Martin Kaymer

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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There is a good field out for the Andalucía Masters this week in European PGA Tour golf betting. Winner last week on his home course, Spaniard Sergio Garcia looks to follow up his great win at the Castello Masters, his first victory on the Tour for a long time, has really shone some golf betting spotlights on him. He was superb last week, but we have to remember that this is a course on which he grew up playing, and was very familiar. He still had to do the work to put in a the great score that he did, but this week will see him face a much more challenging field as well. Still, he has been pretty consistent this year and now he has finally landed that win, he should be full of confidence and raring to go. Probably worth a look at a good place finish. Along with Sergio Garcia, who is one of the strong bets here, there are a clutch of good Spaniards in the field on home soil. Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Miguel Angel Jiminez, Pablo Larrazabal and Alvaro Quiros are all competing in the Andalucía Masters golf betting. Again, places for the top fifteen in the Race to Dubai are concerns for Quiros, Garcia, Larrazabal and Jimenez in particular who are on the bubble. Will we see another Spaniard with a title in his hands at the end of the week? There is a fair chance.

Graeme McDowell, who has had something of a difficult season by his standards, is the defending Champion of the Andalucía Masters, and therefore should be looked at for your golf betting. It is tough defending titles but it proves that the Northern Irishman has a good track record at the event, and his game fits the course well. McDowell could really do with a win, as it could shoot him into the top fifteen in the Race to Dubai, which would allow him to head to the Dubai World Championships and compete for the huge pot of money available there at the end of the year. So McDowell, who has just recently shown glimpses of his top game, has a lot to gun for and is trading well in Andalucía Masters golf betting. McDowell, with his experience, should be able to get something going at the course again, but this is a field in which there is a lot of players with genuine credentials to step up and win this one. So it is going to be a massive challenge for McDowell to hold on to his title. He heads to the Andalucía Masters on the back of a third place finish at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. His best finish in a tournament for a long time.

Martin Kaymer, former world number one, could also do with a win, as he is looking to chase down the Race to Dubai leader Luke Donald. There is still eight European Tour events left to go this season, and while Donald is well out in front of the pack in the race, Kaymer can start to turn up the head a little bit, by making inroads in the two million Euros lead that Donald has over him right now. We most recently saw him in the Portugal Masters where he landed a top ten finish. The German too has had his struggles with consistency this year, and he admitted that he had a hard job of living up to the pressure of being the world number one. Still, he is a top contender though, and if he is swinging well off the tee again, he should be in for a good place. There is just enough to suggest that he is going to land something soon. This is where the pressure of the season starts to wind up to new levels, because of the Race to Dubai and the big money which is involved there.

Justin Rose has fond memories of the course, having won here in 2007 when the course hosted the Volvo Masters. This is his debut at the Andalucía Masters though, but Rose’s consistent stats should be in good stead as well here. He is great at finding the fairway and landing it on the green. Has been quiet on the European front, but will enjoy being back here. You look down the field and see the likes of Matteo Manassero who did decently at the Castello Masters last week, and then a very strong European trio of Peter Hanson, Alexander Noren and Thomas Bjorn. Would not be surprised to see one of these three step up and win the Andalucía Masters. Hanson has shown fantastic consistency over the last three events and really looks ready to land his first title of the season. Landed a 6th at the Bankia Madrid Masters and an 11th at the Portugal Masters so is in good form. But Alexander Noren and Thomas Bjorn are both in the exclusive club of being multiple winners on the European PGA Tour this season, with Bjorn gunning for his fourth title of the season, and Noren his third. Both players are worth looking at in your Andalucía Masters golf betting, as Noren heads there on the back of a third place finish at the Castello Masters last week, and Bjorn has won two of his last four starts. A superb field on show here and the pressure of good finishes is becoming vital.

Would look for Noren, Bjorn and Hanson for a strong weekend.

