Lee Westwood

European PGA Dubai Desert Classic Golf Betting Info
The third and final stop on the European Tour’s desert swing out in the middle east. We have had Robert Rock land the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and last week the steady old head of Paul Lawrie shot to victory in the Commercialbank Qatar Masters. Now it is the turn of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, with its prestige that is the headline maker this week. We have seen some tremendous golf being played already this season and that warms us up nicely for this fantastic golf betting tournament. There are some great stories to back up your golf betting at the Dubai Desert Classic this week, and this year’s field hosts eleven former Major winners. Veteran Fred Couples (who was the first American to win the event back in 1995) is in action as well at the event and we can be pretty much assured for another action packed weekend of golf on the European Tour. Past winners of the event have included Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and Colin Montgomerie. The tournament has a lost of prestige as it was the first ever European Tour event to be held out in the Middle East, starting its run back in 1999 and has predominately been held at the Emirates Golf Club.

European PGA Dubai Desert Classic Defending Champion
Spain’s Alvaro Quiros, the big hitting master of the desert picked up the title here last year with a fantastic final round. Quiros, a bit of a specialist in the desert, went so well here last year, he put the likes of Lee Westwood, Tiger Woods and Martin Kaymer all in their place, grabbing all the headlines for himself. What helps players like Quiros out in the hot desert, is that the air is thinner and that helps drive his drives even further and there is a big advantage to be gained with distance at the Emirates Golf Club. One of the big things about the Dubai Desert Classic event, is that it has never been won twice in a row. So it is Alvaro Quiros who is next in line to have a crack at breaking that streak and is trading at 25/1 with Bet365 to do it. Are there any signs that it may happen? Yes, he has won the Dubai World Classic and the Qatar Masters out in the desert before, and if you want to read more into this, Spain has produced the winners of the event in the last two years (Sergio Garcia winning it in 2010). Spain’s Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabel have both won out there, the joint most successful nation at the event alongside winners from the USA. Can’t find a direct Winning Nationality Bet on a Spaniard, but a Rest of the World Option is priced at 10/3 option at Stan James (which means anyone outside of GB and Ireland). So Quiros will love the atmosphere, loves the track where he crack the ball miles off the tee. Has to make a good shout in Dubai Desert Classic golf betting to defend his title.

European PGA Dubai Desert Classic Betting Favourite
There is another quality packed European golfing field on show here, and it is Rory McIlroy who is the favourite with the bookies at 4/1 with Bet365. Like Alvaro Quiros, Rory McIlroy has an affinity with the course, as it was the scene of his first ever win as a professional three years ago. We all know what has happened to the young Northern Irish star since then, and this will be his seventh crack at the event, so he knows the playing field well. Following his win in 2009, McIlroy has posted two top ten finishes at the event, and you can’t ignore the form, talent and course history which he brings to the event. He may very well be the man to catch, and its hard to bet against him wherever he is playing. McIlroy is hitting the ball longer than he has done, which helps out in the desert, and with his first appearance of the new season resulting in a second place at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, yep, there is little doubt that he is going to carry on just where he left off last season. Red hot favourites in the Dubai Desert Classic golf betting and understandably so.

Other Contenders
Germany’s Martin Kaymer is trading well, putting in a good show in the Qatar Masters last week. Kaymer landed himself a ninth place finish there. Still a bit hold and cold, as that was off the back of a missed cut in Abu Dhabi. Very dangerous when he is in the mood, a big confidence player and likes the track too, landing three top five finishes out of four starts. He finished 31st here last year, by far his worst performance, undone by a terrible third round. Annual slow starter Lee Westwood really hasn’t gotten up to speed with life in 2012 at the moment, well not by his standards anyway. He has posted two top twenty finishes in his two outings, his most recent at twelfth place finish at the Qatar Masters. They haven’t been bad result, you just want to see a little bit more of that real Westwood magic, that consistent putting the ball in the right place every shot Lee Westwood. Not far away mind you, and the early season work could easily be capitalised upon this weekend. Was fifteenth here last year and second the year before. Has played here since 1994 landing six top ten finishes. Good betting potential on the Englishman. Other strong names in the field are Thomas Bjorn, who is always good value, last week’s winner Paul Lawrie, Simon Dyson and Robert Rock, who steps out for the first time since that heroic effort in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

Latest European PGA Dubai Desert Classic Betting Prices
Rory McIlroy: 4/1 at Bet365
Marin Kaymer: 8/1 at Bet Victor
Lee Westwood: 11/1 at Totesport
Peter Hanson: 20/1 at SkyBet
Alvaro Quiros: 25/1 at Bet365
Thomas Bjorn: 30/1 at BetFred
Anders Hansen: 30/1 at BetFred
Paul Lawrie: 35/1 at Bet365
Robert Rock: 50/1 at Totesport
Simon Dyson: 50/1 at SkyBet

