The best tournament on the planet takes place on the Asian Tour with a cadre of LIV stars featuring in the Saudi International at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club.
Key Stats/Skill Set Required
- Driving Distance
- Strokes Gained: Off The Tee
- Scrambling
- Strokes Gained: Around The Green
- Putting Average
Royal Greens is an immaculate course that absolutely rewards form off the tee with distance a huge advantage. The greens are small so an ability to play well around them is key.
Key Correlation Courses/Tournaments
- DP World Tour Championship
- Dubai Desert Classic
- Qatar Masters
- Abu Dhabi Championship
Hatton is the best desert player on the planet and showed that over the DP World Tour playoffs when he finished T-2 and T-6 in the two tournaments. Won the Alfred Dunhill Links prior and has seven Top 10s in his last 11 starts. Ranks Top 10 on the LIV circuit in Putting Average, Scrambling and Strokes Gained: Around The Green. Could not be more keen this week.
South African Dean Burmester is a highly underrated player who has won four times since late November last year including two starts back in his homeland. Form off the tee is critical here and Burmester is a beast from the tee box, ranking 4th in Strokes Gained: Off The Tee and 5th in Driving Distance. Also ranks 10th in Scrambling. Finished Top 20 in two of the three majors he played in this year. Big hope.
Marc Leishman really showed some of his old class when he posted back-to-back T-3 finishes in Australia’s two ‘majors’. He has slowly been turning his form around over the backend of the year and can continue this week on a course he finished T-6 at last year. Ranks 5th in Scrambling and 7th in Strokes Gained: Around The Green and that short game is important here.
Two-time major winner Dustin Johnson has shown absolutely no form this year but returning to Royal Greens, he must be afforded a chance at big odds. Johnson won two of the first three stagings here. Despite some poor results this year, he does rank Top 10 in Driving Distance and Strokes Gained: Off The Tee. Tasty price.
Wolff remains a highly erratic proposition but despite his many failings, he has the upside to win. Ranks 2nd in Strokes Gained: Off The Tee and 3rd in Driving Distance. He played one international series event this year and finished T-7. Finished T-10 in this event last year. Worth a ticket.
There are 11 Aussies teeing it up with Cam Smith favoured but given his issues of late, would much prefer to be with Marc Leishman. Leishman had a good return to Australia and looks an appetising price.
Four Spaniards line up at Royal reens this week and the value is with second favourite David Puig. He ranks 5th in Putting Average, 5th in Driving Distance and 9th in Strokes Gained: Off The Tee.