Andalucía Masters Golf betting odds
Sergio Garcia: 7/1 at Paddy Power (Place Market 13/8 at Paddy Power)
Martin Kaymer: 12/1 at Bet365 (Place Market 11/4 at paddy Power)
Graeme McDowell: 20/1 at SkyBet (Place Market 9/2 at Paddy Power)
Justin Rose: 22/1 at Bet365 (Place Market 9/2 at Boylesports)
Peter Hanson: 22/1 at Boylesports (Place Market 5/1 at Boylesports)
Alexander Noren: 25/1 at Blue Square (Place Market 9/1 at Stan James)
Thomas Bjorn: 22/1 at BetFair (Place Market 5/1 at SkyBet)

The Oceanico Victoria Golf Course in Vilamoura, Portugal was designed by the legend that is Arnold Palmer and ranks as one of the best European destinations. The course plays over a Par 72 at just over 7,200 yards and this is the fifth installation of the Portugal Masters. One of the feature holes is the nasty 510 yarder at the seventh, and the 18th also presents a wonderfully difficult finish for the players, with water edging the hole all the way on the left hand side. The 17th though is the showcase hole at just under 600 yards, with water and bunkers protecting the fairway and the green. Driving accuracy off the tee is something which may be kind to the players who are a bit wayward because they are pretty wide. There is a lot of water which may make them look a bit narrower off the tees, but the fairways are attackable and should be driven at. However, a little caution would be advised, because the tournament organisers have made the rough a bit more pronounced than usual, so wayward tee shots will really have to be dug out. The other notable change at the course this year, is that they have made the greens firmer and therefore more difficult to play. So some very soft hands will be needed in approach work, which in turn goes back to landing yourself on the fairway off the tee. A beautifully designed course, which really should be a big challenge, and the projection is, that lower scoring won’t be quite as easy to achieve as in the past. Lee Westwood won at -23 back in 2009, just to put the scoring into perspective. There were birdies left right and centre last year at Oceanico Victoria, with over 1,600 being nailed, but it should be less this year. The key factor here is attacking the par 5’s, as that is where the majority of the strokes will be picked up. The previous winners here are current defending champion Steve Webster, Alvaro Quiros, Lee Westwood and Richard Green.

So who do we have topping the bill this year for Portugal Masters Golf betting? Well, that will be Martin Kaymer, who is the highest ranked player at the event this week. The German former world number one actually holds the course record here, which was an astonishing -11 under par in the first round. It wasn’t enough to win him the tournament over the course of the weekend, but that was a fantastic performance nonetheless. Kaymer has admitted that being the world number one put an undue amount of stress on him which really affected his game. Kaymer landed a good second place in Switzerland a month ago, but we are still short of seeing the best of the German. He failed badly following that at the KLM Open, to put in a 30th place finish at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Was not hot with the putter in Scotland, but Kaymer looks positive about playing at the Portugal Masters. It was a shame that he faded so much to land down in seventh place after his incredible first round, and that will probably fuel a good drive here. This is a chance to climb the table in The Race To Dubai money standings though for Kaymer. He is fifth there for the big money, and with the four above him not playing this week, he could see himself move up with a good showing here. The only thing stopping Martin Kaymer winning, is Martin Kaymer. He has looked a little nervous, a little despondent lately, not quite living up to his confident words. He is the class act in the field though, so that is why he is top of the list for Portugal Masters Golf betting. Worth a punt anyway, because if he fuels confidence from last years tournament, he could build big here.

Francesco Molinari is going to attract a lot of Portugal Masters Golf betting. Why? Because he has been the nearly man at the event for the last two years now. He has put in second place finishes in the last two years here, and is of course hoping to go one better this time. The Italian showed some good form last week at the Bankia Madrid Masters, with a T6 finish at -9 under. He should have done better, but like most players in the field, really struggled on the Sunday, carding a 74 which really hurt him. Molinari enjoys the course and clearly has a bit of an affinity with it. He fired a ten under par last year on both his second and fourth rounds at the event to put him in second place. If he hadn’t had such a terrible third round in between, he would probably have strolled to victory. The good performance last week showed that Molinari is perhaps getting back to his best. He is not too confident over his swing at the moment, but he will be worth getting behind in Vilamoura this week, just in the hope that he can make it third time lucky. Worth a shot for the money though. Peter Hanson will be worth looking at as well, trading around the same price as Molinari. Hanson is probably a bit stronger with his consistency than Molinari, and the Swede has roared back into form. He landed a 6th at the Bankia Madrid Masters last week, and that followed a 9th at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. He had a major blip at the KLM Open last month, but is generally never too far away from the big money. Would look at Hansen in the Portugal Masters Golf betting this week. He is carrying good form and really should be able to mount a challenge.