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England’s Lee Westwood heads the field for the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters golf betting this week in Doha. This is the second of a three event swing out in the middle east, with Robert Rock picking up the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship last week, holding off strong challenges from Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Tiger Woods. For Lee Westwood, he could only muster up a seventeenth place finish in the first tournament of the year for him out in Abu Dhabi, but insists that he is ready to take the challenge in the Qatar Masters. There is evidence to back this up, because Westwood is generally a bit slow out of the blocks, not really making a mark in the first third of the season last year. But he has pulled out some good results here, landing a fifth in 2008 and a third in 2010. He carded his worst ever entry at this event last year, finishing down in 77th. With his failure to really make a mark last week, Lee Westwood has seen his world number two ranking slip away to Rory McIlroy as well, so there is incentive for Westwood to go strong. It wasn’t that he played badly, he just looked a little rusty, especially with the putter. Still, the event will have served as a good loosening up event for Westwood to break into the new season, and having done well at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters golf betting before, he has been pencilled in as favourites with the bookies this time around as well. The Doha track is likely to be the toughest of the three on the Middle East swing, especially with the strong winds predicted. So this will be a great test to see just where Lee Westwood is at for the new season. There’s never any doubt over his talent or motivation, and the form he showed at the back end of last year proves that he is still one of the best in the world. There’s no mention of the neck injury which was bothering him last week, so he should go strong.

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Spaniard Sergio Garcia, who is really rediscovering some of his old magic, started his season off well with a 12th place finish at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship last week, and that puts him among the front pack this week. Garcia has a great track record at this event too, with three top ten finishes out of his last four outings there. So he makes for a very good solid bet at this event at 14/1 with Bet365. Garcia is showing a tremendous amount of control in all aspects of his game at the moment, and there really is no reason why he cannot make a decent splash here this time around. The bookies are concerned enough to have reined in his odds here and he is full of confidence at the moment with his game. Germany’s Martin Kaymer is also trading well despite a pretty terrible start to the new season. After all the hype of his great record at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, he missed the cut in a surprising turn of event. Kaymer is very much a confidence player, when he is on his game he is majestic, but that result last week will have knocked him for six, struggling badly at a tournament which he has pretty much owned. Kaymer at 16/1 with SportingBet will really have to dig deep mentally to get over that block, and so there may be better options for form and confidence to look at for your Commercial Bank Qatar Masters golf betting. Like Graeme McDowell. The G-Mac struggled for most of last year, but came out with a bang landing a T3 finish in Abu Dhabi last week. That was the kind of performance we have come to expect from McDowell, who was swinging freely and accurate in his approach work. McDowell is good value at 16/1 with Bet365.

Swede Tomas Bjorn is going to be worth a look most likely as well in Commercial Bank Qatar Masters golf betting this week, because he returns as the defending champion. Was one of the few multiple event winners on the European Tour last season and with a T3 in Abu Dhabi last week alongside Tiger Woods and Graeme McDowell, Bjorn makes a very solid bet. He is generally never too far away from the top ten and always seems to fly under the radar at events. Has the ability to go all the way again here, as he has good form and a winning record at the event. Definitely should be one to watch and at a price of 24/1 with BetFair, makes great value. So too does Spaniard Alvaro Quiros at 18/1 with Bet365. The Spaniard was beaten into second place at last year’s Commercial Bank Qatar Masters by Bjorn. Is a proven winner out in the desert in the Middle East, but like Kaymer, missed the cut in Abu Dhabi last week. But you can’t ignore the record Quiros has produced in the Desert Swing of the European Tour before, and being one of the biggest hitters on the European Tour, he could have the game and confidence to blast his way to victory here. Hunter Mahan at 22/1 with Bet Victor is making his debut in the Qatar Masters open. Generally you look for the European based players to take precedence at their own events. But Mahan is a fantastically consistent and strong player and you can’t totally rule him out in a tight contest, and this year’s Qatar Master could be tight with the windy conditions really testing the players. That’s when you need controlled, cool heads, and that is what Hunter Mahan can bring to the table.

So a wonderfully entertaining field in the mix for the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters golf betting, with Lee Westwood the bookies favourite to take the title. There are some good form players at the moment in the field, and if you are looking for form, how about Branden Grace at 66/1 with SportingBet, who has won back to back titles this year? He came a bit unstuck in the desert last week in Abu Dhabi, but for a man who won the Joburg Open and the Volvo Golf Champions back to back in January, could be worth a look for a top ten finish.

Commercial Bank Qatar Masters golf betting odds
Lee Westwood: 10/1 at SkyBet
Sergio Garcia: 14/1 at Bet Victor
Martin Kaymer: 16/1 at SportingBet
Graeme McDowell: 16/1 at Bet365
Alvaro Quiros: 18/1 at Bet365
Robert Karlsson: 22/1 at Bet365
Hunter Mahan: 22/1 at Boylesports
Thomas Bjorn: 24/1 at BetFair

All of the European Tour big guns are out in force together for the first time this season as we head to Abu Dhabi 2012 HSBC Golf Championship golf betting. What a field and what a treat we have on the cards here with pretty much the accumulative best which Europe has to offer. Oh, there is also the small matter of the appearance of Tiger Woods as well to add a little spice to the event. But let’s start with the European challenge and what better place to start than with the defending champion Martin Kaymer. Kaymer has just a phenomenal record at this event, which tees off as the European Tour‘s fourth event of the year. Of the four previous events, Germany’s Martin Kaymer has won three and had one second place finish. Can you argue with that for Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship golf betting? Not really and it is why the bookies are making him strong favourite to go on and lift the title again. So he is the defending champion and the question is, whether or not he will be able to go and win the event three times in a row. That really isn’t something which happens very often and Kaymer is on the verge of something special. It would be a great thing to see, because it would fully confirm a great return to form for the German, and that is something which would set the new season of the Race to Dubai up nicely. Kaymer, the world’s number four though will be faced with a stiff challenge again in Abu Dhabi, as he adds to the world’s top four all playing here, plus Tiger Woods. This is the strongest ever field for Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship golf betting and it really is lining up to be an absolute cracker. Is Kaymer worth a punt? He has to be simply because of his track record and he is the man to catch as he is so at home on the course, priced at 13/2 favourite with Bet365.

