Dubai Desert Classic Betting Preview

One of the top fields we will see on the European Tour all year have assembled at the Emirates Golf Club for the Dubai Desert Classic. For the first time since 1994 the top three in the world will play in a European Tour event and as luck would have it they are paired together in a 3-ball for the first two days.

Favourite in the betting is Martin Kaymer at 5/1 with totesport and it isn’t hard to see why he is priced up at Tiger-type odds. A record of 4-4-2 in his last three visits bode well and he comes into the tournament on top of his game. A win in Abu Dhabi was followed by a T28 in Qatar, his best result at a course he has never played well at.

As for the real Tiger Woods, he just isn’t the player who had finishes of 1-3-1-5-2 at this course, he might be that player again one day but the bookmakers are betting him on past glories and the 13/2 is easily avoidable.

The player of more interest is Ross Fisher. After an inconsistent 2010 he finished the year on an upward curve with six top 20 finishes in seven tournaments and a Ryder Cup victory. Although his world ranking slipped from 18 to 33 last year, it was a year of upheaval he admitted on his website,

“I had a lot of things going on.  I changed my coach, my caddie, I bought a new house at Lake Nona, Eve had her first birthday – all new things for me.”

Fisher has started 2011 quietly, a T31 finish in Abu Dhabi was followed by a missed cut in Qatar where an excellent second round 68 wasn’t enough to undo the damage of a first day 80. The course at Dubai is much more to his liking and past finishes of 11-13-10-5 should breed confidence,

“I have two events behind me this season, and it has been a slow start for me, but I’m particularly looking forward to the Desert Classic.

“I’ve had some good results there and it’s a course that fits my eye very well so I can’t wait to go back to Emirates Golf Club and hopefully compete for another title.” concluded Fisher.