It is going to be worth looking at Thomas Bjorn as well, as he is a three time winner on the European Tour this year. The Dane won back to back events in landing the Johnnie Walker Championships and the Omega European Masters. Didn’t go well at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, and is drifting a bit in the betting because of that, but his form alone prior to that should put him in contention. You can also lump Englishman Simon Dyson in with Bjorn as well, as he is in great form. He is another of the multiple title winners on the European tour this year, most recently winning the KLM Open. Has been inside the top twenty in his last four tournaments now, including that win, so should be well in contention.

Portugal Masters Golf Betting Odds
Martin Kaymer: 11/at SkyBet, Place Market 5/2 at Unibet
Peter Hanson: 16/1 at Paddy Power, Place Market 7/2 at Stan James
Francesco Molinari: 16/1 at Victor Chandler, Place Market 7/2 at Boylesports
Simon Dyson: 18/1 at SkyBet, Place Market 17/4 at Unibet
Joost Luiten: 22/1 at Boylesports, Place Market 5/1 at Stan James
Padraig Harrington: 28/1 at SportingBet, Place Market 5/1 at Paddy Power
Nicolas Colsearts: 25/1 at Bwin, Place Market 6/1 at Boylesports
Alvaro Quiros: 30/1 at Blue Square, Place Market 13/2 at Paddy Power
Thomas Bjorn: 33/1 at Bet365, Place Market 7/1 at Boylesports

Martin Kaymer 2011 US PGA Championship Golf Betting has the German as one of the front runners, as he returns to the tournament as the defending champion. After edging out Bubba Watson in a play off last year, Kaymer’s reign as US PGA Championship holder is almost up. Defending titles at Golf Majors is a difficult feat, it is not something which comes easy in the world of sport, and while Kaymer is one of the best players in the world, the question of whether or not because he won it last year, will put him out of the running again. The trouble with golf betting, it is not like football betting where fields are narrower. You have an immense field and a clutch of superstars at the top, among which Kaymer can be counted, but as seen on the PGA Tour this year, there has been a whole host of relatively unknown winners, those kind of guys who are really long shots in the betting odds to start a tournament. So can Kaymer deliver the goods again against all of these odds. Well the German former world number one has not in the greatest form since the start of the year. He has played very well in patches, but has been in anonymous in others. After missing the cut at The Masters earlier in the year, he did get himself back together at The Open to land a T12 finish. Before Kaymer lifted the PGA Championship last year, his previous result in the preceding Majors had been a T8 at the US Open and a T7 at The Open. So he was on very good form in the Majors, but this year his results in the preceding Majors have not been quite as good. He finished with a T39 at the US Open, always battling right from the start, and then nearly crept in to the top ten at Royal St Georges for The Open Championship. So the talent is there, make no mistake, but he has been making adjustments to his game. Kaymer needs to go long and straight, and the defence of his title will take place on a different style of course to the Whistling Straits, the scene of his triumph last year. There are very green fairways at the Atlanta Athletic Club at Johns Creek, Georgia, and you have to find distance as well as be accurate off the tee. The US PGA Championship has not been that friendly to golfers from outside of the USA, but Kaymer has had his say. Not sure whether he is going to be able to make such a huge impact this year, but he needs a strong start. He needs to find his rhythm quickly, but still, the defending champion sounds pretty eager to get back out and do what he can possibly do to hang on to his title. The course is going to run tougher for Kaymer than Whistling Straits, but he rolls off the first tee with confidence, his adrenalin and enthusiasm could see him pose a threat.