World Number One Luke Donald stars off his first event of the season, and with the desert swing of the European Tour being kicked off here, he should be in good contention. He won the Accenture Match Play in the desert last year and it here in Dubai where he won the Race To Dubai in the desert as well. So fond memories and he will be looking for a fast start out of the gate to show that he means business again this season. Donald, the quiet man of golf was pretty much irresistible last year although the bookies are putting him back in the pecking order at 14/1 with SportingBet . That really isn’t a commentary on Donald’s skill or anything, but it is a competitive field and he didn’t play here last season. He has only made one previous appearance at the event, and that was a T11, but this is a man who pretty much lands a top ten finish every time he steps out on to the course. But you have to stand his lack of action here up against the record of Martin Kaymer at the event. England’s Lee Westwood finished back in in 64th last year at this event, which was a marked improvement over him missing the cut at his previous attempt. Westwood’s best run came back in 2008 when he finished runner up to Martin Kaymer, but even that was a score which was eight shots back from the German. Westwood has not been in action this year either so it is pretty much a fresh start for all of the world’s top four. Westwood is back at 16/1 with SportingBet in Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship golf betting, but he did land two wins out of his last three tournaments in 2011. It will be interesting to watch how he goes.

Chasing tournament favourite Martin Kaymer hard in Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship golf betting though, is Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman finished second here last year, and after his breakthrough Major season last year, and putting in a blistering run of form at the end of the season to put pressure on world number one Luke Donald in the Race To Dubai, he has to be worth a look. Although he did finish second here last year, he was a massive eight shots back from winner Martin Kaymer (that is how good Kaymer is on this course). You can pretty much rely on McIlroy to produce the goods when he steps on to the course. He will be back on the US PGA Tour this season because the tracks out there suit his game much better, so he says. But he won’t shirk on his Race To Dubai duties and he will probably be a good contender here. He tracking as second favourite behind Kaymer at 7/1 with Ladbrokes in Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship golf betting. Not much to split those two, but they are a long way ahead of the field. The quality of the field doesn’t stop there either, because we can’t complete a preview without a look at the one and only Tiger Woods. Woods bounced back to some of his best form at the Australian Open, and winning the Chevron Challenge, which was his first title since 2009. Woods is no stranger to winning in the desert, because has won the Dubai Desert Classic twice (most recently in 2008). Woods was hitting great shots at the Australian Open (although he didn’t win) and the world number 25 sounds in pretty confident mood. This is his first appearance in Abu Dhabi at the end, and should have a lot to say on the long course which produces low scoring. Is he worth a punt at 9/1 with Bet365? Well, as a debutant on the course, he won’t be as familiar, so that indicates a slower start than the likes of Kaymer.

The class in the field doesn’t stop there, and don’t be too surprised if on e of the strong chasing pack pops up with a great weekend. Charl Schwartzel landed a fifth place finish at the Volvo Golf Champions last week, so showing good form. He has also had two top ten finishes out of three cracks at the event and a price of 28/1 with Coral, the South African makes an interesting bet. Sergio Garcia at 25/1 with SkyBet and Jason Day at 35/1 with Bet365 also warrants looks in what is a fantastic line up in Abu Dhabi.

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We are going to look at Thailand Golf Championship betting as there is a strong trio in the field who are expected to land the title. First of all we can look at Lee Westwood, who has been in great form out east this season, and is now gunning for his third Asian Tour title of the season. This is the last stop on the Asian Tour swing, affiliated with the European PGA, and Westwood, who has already won the Ballantines and the Indonesian Masters out east this season, is gunning to bow out on a hat trick this weekend. The Englishman has never won in Thailand, so a victory here would add yet another feather to his cap. We are at the Amata Spring Country Club for our golf betting this week , and Westwood seems to be shaping up as something of an Asian specialist. He just seems extremely comfortable in the conditions, and while he hasn’t been out in Thailand for a while, the Englishman does make a good bet for your Thailand Golf Championship wagers this week at the Amata Spring Country Club. The course goes over just under seven and a half thousands yards and is a par 72 course. The winner will automatically book themselves a place in the WGC Bridgestone Invitational next year, and that along with a nice purse of $1,000,000 on offer, it will make for an interesting tournament, even if the field we are looking at, doesn’t immediately go all that deep.

