28th Jan 2014 | Dubai Desert Classic
Side with Former Champ Stenson
Played well tee to green in Qatar, only let down by a cold putter. Has an excellent record at Emirates GC, winning in 2007.
The top three in the market for the Dubai Desert Classic look the wrong way round. Henrik Stenson enjoyed a stellar year and finished 2013 as arguably the best player on the planet. The rankings might not fully reflect his feats but I cannot understand why Rory McIlroy is a quarter of his price.
With five PGA Tour wins last season there is logic in making Tiger Woods shorter than Henrik Stenson but the world number 1 looked rusty at Torrey Pines; disappointing on a course where he usually excels.
With the top-two short enough in the betting we are getting a reasonable price of 11/1 on the big hitting Swede.
The 37-year-old wasn’t at his best when missing the cut in Abu Dhabi, his first start of the year, but he improved in Qatar finishing T28 with a closing round of 67.
It was a tournament he could have won but his putter was cold; he ranked 61st in putts per GIR. Fundamentally there is nothing wrong with his game, it was just one of those weeks when the putts didn’t drop.
I expect Stenson to improve at Emirates GC, a course he’s traditionally played well. He won in 2007 and has four further top-10 finishes. With that kind of record he is a rock solid each-way bet at 11/1 (Betfred).
Odds correct at time of publishing: 10:09 28th Jan, 2014 but subject to change