Martin Kaymer 2011 US PGA Championship golf betting tip:
We like what Kaymer was doing at the start of the year compared to what has been delivering for most of 2011. He has looked as if he has been trying to find his groove and momentum. Trying a bit too hard perhaps. His showing back in January to win the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship by a whopping eight strokes is the kind of thing we want to see from him. He did actually defend his title there, so it does happen outside of Tiger Woods! Has found winning a little bit harder to come by this year. He has probably been waiting for this with great anticipation .Could be a decent top ten finish bet, but don’t see him winning outright.

Martin Kaymer Odds to win the 2011 US PGA Masters: 28/1 at Totesport

Best US PGA Finish: 1st in 2010

2011 Masters Performances: Masters Cut, US Open T39, The Open T12

See our Full 2011 US PGA Championship Golf Guide here

See our 2011 US PGA Leaderboard, Betting Tips and Updates here

This is one of the favourite courses for many of the European Tour players. It is the oldest National Open Championship in Europe, and so the history has great appeal, and this year sees the 95th running of the tournament. Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez is back to defend the title which he won last year here to great popularity. Interesting field lining up for this one, with former winner Martin Kaymer in the mix, along with the understated Swede Peter Hanson. Kaymer is the big attraction here in French Open golf betting, but does he carry enough form to pick up his second title at the event? There actually is a pretty competitive field lining up at the bookies behind him, with a good clutch of French players trying to grab glory on home turf, as well as a strong trio of Italians. Here we present our French Open Golf betting guide.

Martin Kaymer: 10/1 at SkyBet

The German former world number one will start as favourite in your Alstom Open De France Golf betting. Sitting fifth in the Race to Dubai rankings, Kaymer really has to look to run a strong race here in France. There is a lot of history at this European Tour event, and Kaymer’s name up there again would be a great fit. Despite his status in the world rankings, his stats on the PGA Tour rank pretty averagely at best. True he is not in the kind of form that graced some of the world’s best golf courses over the past twelve months, and that is mostly down to his driving. Just not quite putting the ball where he wants it to at the moment, and that is costing him a lot, certainly making him work harder for birdies than he should have too. He is only ranked 103rd in scoring average for example, yet he is a proven winner. Definitely needs to get back to his old fluidity as he is struggling just a bit at the moment. Could pull it all together of course, because he has great history at the course, and the course very much suits his style of play. That is why the bookies still see him as such a big threat. Kaymer hit himself a top ten finish here last year, and with his beating of Lee Westwood in a play off to capture the title the year before, plus another top ten finish in 2007, Kaymer does still make a good bet. So, will returning to a familiar course, one he enjoys, bring out the best in the German? Only worth looking at as outright winner at these odds.

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Peter Hanson: 14/1 at Unibet

The Swede will be looking to push on a bit this season after landing a seventh place finish at Congressional in the US Open. Not really threatened too much, and is a bit of a hard player to read. Hanson does have an air of consistency about him, but he can be a bit hit and miss. It could that he is pretty selective about which tournaments he plays in, so is not one of the busiest players on tour. Hanson has landed four top ten finishes during 2011, including his positive result at the US Open. Hanson is attracting quite a bit of attention in this week’s European Tour PGA golf betting and with him having hit a T4 finish at the Alstom Open de France last year, and a T6 the year before, this is a case of the course matching the style of the player. On the cusp of things, but one of the stronger players here in the betting because of his history. Could really do with a win on the year and handsomely priced for outright.

Those two are pretty much dominating betting and you can see why because of their previous histories at the event. But there is a challenging field, which should produce a close, highly competitive tournament. There is plenty of value to be had elsewhere as well, and he we take a look. Robert Rock 50/1 at Bet365 may genuinely be worth an each way look, as he made his way to the big time by winning the BMW Italian Open, and then followed that up with a T23 at the US Open after all of his problems getting there. Great character is the Englishman, and carrying some good form. Is a little irrepressible out there at the moment. Bubba Watson at 28/1 with BetFred, is being overlooked a bit and that could be because of his form at the US Open. Still, the big hitting American has won two titles this year, let’s not forget this and this is the first time he has participated in a regular European Tour event. He has the distance to blast his way through this, as well as awesome control in the air. Because of where he is standing in the odds with online bookmakers at the moment, he is worth taking at this great price as an each way bet. Hit and miss, as he is either brilliant or in the bushes. Matteo Manassero at 18/1 with Bet365, shows how much the young Italian continues to impress. Has a fantastic game, and is not short on confidence. He makes up a trio of potential Italian winners here, along with the Molinari brothers, Francesco (22/1 at Unibet) and Eduardo (55/1 at BetFred). Would not be too afraid to get behind Manassero or Francesco Molinari here, both represent very good value and have a good shot on this course.