Along with Westwood, we have to look at Masters winner Charl Schwartzel as a main contender. He is great form at the moment, and landed in the top five at the Dubai World Championship last week, and only dropped just one shot over the weekend. Pretty impressive, and Schwartzel did land a fourth place finish at the HSBC in China as well, and has to be at the front of your running to challenge near the top of the leader board with Lee Westwood. The South African looks to have one of the most complete games of golf as anyone from the European Tour, and while he may not be as familiar with the Asian conditions as Lee Westwood clearly is, if he adapts quickly and puts in a solid first round of golf, then he could be hard to stop. Charl Schwartzel has the form and class to take the title here and he is going to be pretty good value for it as well. Has to be out top golf betting tip for this tournament without a question. Stronger than the other two main challengers in the betting market.

With Rory McIlroy pulling out of this final Asian Tour event, the other big name in the field which should attract a lot of attention is Spain’s Sergio Garcia. There has been a bit of a resurgence in Garcia’s form over the past few months, especially when the European Tour hit his homeland. Was a bit disappointing at the Dubai World Championship though, as he only managed to finish outside of the top ten, which makes you wonder if he is really a good bet here at all. He is far from home, where he has shown up the best this year and therefore warrants some hesitation in your Thailand Golf Championships betting. How can you sum up Garcia at the moment? Potential is still there to win big events, however you wouldn’t go throwing the mortgage at him. Playing decently, not great though, and that puts him back behind Schwartzel and Westwood on paper for your golf betting. But remember, being one of the big names in the field, he will be expected to put in a top ten performance, so would look for a place from him for some value.

So are there any Asian talents worth having a punt on? Yes, that will have to be KT Kim, who has been trading well. Kim has been avoiding the Asian Tour, generally taking a preference for Japan instead, where has made a huge name for himself. Earned his spot on Team International for the Presidents Cup you may recall and is arguably one of the best players from Asia at the moment. Should be up there challenging when weighing things up, there is no reason for him not to be if he brings his A game. But for the outright betting tip for Thailand Golf Championship betting, then it will have to be Charl Schwartzel. Is in the best form of pretty much the entire field, and looking very comfortable and confident, and would take him over Lee Westwood in your golf betting for this one.

Thailand Golf Championship Betting Odds
Lee Westwood: 5/1 at Ladbrokes (Place Market Evens at Unibet)
Sergio Garcia: 8/1 at SkyBet (Place Market 6/4 at Bet365)
Charl Schwartzel: 8/1 at BetFair (Place Market 7/4 at SkyBet)
Kim Kyung-Tae: 18/1 at Totesport (Place Market 3/1 at Bet365)
Thongchai Jaidee: 22/1 at Stan James (Place Market 4/1 at Totesport)
Ryo Ishikawa: 22/1 at SportingBet (Place Market 4/1 at VC Bet)
Simon Dyson: 25/1 at Bet365 (Place Market 5/1 at VC Bet)

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Well, with Alvaro Quiros winning the Dubai World Championship, it was with more than enough to spare that England’s Luke Donald became the first man in Golf history to finish the season as leader in both the PGA and European PGA Tour’s money lists. It has been an incredible year for the Englishman, and with a strong performance at the Dubai World Championship anyway, where he finished third with a total of -14 under, Donald heaped more glory upon himself. The only man threatening him at the top of the European Money List was Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, who just couldn’t sustain the pressure needed and finished on -9 under, well back.  So as the golf world salutes the genius of Luke Donald, there is some important Golf Betting to look at, because for all of his success this season, it has all come without Donald winning a major. Naturally, this leads us to the golf betting market of finding specials for next season, which swings back into action in January after a short winter break. Can Donald really cap his career and land himself a Golf Major? His best ever finish in a Golf Major came back in 2006 when he landed a third place at the PGA Championship. In 2011, his best finishes were a T4 at The Masters and a T8 at the PGA Championship. Out of 37 Majors entered, Donald has landed six top tens and twelve top twenty-fives. But this season he looks to have been getting closer. Donald is trading at 2/9 with Bet365 to not win a Major in 2012, while you can get best market odds of 4/1 with Victor Chandler for a Yes, that he will join the Major winner club. The bookies still seem to be doubting his ability to land one, as in the Total Number of Majors for 2012, None at 1/3 with SkyBet is the favourite, with Exactly One second favourite at 10/3.

With this done, we can start looking at some of the other major players in Golf Major betting for 2012. One of the season’s other big successes has of course been Rory McIlroy, who is going to be splitting his time between the US and European Tours next season. McIlroy landed the US Open in emphatic style this year of course, and showed up well in The Masters as well, but will still be ruing that horrid final round. He is simply oozing talent at the moment, and he rattled off wins when it mattered at the end of the season as he tried to hunt down Luke Donald at the top of the European Money List. He couldn’t quite manage that, be he has to be a force to be reckoned with next season, and many, including the bookies will see him as having more of an opportunity of landing a Major in 2012 than Luke Donald. Still, because of such fiercely competitive fields in the Majors, in the Exact Number Of Major Wins in 2012, None is the favourite priced at 4/9 with SkyBet, while Exactly One for McIlroy fetches 3/1 at Victor Chandler. You have to picture him going close, as he enjoys the conditions out in the US, which certainly favour his game. He is good enough to win a lot more Majors yet, and naturally the comparison will be between his young talent and that of Tiger Woods.

