We put a bow on the European Tour season and the Race to Dubai this week with the playing of the DP World Tour Championship, hosted by the Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai. Francesco Molinari has a big edge over Tommy Fleetwood for the points lead, but there’s still a chance Fleetwood can overtake his buddy with a strong showing and a lower finish by the Spaniard. A number of players in the field are trying to crack the top-10 in the points race to grab a piece of the pie. The strong field is topped by betting favorite Rory McIlroy with defending champion Jon Rahm the second favorite.
2018 DP World Tour Championship Matchup Odds
Rory McIlroy -120 vs. Sergio Garcia +100
Rory McIlroy -125 vs. Jon Rahm +105
Sergio Garcia -115 vs. Jon Rahm -105
Tommy Fleetwood -120 vs. Xander Schauffele +100
Tommy Fleetwood -125 vs. Tyrrell Hatton +105
Xander Schauffele -120 vs. Tyrrell Hatton +100
Haotong Li +125 vs. Francesco Molinari -145
Haotong Li -110 vs. Patrick Reed -110
Francesco Molinari -130 vs. Patrick Reed +110
Thorbjorn Olesen -105 vs. Henrik Stenson -115
Rafa Cabrera-Bello -130 vs. Lee Westwood +110
Alex Noren -135 vs. Shane Lowry +115
Matthew Fitzpatrick -105 vs. Branden Grace -115
Lucas Bjerregaard +100 vs. Ian Poulter -120
Kiradech Aphibarnrat -105 vs. Ross Fisher -115
Matt Wallace -120 vs. Martin Kaymer +100
Thomas Detry -110 vs. Thomas Pieters -110
Eddie Pepperell -110 vs. Andy Sullivan -110
Joost Luiten -145 vs. Dylan Frittelli +125
Tom Lewis -105 vs. Danny Willett -115
Russell Knox -115 vs. Andrea Pavan -105
Alexander Bjork -130 vs. Jordan Smith +110
Lucas Herbert -115 vs. Ryan Fox -105
Alexander Levy -110 vs. Dean Burmester -110
Chris Wood -110 vs. Adrian Otaegui -110
Need to Know
The Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates has always hosted the event and we’ve seen low scores in the past with eight of the previous nine winners going 16-under or better with four into the -20s. It stretches to nearly 7,700 yards and is generous off the tee, which tends to favor big hitters. The layout gives players a variety of different looks and requires use of every club in the bag. The par 4s and par 5s are scoreable and players that take advantage to get in the -16 to -18 range will be in the running. The course is known for its closing holes with the island green on 17 and the water-lined 18th.
2018 DP World Tour Championship Matchup Picks
Andy Sullivan -110 vs. Eddie Pepperell
This pick is more about Pepperell’s health and well being than Sullivan’s play. Pepperell experienced back discomfort and had to back out of the WGC-HSBC Champions and he hasn’t played since, so it’s hard to know if he’s 100 percent. He’s been limited because of the injury and as a result his practice time has been cut short. Even when feeling well Pepperell has been just ordinary on this course. He’s flashed brilliance at times with a pair of 66s on Earth, but his finishes have been sub-standard with a T26, T58 and T48 in his last three starts in Dubai.
Haotong Li +125 vs. Francesco Molinari
Li is set up for a big finish and he’s matched against a player who may lack motivation. Li is in great form entering the event and has recovered from a disappointing finish at the Turkish Airlines Open where he lost in a playoff, handing the trophy to Justin Rose by 3-putting the first playoff hole. A final-round 65 at the Nedbank Golf Challenge last week got him into the top-5 and he’s been T11 or better in each of his last five tournaments. He rallied for a share of 13th here last year after carding an opening 72. Molinari is a virtual lock to win the points race and the payout that comes with it.
Rory McIlroy -120 vs. Sergio Garcia
This could be the course that helps McIlroy straighten out his game. “If there’s any golf course or any place in the world where I can get a bit of confidence from, it’s Dubai,” he said. It’s been a struggle for him over the past few events with a T54 at the HSBC Champions and a T21 last week at the Nedbank Challenge where he finished 11 swings behind Garcia. But he’s won in Dubai four times while mastering this course twice, taking the title in 2012 and again in 2015 while shooting better than -20 both times. McIlroy has also played below par in 31 of 32 career rounds on the Earth Course with a scintillating 68.2 average.
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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 DP World Tour Championship is scheduled for November 15-18 and can be seen on Golf Channel.