Miguel Angel Jimenez (50/1 at Boylesports). The Spaniard was a popular winner last year. In lifting the title at Alstom Open De France, Jimenez because the oldest player ever to win the event, which is the oldest on the European Tour. Great character to watch out on the golf course, as he has touches of flamboyancy and is hard to miss. It is a little hard to see him picking up back to back wins at the event, and did nearly blow it last year. However, young Spaniard Alvaro Quiros really could make a big splash here, as he brings his big hitting game to the French Open golf betting.

Alstom Open de France Golf Betting Tip: So your options are quite open here, and Peter Hanson is really worth a bet to come good. Beyond him, would look for Robert Rock and Matteo Manassero to be challenging for positions at the top of the leader board.

The Dubai Desert Classic on the European PGA Golf Tour is shaping up to be a good one, with Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy leading the way in a strong field. The world’s top three are all in action, with Tiger Woods coming over to play on the European Event, again showing what strength the European Tour is proving to be in the world of golf at the moment. Woods is in action along with Martin Kaymer and Lee Westwood as the top three ranked players in the world go head to head. But it was a sparkling round from the young maverick McIlroy who set the tournament alight with a fantastic seven under par 65. This is a tournament which McIlroy won two years ago and he admits himself that he is a much improved player since then. McIlroy is such as bright spark on the European Tour and has the ability to rack up tournament titles. The first round at the Omega Dubai Desert classic really has seen him at his best, and he managed to take the spotlight away from the battle of the big three. McIlroy, still aged just 21, with a victory in Dubai, can climb up to World Number Four, the highest he has been in his short career. McIlroy, with his eight birdies on the round, was back in the club house with a two shot lead over Spain’s Sergio Garcia and four shots ahead of both Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer, at the close of the first round. While he is out in front, this is a great test of temperament and consistency for McIlroy, but perhaps that is growing as he finished as runner up in the Abu Dhabi Championship last week. as there should still be more stronger big challenges to come from Westwood and Kaymer you would think.

Both Westwood and Kaymer look as if they have a lot more in them, and both could have been in stronger positions, had it not been for some unfortunate bogey. Those three are still the ones which you would look for in the betting, and it will be up to McIlroy, sitting at 9/4 favourite with Bet365 at the moment to defend his lead. But with the world number one and two breathing down your neck, then there should be some pretty good action to come over the weekend. Westwood looks a good tip again, as he pretty much always does, and needs to inject a little life into the new start to the season for him. A positive win would do wonders here, and it was an all round solid performance from Westwood, and he should be able to post much lower scores than his -3 under in the first as the tournament progresses. Not in the greatest form after missing the cut in Qatar last week, but is stronger than Woods, and if anyone is going to keep pace with Kaymer, who is form, then it should be Westwood. The grouping will probably help Westwood in terms of drive and motivation, and he did finish as runner up here last year.

As for Kaymer, who just looks to be getting better and better all the time, he makes a stronger bet than Westwood. The German was finding that little bit of edge to drive in for birdies, picking up six of them on his round, was hampered by an unlucky double bogey back on the 9th, otherwise he would be challenging stronger for top the lead. Still, both of them are sitting comfortably and are primed for an attack. If it came down to the split for your betting between him and Westwood, then Kaymer would it edge it because of current form, and he has finished as runner up at this tournament back in 2008. Well worth a punt without any doubt. He will challenge for top of the leader board on Sunday. Seems pretty well suited to the course, and will be a threat. Note: If Kaymer finishes second and Westwood outside of the top ten, then the German would become the World Number One in the rankings. First German to do so since Bernhard Langer in ‘86. That equals incentive.