Tiger Woods landed his first title for two years with a win at the Chevron recently. His name will always come up near the top of the list in Golf Major betting specials, and you can’t over look him. Or can you? He has showed glimpses of his old magic near the end of the season, but is it good enough to take on the new generation of golf’s best players. It is by no certainty that we are going to see him land one, and would put his chances in 2012 outside that of McIlroy and Donald, personally. Yes, he still has natural talent, you can’t take that away from him, but there are still issues of consistency and frame of mind with him. He should remain in the chasing pack to land a Major in 2012, but do not seeing him as one of the outright front runners in any of them. The bookies will always protect themselves when it comes to the multiple Major winner, but has yet to prove that he really has what it takes since his comebacks. Woods is priced at 6/4 with Bet365 to win a Major in 2012.

So that will lead us finally on to the nearly man of Golf’s Majors, England’s Lee Westwood. Has again had a very consistent season in the European PGA Tour, especially over the second half of it. In the Majors this season, he showed that he can push for the top, but just can’t get over the line. There was a third for him at the US Open, a good result after a poor first round, and that was his third T3 result in four Majors. After missing the cut at The Open, he responded with a T8 finish at the PGA Championship,. For the great career that Westwood has had, he just can’t seem to land that Major. Out of 55 attempts, he has finished second on two occasions, third on four occasions combining for a total of 12 top ten finishes. The man really deserves one, but you always wonder just when that one bad round is going to come and shoot him in the foot. Currently trading at 1/4 with bet365 to Not win a Major in 2012, while Victor Chandler are offering odds of 4/1 that he will.

In a season which saw so many rookie winners, and four different winners of the Majors again this season, what will happen in your Golf Major betting in 2012. The last fifteen Majors have been won by a different individual. Tiger Wood’s last Major title was at the US Open in 2008 (his 14^th Major). We have only seen two of the last eight Majors having been won by an American, with three Northern Irish winners, two South Africans and one German making up the last eight. We will have to wait until April when the Masters will tees off at the Augusta National, to find out who will be the next on the list.

PGA Tour Money List Betting 2012 Odds

Tiger Woods: 9/2 at Victor Chandler
Rory McIlroy: 9/1 at SkyBet
Luke Donald: 12/1 at SkyBet
Lee Westwood: 20/1 at Stan James
Nick Watney: 20/1 at Bet365
Dustin Johnson: 20/1 at Stan James

It is the conclusion of the European PGA Tour this week as we head to the Dubai World Championship golf betting. We are at the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf estates, for our golf betting this week. Thankfully we have an absolute cracker of an event to look at. The Greatest Show on Earth, as it is has become to be known as, is the culmination of the European PGA Tour’s Race to Dubai, where the top money earners on the European Tour fight it out to finish number one. Holding that position going into the event is current world ranked number one player Luke Donald, who simply needs to finish within the top ten to guarantee his place at the top at the end of the season. Luke Donald is in the rare position of finishing at the top of both the PGA and the European PGA Tour’s money lists, and if he achieves that, he will be the first man in history to do so. There is only one man who can stop him doing that. That will be US Open winner Rory McIlroy, who kept his chances of becoming European number one alive last week, when he landed a pretty heroic win in Hong Kong, while Luke Donald was struggling at the Nedbank in South Africa. The basic upshot of this is that Rory McIlroy has to win the Dubai World Championship to finish as Europe’s top player ahead of Luke Donald, and even if he does win, he will need Donald to finish worse than a tie in ninth with one other player. If that scenario happened, then Donald would still win by just five Euros, which really would be something. There is a $7.5 million prize pot up for grabs, and another $7.5 million to be shared in a pool between the players who finish in the top fifteen in the Race to Dubai. The defending Champion is Robert Karlsson, and all of the world’s top four players are in attendance. So a massive week ahead with Dubai World Championship Golf betting.

Luke Donald 12/1 at SkyBet
What a season the Englishman has head. Just three times this entire season has Donald finished outside of the top nine, the place where he needs to be to guarantee his position as number one. He only returned to action at the Nedbank last week after a five week layoff from the game due to the birth of his child and also the passing away of his father. What could help Donald in his quest to become Europe’s number one, is that McIlroy will have to win in a very highly competitive and classy field. So there is still a big advantage for Donald going into the event.

Rory McIlroy 5/1 at Bet365
In brilliant form at the moment, and you can’t take anything away from him. He has really kept up t he pressure on Donald all the way. There is huge money at stake in the Dubai World Championship this week, but McIlroy needs to land that win, or else his chances will be done and dusted. A tough field to crack, especially with players hoping to finish the season inside the top fifteen to get extra financial bonus, but McIlroy has proven time and time again that he is one of the best. You have to think that he will go close after firing off wins at the Shanghai Masters and the Hong Kong Classic, plus has been in the top five in the last two renewals of the Dubai World Championship golf betting.

Lee Westwood 6/1 at Totesport
Is in great form at the moment, his 62 at the Nedbank on Saturday was one of the best rounds of golf we have seen anywhere this season. Starting in fifth in the Race to Dubai, Westwood can finish second in the final money order, because he can overhaul McIlroy given the right circumstances. Westwood could well be worth backing here because he is a previous winner of the Dubai World Championship back in 2009 and he finished in third last year. So great pedigree and is definitely going to be in the running. Was driving the ball beautifully last week, and is supremely consistent mood. Ignore his final round of one over on Sunday, his position on the Saturday had allowed him to play conservatively. Seven top ten finishes in his last nine, can’t fault that. Westwood is our tip as winner for the Dubai World Championship golf betting given his track record.

