Coming off its Easter Holiday break, the European Tour returns to action this week in Morocco for the Trophee Hassan II, contested on the Royal Golf Dar Es Salam layout for a fifth consecutive year. The tournament has been played for decades, but it is celebrating its 10th anniversary as part of the Euro circuit in 2019. Joost Luiten opened as the betting favorite with odds of +1600 at BookMaker.eu, a clear sign that everyone has a chance to claim victory in the watered down field. That also gives us great matchup odds on several of the golfers with a chance to make more coin. Let’s examine the matchup odds for the event that begins on Thursday.
Trophee Hassan II Matchup Odds at BookMaker.eu
David Lipsky -110 vs. Mikko Korhonen -110
Matthew Southgate -145 vs. Ashley Chesters +115
Darren Fichardt -135 vs. Haydn Porteous +105
Adri Arnaus -120 vs. Adrian Otaegui +100
Josh Geary -130 vs. Joachim B. Hansen +100
Hideto Tanihara -120 vs. Victor Perez -110
Maximilian Kieffer -105 vs. Romain Langasque -115
Andy Sullivan -110 vs. Fabrizio Zanotti -110
Fabrizio Zanotti +105 vs. Victor Dubuisson -125
Chris Wood -105 vs. David Horsey -125
Callum Shinkwin -115 vs. Aaron Rai -105
Adrien Saddier -120 vs. Robert MacIntyre -110
Kurt Kitayama +110 vs. Thomas Detry -130
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +105 vs. Tom Lewis -125
Chris Paisley +100 vs. Andrea Pavan -120
Alexander Levy +105 vs. Julian Suri -125
Clement Sordet -105 vs. Stephen Gallacher -115
Alexander Levy -110 vs. Erik Van Rooyen -110
Joost Luiten -155 vs. Jordan Smith +135
Jordan Smith +105 vs. Jorge Campillo -125
Erik Van Rooyen +100 vs. Julian Suri -120
Dean Burmester -110 vs. Jeff Winther -120
Pablo Larrazabal +105 vs. Bradley Dredge -125
Louis De Jager -110 vs. Sihwan Kim -110
Kalle Samooja -110 vs. Oliver Wilson -120
Sean Crocker -125 vs. Scott Jamieson +105
Andy Sullivan +105 vs. Victor Dubuisson -125
Renato Paratore -120 vs. Soren Kjeldsen -110
Benjamin Hebert -115 vs. Matthias Schwab -105
Paul Waring +100 vs. Richard Sterne -120
Nacho Elvira -145 vs. Paul Dunne +125
Masahiro Kawamura -125 vs. Jason Scrivener +105
Joost Luiten -140 vs. Jorge Campillo +120
Mike Lorenzo-Vera -125 vs. Alexander Bjork +105
Nino Bertasio -120 vs. Oliver Fisher -110
Need To Know
Widely regarded as the top course on the African continent, the Red Course at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam stretches out to nearly 7,600 yards at par 72 and will expose golfers who enjoyed the break a little too much. Fairways lined with oak, eucalyptus and cork trees offer some resistance off the tee, but this is a manageable course for the pros and one where long-ballers have an advantage. Prior to last year’s playing of the Trophee Hassan II, the layout underwent an extreme makeover with all 18 greens redesigned and enlarged. Some didn’t like the undulating surfaces and expressed their dismay. But it does allow for a better percentage of GIR and a wider variety on pin placements, making strategy and a short game just as important as distance off the tee.
Trophee Hassan II Matchup Picks
Victor Dubuisson -125 vs. Fabrizio Zanotti
A strong return after missing most of 2018 has Dubuisson in a good spot for big things this week. Three rounds below 70 led him to a T18 at the Saudi International and a T13 at Oman were positives. The Frenchman snagged a T10 last time out at the Hero Indian Open and he certainly remembers his last visit to Morocco when he shared fourth in 2017. Zanotti hasn’t been as strong on this layout and that has me leaning toward Dubuisson in this matchup.
Joost Luiten -155 vs. Jordan Smith
Luiten has carved out a nice career as a B-lister on the Euro circuit, and this is a field that he could absolutely dominate. He also fancies the course and has performed well in recent starts. “I love this track,” he said. “It’s a very demanding course and I love coming here.” And why not, he’s been up to the challenge with a T9 last year while playing with a wrist injury that eventually required surgery. The previous two years yielded top 15s and with a better opening round, the Dutchman could be in line for another Euro Tour victory.
Paul Waring +100 vs. Richard Sterne
Recent form has Waring down the odds board, but it’s hard to overlook his results at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam. He hasn’t placed among the top-50 in his last three starts, which scared oddsmakers. But Waring tied for sixth in Abu Dhabi and claimed a T3 in Dubai a few months ago. A return to the layout that’s yielded him a T9 last year and a T3 in 2017 make him my pick to triumph in this matchup.
Alexander Levy +105 vs. Julian Suri
One of nine players to win this event since it became sanctioned by the Euro Tour and the most recent, Levy hasn’t pegged it up in over a month after retiring from the Oman Open due to injury. This goes one of two ways for the defending champ. The rust from the extended layoff is too overpowering, or he returns to form on course that he tamed 12 months ago. The layoff thing is something the entire field has to deal with, so I’m going with the latter. Besides, Levy stroked a 68 in the first round at Oman before withdrawing, so his game was sharp.
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Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker.eu. The Trophee Hassan II is scheduled for April 25-28 and can be seen on Golf Channel.