Tiger Woods has won the Dubai Desert Classic twice before, once in 2006 and in 2008, but he got off to a slow start this year. The American had to work a lot harder than he would have expected to, finding himself two over par early on. Interestingly Woods was grouped with Kaymer and Westwood but simply could not keep up the pace. It has been a trying time for Woods as he is desperately trying to get back to his winning ways. He finished the first round on -1 under and played an absolute beauty, the best shot of the tournament in his approach on the 18th. Still, that old consistency isn’t there, but should he turn this around and pick up a tournament victory here, he would become only the second man to win the Dubai Desert Classic three times (along with Ernie Els, who incidentally holds the course record of 61). Unfortunately, he doesn’t look as if he has it in him at the moment still. Looks as if he will continue to struggle to keep pace with the leaders, and already finding himself six shots off the lead, it is a lot to recover from at the moment. In the three ball with Westwood and Kaymer, he is almost falling out of the limelight behind those two. You just can’t see him putting together three incredibly strong rounds to take the title here though.

Trying to look at the betting to find someone outside of McIlroy, Kaymer, Westwood and Woods is a little tough to be honest this week. Spain’s Sergio Garcia is swinging into a bit of form at the moment out in the desert, but has he got the staying power to contest? With a solid first round of five under, he is up there, but would remain a slim outside shot at best. Probably makes the best of the outside shots, but even then it seems like a really long one. With the world’s top three in the tournament, you expect a winner to come from there, and with the injection of pace which McIlroy has laid down, the gauntlet really has been thrown down early. It will take something special to catch him, and you would expect a special player to pull it off. As it stands, McIlroy looks in pretty good shape, confident and calm.

Rory McIlroy: 9/4 at Bet365
Martin Kaymer: 5/1 at Extrabet
Lee Westwood: 9/1 at Extrabet
Tiger Woods: 14/1 at Bet365
Sergio Garcia: 14/1 at SkyBet
Thomas Aiken: 25/1 at SkyBet
Peter Hanson: 25/1 at Totesport

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The European PGA Tour continues to make waves in the golf world, as two of the World’s top three go head to head in Doha, Qatar this week. England’s Lee Westwood and Germany’s Martin Kaymer lead the field for the Commericalbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy. There is a big $2,500,000 purse on the line, and is the sixth event on the European Tour schedule so far this year. The European Tour has already thrown up some great action, with Martin Kaymer picking up the title at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship against the likes of Mickelson and Westwood in a thrilling event. Then you had Paul Casey in storming form last weekend, taking the Volvo Golf Champions in Bahrain. The action is coming thick and fast as the European PGA Tour heads to Qatar for the 14th time in its history. The 16th hole on the course is by far the easiest one which the players will face, as the par four has historically given up plenty of birdies there. If you are looking for the hole on which the players will struggle the most, then that will probably be early on in the round, with the par three third hole making players struggle a lot.

Lee Westwood: 9/1 at Bet365
This is the seventh time that Westwood, the world number one at the moment, will have put in an appearance in Qatar. Really didn’t get going last week, but this course is suited to him. He will enjoy the opportunities for driving here and won’t want to get caught up in the rough. He is good enough to avoid most of the problems here, and with the greens being firm, it allows that extra quality of accuracy to pay off, because the players will be able to get just that little bit closer to the pin. There is a lot of tactical planning in Doha to do, and that will also suit Westwood, who is a very calculated player, playing the percentages. His incredible control with driver and approach work will serve him well. Don’t be too surprised to see him surge in this one, and send a message back to Kaymer who beat him in Abu Dhabi. Westwood seems more confident here, and looks to be in a good frame of mind.

Robert Karlsson: 5/1 at BetFair
The defending champion in Qatar, will be looking to go big in the defence of his title. The Commercialbank Qatar Masters encourages the big hitters and that will suit the Swede. It is what helped to project him to the title last year, and the course has a history of giving up the title to a big hitter. What also will make punters draw towards Karlsson, is that it is always worth looking at a previous winner of an event. By the same token though, it is hard to defend a title in such a strong, big field, but Karlsson should show well again. The Swede is a former European Number One, and if he nails his accuracy to the greens, then he will be a threat again, but no player has won the event in back to back years. That will probably mean that Karlsson will leave empty handed this year. Solid performer in Qatar though, making nine cuts out of the ten appearances he has put in there. Great thinker, great tactical player and in with a shout after a solid first round.