Martin Kaymer 16/1 at Unibet
Probably worth a little flutter because he has raised his game a little bit over the closing month or so of the season. He won the Race to Dubai last year. Hasn’t quite been able to get his full game going consistently over four days this year. Landed a great win in the WGC HSBC Champions though to show that he still has what it takes. Can deliver and is looking in much better form than earlier in the year, looks to be getting some confidence back and after his win in Abu Dhabi and at the WGC-HSBC, could be a good outside shot.

Charl Schwartzel 25/1 at Bet365
The Masters winner and the Joburg Open winner has had a pretty good year. Well he won the green jacket for starts, and he is getting better. Arguably one of the most accomplished players on the European PGA Tour, and has been mixing it up on the US and the European Tour. Landed an eighth place finish at the Dubai World Championships last season and will need to do better than that if he wants to keep himself up there in the Race to Dubai. Smooth striker of the ball and usually contests.

Other selected Dubai World Championship Golf betting odds
Sergio Garcia: 16/1 at Boylesports
Paul Casey: 20/1 at Paddy Power
Ian Poulter: 25/1 at SkyBet
Robert Karlsson: 28/1 at Bet365
Graeme McDowell: 30/1 at Boylesports
Louis Oosthuizen: 33/1 at SkyBet

Online bookmaker BetFred have a great online betting promotion running for the 2011 Dubai World Championship golf betting. Back a player in the outright winner market this week, and if the player you back finishes in second place behind an Englishman (any Englishman in the field) then the bookie will refund your lost stake as a free bet, giving you some great coverage. The highly popular BetFred offer a free £50 bet for new customers registering an account with them. The bookie will match the value of your first bet on a new account, up to the maximum value of £50.

There’s a good field for the Nedbank Golf Challenge this week, in what is a busy week for your golf betting. The tournament is an invitational event at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, South Africa. The prize money is not counted as any official money, and it is a bit of a clash alongside Tiger Woods’ Chevron World Challenge. The four Major winners should be in attendance, but they are in California for the Chevron, so the Nedbank is made up of the top players in the Official World Golf Rankings, along with the defending Champion and the Sunshine Tour winner. While the prize money does not count for anything other than personal earnings, there are Official World Golf Ranking points up for grabs, so there is some importance to go on here. Last year’s winner was Lee Westwood, who is back to have another crack at the event. Westwood is favourite in Nedbank Golf Challenge this week, but there is such a good field here to enjoy. Westwood is playing well enough to go out and defend his title here and would genuinely pencil him in as the strong favourite. However, such is the competition in the small field, that the outright winner odds aren’t that strong on Westwood. Remember that this is only a twelve man field. Westwood most recently fired in a 13th place finish at the WGC HSBC Champions so is carrying good form going in. Has had a pretty good year although he has only won once this year, you would expect him to be at the top in a small field.

However, we have the world number one Luke Donald in the field. Donald has won four times this year, including topping both the PGA and the European Tour money lists, when he rattled off a truly remarkable finish at the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic to the PGA money list. After taking a late entry into that event, Donald took some time off with his wife giving birth and in the same period, Donald also lost his father. So you wonder what frame of mind he is going to be in in South Africa. Still, you can’t argue with the talent of the man, who has finally discovered that winning touch this year to cap off his potential. He could also have one eye on the Hong Kong Open, where Rory McIlroy is gunning for a win, the only man who can catch Rory McIlroy in the Race To Dubai Rankings. Donald is trading well though in Nedbank Golf Challenge but behind Lee Westwood probably in the pecking order really. Former world number one Martin Kaymer is in the field, and Kaymer had a pretty strong World Cup last week. Looks to have discovered more of his natural touch over the past couple of months after a difficult time since becoming the world’s highest ranked player. Has clearly worked on his game though and should be a strong challenger. So too Charl Schwartzel, who is one of the most complete players in the world. The Masters winner is coming of a decent showing at the Presidents Cup and he just makes everything look so easy when he is in the groove. Think that he is going to be a very, very shout in your Nedbank Golf Challenge betting this week, because he landed a 4th place finish at the WGC HSBC Champions and with two wins under his belt, 4th in the Race To Dubai is going to be our top tip here.

The strong field continues on down to Graeme McDowell, who, along with partner Rory McIlroy seemed to have the World Cup of Golf under control but let things slip in the final round. Still, he seems to have picked up his game as well, and in a small fields should show well. But would look for Schwartzel, who looks in a very confident mood at the moment, along with the natural game of defending champion Lee Westwood as well.

