Following last week’s Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa, only three players can now win the Race To Dubai at this week’s DP Tour World Championship at The Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai with Tommy Fleetwood a hot favourite to hold off Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia.
Having a couple of Major winners on your tail can’t be easy for Fleetwood but the Englishman extended his advantage over Rose with a 10th place finish in the Nedbank Golf Challenge as his nearest rival didn’t play at the Gary Player CC. He is now as short as 2/9 to win the Race To Dubai.
Fleetwood is 22/1 with Unibet to win the DP Tour World Championship and put any lingering doubts to bed but the same firm have Rose as their 15/2 favourite. Fleetwood, only 26 and from Southport on Merseyside, has won three tournaments on the European Tour since turning professional in 2010. He tied for ninth place in Dubai last year, alongside the likes of Rory McIlroy and Henrik Stenson, and a similar placing this year would almost certainly be more than enough to secure the lucrative Race To Dubai.
Before last year, Justin Rose had finished in the top four in the Race To Dubai for four years in succession but hasn’t finished top of the rankings since 2007 though does, of course, play much of his golf on the US PGA Tour nowadays. Sergio Garcia is 12/1 to win the DP Tour World Championship this week but would need favours from both of those ahead of him to be successful.
TYRELL HATTON, another Englishman, is currently fifth in the Race To Dubai and only lost out by one shot to Matthew Fitzpatrick in this season-ending tournament 12 months ago. At 16/1 with 10Bet, the Marlowe-based professional looks good value this year given he’s playing well (not finished outside the top 20 in his last seven tournaments) and won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and Italian Open last month.
Other players prominent in the betting include the Nedbank Golf Challenge winner Branden Grace (a best 14/1) and Jon Rahm (a general 12/1), who is currently fourth in the Race To Dubai. Last year’s winner Matthew Fitzpatrick is a general 16/1 with veteran Lee Westwood available at 45/1.
DP Tour World Championship Current Betting
Justin Rose 15/2, Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia 12/1, Branden Grace 14/1, Tyrell Hatton and Matthew Fitzpatrick 16/1, Tommy Fleetwood, Victor Dubuisson and Francesco Molinari 22/1, Charl Scwartzel 28/1, Shane Lowry 30/1, Ross Fisher and Patrick Reed 35/1, Alex Noren, Martin Kaymer, Rafael Cabrero Bello, Bernd Wiesberger, Joost Luiten and Thorbjorn Olesen 40/1, Lee Westwood 45/1, Peter Uihlein, Ian Poulter and Soren Kjeldsen 50/1