Paul Casey: 13/1 at SkyBet
Performed brilliantly last weekend to pick up the Volvo Golf Champions title. This is another course which will suit his game, as the Englishman will have a great crack at things from off the tee. He will attack, and will his all round impressive game, he will challenge. He has great control and consistency, and when he gets fully into the groove of things, he is very hard to stop. Big momentum player when he gets going, and so therefore, a strong start will put him in great contention. Really like his all round game, and has to be full of confidence and form at the moment. Look for another strong performance from him, as his often understated, consistent game is more than enough to pick up titles.

Steve Stricker: 23/1 at SkyBet
The world number seven has taken a trip across the world to compete in this European Tour event, and therefore, having gone so far out of his way, he must be feeling confident. Stricker is always a threat in tournaments, and is able to build up a lot of pressure. He has seen this as a big chance to pick up Tour points, and therefore, that alone warrants looking at him for your golf betting this week. He wanted to come and take on the new world order in golf, and will be a challenger. Stricker has a great all round game, and it will be enough to push on for the top of the leader board. This is the first European Tour event in the Desert for Steve Stricker, so it will be very interesting to see how he goes. He doesn’t travel much outside of the US, but will be a good outside bet to watch here. It depends on how well he will deal with the conditions, and the new level of competition on the Euro Tour. Never short on confidence though, and will be ballsy. Like Kaymer, found the going tough in the first round, finishing four over.

Martin Kaymer: 28/1 at BetFred
One of the strongest players in the world at the moment, and is looking better and better all the time. The German simply shows no signs of slowing up, and is really putting the pressure on Lee Westwood for the position of world number one. He would certainly be a deserving winner of it, and has to be looked at as one of the strongest bets here. The strength of the European PGA is simply improving, and now split’s the number of players in the world top 20 with the PGA Tour, both having 10 players each. Kaymer isn’t focusing on being world number one, he just wants to win tournaments and then the rest will fall into place. If Kaymer wins again out in the desert, he will match Ernie Els’ record of most wins on the Desert swing of the European PGA, picking up his fourth title. Kaymer, the world number two, is an offensive kind of player, and he will attack the tee. His massive eight shot victory a couple of weeks ago at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship showed him in impressive form. Sadly had a horrid +5 in the first round, so if he is going to do anything, it is going to be momentous.

Honestly, the field is packed full of opportunities. Robert Karlsson’s fellow countryman Alvaro Quiros will enjoy a good tournament, as he is another of the big hitters on the Euro Tour. Priced at 16/1 at Extrabet, will be worth keeping an eye out for him to make a challenge. You also have the colorful Ian Poulter out there challenging, priced at around 25/1 at BetFair. Poulter is of course one of those players who make unexpected challenges out of the blue. Controversy usually follows him around, but when he gets going, and he is a huge confidence player, he can challenge well. Should be just on the outside of things here though in a tough field. Louis Oosthuizen is back in action again, and is going at 25/1 with Extrabet. Oosthuizen is one of the best drivers on the European PGA Tour, and has already won this season, looking in good form. Could well put up a challenge here, and is a pack of players from which, anyone could seriously step forth and threaten the top of the leader board in Doha. Miguel Angel Jiminez is another guy in good shape at the moment, and is decently priced out at 25/1 with Bet365. But, for your golf betting, you really have to look at the World Number One and Two to begin with. As for the rest, take stock of things at the end of the first round, and see who is looking in form, and has gotten off to a solid start.