Nedbank Golf Challenge Betting Odds
Lee Westwood: 7/2 at Victor Chandler (Place Market 8/13 at Paddy Power)
Luke Donald: 9/2 at Boylesports (Place Market 5/6 at SkyBet)
Martin Kaymer: 5/1 at Bet365 (Place Market 6/4 at Unibet)
Charl Schwartzel: 7/1 at SkyBet (Place Market 6/4 at Skybet)
Graeme McDowell: 14/1 at SportingBet (Place Market 5/2 at SkyBet)
Anders Hansen: 16/1 at Totesport
Francesco Molinari: 16/1 at Paddy Power
Robert Karlsson: 20/1 at SkyBet
Simon Dyson: 20/1 at Boylesports
Jason Dufner: 28/1 at Bet365
Kyung-Tae Kim: 28/1 at Boylesports
Darren Clarke: 40/1 at SkyBet

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It is off to historic St Andrews this week for your European Tour PGA golf betting with the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship swinging into action. This the annual Pro-Am extravaganza where golf stars and celebrities from film, music and television (such as Hugh Grant, Andy Garcia and Huey Lewis) get together in Scotland to go over the Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns. While this is a Pro-Am event, there is a huge amount of prestige for the professional golfers to pick up this title, which was won last year by Germany’s Martin Kaymer. The former world number one was in sparkling form at last years event and is looking forward to getting back to the special place of golf. There is a impressively competitive field out for this one, with US Open champions Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood and current world number one Luke Donald all in contention. But Martin Kaymer’s impressive victory last year will have people backing him in the Alfred Dunhill Cup golf betting this year. He is currently ranked 6th in the world, and fired a superb 66 over the Old Course to lift the lift the title last year, and was the conclusion of some impressive previous form at the tournament as well. The challenge is a little unique in that three golf courses are in play at once, and the fairytale came true for Kaymer last year finishing off at St Andrews. There is a huge amount of prestige and excitement about this tournament, and Kaymer, while thoroughly optimistic about the chances of defending his title, is not favourite. He is back in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship golf betting, simply because of the form of McIlroy, Westwood and Donald. But that does make the German some pretty good value and will be worth a shot in your betting.

The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is broken down into two parts. There is the professional tournament with the big stars like Westwood and Donald are gunning for, while a team event is also running. The team event sees the pro’s paired up with amateurs and the collective scores goes towards the team challenge. This is what makes the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship so special. There are the pro’s going for serious business, playing alongside amateur celebrities. It all makes for a very special atmosphere and one which attracts large crowds over the links courses. Carnoustie will be the most difficult of the three courses which the players will have to negotiate this week. The links course is often very trying, and more difficult to score on than St Andrews and Kingsbarns. So if someone posts a great score from the get go at Carnoustie, it really should put them in good stead to challenge for an overall win here in Alfred Dunhill Links Championship golf betting. Lee Westwood will probably be putting up a strong challenge over the links conditions and will make for a very good bet as he has been looking relaxed and in pretty consistent shape over the past month or so. Luke Donald will no doubt be looking to make a name for himself here, after just missing out on the TOUR Championship and therefore the FedEx Cup title last weekend out in Georgia. Donald, who actually played some sublime golf throughout the FedEx Cup play offs came so very close, but just could quite make it to where he needed to take the FedEx Cup and its $10 million prize. So he could be pretty tired after all that emotion, but is in superb form.

You cannot ignore the threat of Rory McIlroy either. He has decided to go back to the US Tour next season, wanting to return there and step up his challenge because he feels that the courses are better suited to his game. He is still the great maverick talent in the PGA, and while he hasn’t been quite as busy since his incredible US Open victory, he is still a powerhouse. When he is relaxed in the groove he will take some stopping and usually plays the weather pretty well, if it gets a little rough up in Scotland. He just has the bravery to attack the links hard, and with a bit of extra distance off the tee which he has gotten, the Northern Irishman should be a force to be reckoned with. Would also take a look at South African Charl Schwartzel, this year’s Masters winner. Two reasons here for Schwartzel really, is that he has played here several times but has not quite gotten it right, especially at Carnoustie, but he believes that he has figured out the right tactics to impressive there this time around. Another name to watch in Alfred Dunhill Links golf betting will be American Dustin Johnson, who makes his first visit to the tournament. Johnson won the Barclays in the FedEx Cup play offs and while he fell away a bit in the over all charge for the end of season honours, has all the tools to challenge here. May be a bit difficult for the first timer to land it on the Scottish Links, but you feel if someone is going to challenge from abroad, then it will be either Schwartzel or Johnson. One final name to look out for is Thomas Bjorn who is a recent winner on the European PGA Tour and is carrying good form into the tournament.

While the stars are gunning for the prestigious title, some of the other celebrities in attendance are Chris Evans, Ruud Gullit, Ian Botham, Matthew Pinsent, Steve Redgrave, Jamie Redknapp, Alan Hansen, Tim Henman, Michael Vaughan and Shane Warne to name but a few.
Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Golf Betting Outright Winner
Rory McIlroy: 10/1 at SkyBet
Lee Westwood: 11/1 at Victor Chandler
Luke Donald: 12/1 at Boylesports
Martin Kaymer: 14/1 at Bet365
Simon Dyson: 22/1 at Bet365
Dustin Johnson: 25/1 at SportingBet
Charl Schwartzel: 28/1 at Boylesports
Thomas Bjorn: 35/1 at Stan James

