. Now’s his chance, and he couldn’t have picked a better spot. He arrived here last year after three MCs and gave Luiten all he could handle before finishing two strokes back. Some of his best golf has been played on Links style courses and in the deserts, that’s likely why he did so well last season. Hard to tell how he’ll be impacted by the layoff, but worth a flyer nonetheless in a watered down field.
Clement Sordet +5500
It’s always tempting to look further down the odds board when presented a field like this. Someone has to be the favorite and that goes to the defending champ. The reality is this tournament is up for grabs. So why not throw down on a course horse like Sordet? He won the Challenge Tour’s Grand Final here in 2017 and placed T37 in this event last year. More importantly his stats are trending in the right direction. He was top-eight for GIR at the Vic Open and World Super 6 Perth finishing T8 and T17.
Course: Al Mouj – 7,365 yards, Par 72
The layout offers contrasting looks over the 18 holes. Part of the course lies on the banks of the Indian Ocean overlooking the Gulf of Oman giving it that coastal feel. The track winds inland with the flattened feel of a desert course. It plays long at 7,365 yards but is more of a strategic track than a bombers paradise. Water hazards are in play on over half the holes and numerous bunkers are strategically placed down the fairways. Though the course is less than 10 years old, it has hosted a number of Challenge Tour events and is no stranger to many of those in the field this week.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel
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