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As expected, Germany’s Martin Kaymer has made a big move towards winning the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship for a third time. After a solid first round, Kaymer pushed onwards during the second round, and was helped by Padraig Harrison being disqualified. Harrington, who sitting in second place at the time, was called out for supposedly nudging his ball forward just a fraction of inch, when replacing it on the green ahead of  putt. Harrington was kicked out of the tournament, in what seems a bit harsh of a fashion, because the infringement didn’t come to light after he had already signed his score card for the first round. But, his dismissal should really not take anything away from the efforts of Kaymer, who blitzed the course with a fantastic round of 65 on Friday. His round has big implications in the world of golf, because if the defending Champion in Abu Dhabi retains his trophy, then he will replace Tiger Woods as the world number two. Kaymer did exactly what he needed to do in the second round, and that was go out strong and put pressure on leader Charl Schwartzel. Kaymer hit five birdies in the first seven holes of his second round effort, to finish at 65 to back up his first round of 67.

That superb second round put him three shots clear of South Africa’s Schwartzel, who really blew the script a little bit, firing in a round of 71, which really let down his sparkling first round lead of 64. But, he is still not out of the running, it will just be about how he now deals with his relatively poor second round. Could stay in the running with a solid performance in the third. But Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell is breathing down his neck now, as the US Open winners is just one shot back in second place. McDowell also let his standards slip a little bit from his first round score. McDowell hit a round of 70 in the second, pairing up with his better first round effort of 70. However, he is looking in good form, and his confident and cool demeanour will probably ensure that he is close to the top of the leader board at the end of the tournament. There has been some delays at the tournament to bad light, and Kaymer even battled on well through the wins and rain, not dropping a single shot all round. There were a couple of surprise performances though, with both Louis Oosthuizen and Ian Poulter missing the cut. World number one Lee Westwood found going much trickier than expected and ended up on level par, just enough to avoid missing the cut. Will be out of the running though, with too much ground to make up on the leaders. Rory McIlroy is in the hunt though, six shots back on 138, and put in a much improved round of 67 following his opening 71. A late charge by him maybe?

Martin Kaymer: 11/17 at Bwin
Graeme McDowell: 7/1 at Totesport
Charl Schwartzel: 8/1 at Paddy Power
Rory McIlroy: 16/1 at Bet365

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Millions of pounds will be staked on the 2010 Ryder Cup, with this golf event capturing the imagination like no other competition throughout the year. There might only be two teams involved, although there are twelve players on each side doing battle for the ultimate bragging rights in the sport.

Europe have been favourite pretty much from the start and it is Boylesports that are currently offering a best price 8/11 that Colin Montgomerie’s team regain the trophy. Paddy Power had been favourites with their 7/10 quote for much of the week, although they have currently been usurped by their Irish counterparts.

Nevertheless, Paddy Power have already achieved a major PR coup by paying out on Europe winning the Ryder Cup on Monday. It’s unclear as to how many bets they took on the home side, although it’s possible that a six-figure amount was shelled out to customers.

Paddy also unsuccessfully managed to get a giant sign erected opposite Celtic Manor this week, although they will be popular with customers due to their great odds and special bets.

The USA are the 7/4 outsiders with bet365 to win the 2010 Ryder Cup, although they have some amazingly talented golfers within the side and are probably the value bet to regain the trophy that they won easily at Valhalla.

Providing Tiger Woods is firing on all cylinders, the Americans have the potential to cause an upset and the last four underdogs have won this competition. The world number one is a best price 5/1 with Sporting Bet to be top points scorer for the USA and he is set to feature heavily throughout the three days.

If Woods does well, then so too will Steve Stricker as the pair are expected to contest the fourball and foursome matches together. That’s why Stricker is also among the favourites to be Top American at odds of 6/1 with bet365. However, Phil Mickelson could be the best each-way value at odds of 13/2, also with bet365.

As for Top European, there are so many possible winners of this market and it’s a highly competitive heat. There has been money for Ian Poulter in the past few hours, although he could still be worth a bet at bet365’s 9/1, especially as the Englishman has the sort of tenacious personality which will help his team enormously. Poulter has bags of confidence and has to be the pick.

Martin Kaymer has gone favourite at odds of 11/2 with Sporting Bet, despite the fact that the German goes into this tournament as a rookie. He is likely to be paired with Lee Westwood and the Englishman is 7/1 with bet365 to be the top dog for Europe. However, Graeme McDowell is on offer at 7/1 with Paddy Power and that could be a popular bet when you take into account that he and Rory McIlroy should form a strong unit.