If you want to get away from the high pressures of the FedEx Cup play offs, then the Vivendi Seve Trophy is being played this week. This is a head to head Ryder Cup style clash between Great Britain & Northern Ireland v Continental Europe. So you can see a lot of the European PGA stars battling it out for honours here. However, there are two notable absentees from the Great Britain and Northern Ireland side, with Luke Donald contesting the PGA BMW Championship as he is in with a great shot at the FedEx Cup title, and US Open Champion Rory McIlroy who is not competing. So, Great Britain and Northern Ireland will have the steady guiding hand of Lee Westwood to lead the way for them, and with the likes of Ian Poulter, Darren Clarke, Ross Fisher and Robert Rock in the side, you may think that Great Britain will be strong favourites. However, Lee Westwood, and team captain Paul McGinley don’t appear to think so. The main threats from Continental Europe are three players inside the top thirty, namely Anders Hansen, Francesco Molinari and the in form Thomas Bjorn. Throw in the experienced Miguel Angel Jimenez (who will be the very first to tee off) and youngster Matteo Manassero, Continental Europe do look strong. They will have home advantage here as well in Paris, and have the higher ranked players in their team collectively than Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Maybe if McIlroy and match play expert Luke Donald were appearing alongside Westwood then this wouldn’t be in question but they aren’t so this renewal of the event is interesting. One thing which may influence your Vivendi Seve Trophy golf betting is the fact that Great Britain and Northern Ireland have won the last five tournaments. There should be some great match play golf ahead, entertaining and all in the cause of honouring the sadly departed Seve Ballasteros.

Vivendi Seve Trophy Golf Betting
Continental Europe to win: 4/5 at Bet365
Great Britain & Northern Ireland to win: 23/20 at Sporting Bet

There is some fascinating golf betting to be had for Sunday, with the Omega European Masters out on the Crans-sur-Sierre in Switzerland. There is a really battle going on out there and some truly wonderful scoring taking place. At the halfway stage of proceedings, US Masters winner  Rory McIlroy had his share of the lead. This is the first time that McIlroy has competed since he injured himself at the US PGA a few weeks ago. But he doesn’t look any worse for taking a good break, as he got off to a blistering start with a round -6 Under par, shooting 65 for the round. That being said, McIlroy was not exactly happy with his performance at the halfway stage of the Omega European Masters, cursing himself for missing a lot of chances that should have put him in an even stronger position. Going in to Sunday’s final round, McIlroy sits two shots back of the leader Jamie Donaldson. McIlroy did fire in a beauty to score an eagle at the seventh in the third round, but after that, McIlroy really failed to capitalise on that score which put him out in front at -12 under par at the time. McIlroy did fire back to back birdies on the 14th and 15th, but then it went a bit wrong as he bogeyed both the 16th and the 17th, leaving him back at -12 under and two shots off the lead. Still, it has been a pretty strong showing from McIlroy in Switzerland, and he will be worth backing to put in one more superb round while the pressure mounts on the other players around him. Lee Westwood is looking in prime shape to challenge for the title as well after a stunning third round.

England’s Lee Westwood started off with a 67 -4 under par in the first round, and that should have been a lot better after a double bogey on the second and then back to back bogeys on the 17th and 18th. However, Westwood did fire in a couple of eagles as well in the first round. Strangely enough, he found the going just a little more difficult in the second round, when he fired a 69 -2 under to leave him down in tenth place. But he clearly found his rhythm in the third, when he went on a blistering run of golf form. The round started off perfectly with a birdie on the par five first, and then he strung together birdies on the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th to fire himself into contention. But Westwood was not even done there, as down the back nine he picked up a couple more bogeys on the easy 14th and 15th which left him with a superb round of -7 under, pulling him up into second place at the end of day three, just one shot off the lead. This is a prime position from which he can attack now. The ground work has really been laid and when Westwood is in a position like this, a player of his calibre really should not  be letting things slip. Well worth backing in your Omega European Masters golf betting because he should be there or thereabouts. The course is pretty soft and scoring very low, and so Westwood, with the confidence from that third round, in which he didn’t drop a shot, should really go on and capture this. He is in a great position but there is going to be a great fight to the finish here with the lead changing so many times at the Omega European Masters.

Both McIlroy and Westwood are chasing leader, Welshman Jamie Donaldson, who almost matched Westwood’s terrific third round, firing in a -6 under 65. Donaldson dropped one shot on the front nine in the third round, but he certainly capitalised on a very good second round which he finished on -5 under. That’s eleven shots picked up in the last two rounds for him, and he is looking more and more comfortable out there. The pressure of the final round may tell, especially if McIlroy and Westwood start charging. But Donaldson has shown the most control out of the three, as he has only dropped five shots over the three rounds. Has to be worth looking at in your Omega European Masters golf betting for the final round. We are expecting plenty more low scores and truthfully the leader board is so tight, that the likes of Martin Kaymer down in T6, just four shots off the lead can make a major impact with just one final flourish. Would also take a good look at Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn (one of the higher ranking players in the chasing pack), who has three sub 70 rounds, including a very strong 66 in the third to put himself in contention.

Omega European Masters golf betting tip: We are going to take Westwood. McIlroy’s putter just hasn’t quite been working as well as it may need too for a low scoring fourth round.

Omega European Masters golf betting
Lee Westwood: 11/8 at Bet365
Rory McIlroy: 3/1 at Totesport
Jamie Donaldson: 4/1 at 888Sport
Martin Kaymer: 16/1 at Bet365
Thomas Bjorn: 20/1 at Stan James
Gary Boyd: 25/1 at Boylesports