Golf

The two-week DP World Tour playoffs kick off this week in Abu Dhabi with the Abu Dhabi Championship from Yas Links with stars of the DP World Tour, the PGA Tour and LIV all competing.    Key Stats/Skill Set Required  Strokes Gained: Around The Green  Scrambling  Putting Average  Strokes Gained: Putting  Strokes Gained: Off The Tee  Yas Links is very much about what one does around and on the green though form off the tee is a benefit.   Key Correlation Courses/Tournaments  Scottish Open  Alfred Dunhill Links  Open Championship   Dubai Desert Classic  Qatar Masters    BEST BET Tyrell Hatton @ $8.50 Tyrell Hatton…

The PGA Tour returns to Mexico for the World Wide Technology – the old Mayakoba – with Tigers Woods’ first design to be the host course.    Key Stats/Skill Set Required  Birdie or Better  Par 4 Scoring  Putting Average  Strokes Gained: Putting  Strokes Gained: Tee To Green  GIR  El Cardonal is an easy test reminiscent of old-style Californian courses. Going low is key so looking towards form with the flat stick primarily.   Key Correlation Courses/Tournaments  Mexico Open  Puerto Rico Open  Corrales Puntacana  BEST BET Michael Thorbjornsen @ $23 Michael Thorbjornsen is a talented youngster has been knocking on the door of his first win since April with four…

One of the highlights of the Asian Tour, the Hong Kong Open has been won by the likes of Peter Thomson, Greg Norman, Bernhard Langer, Tom Watson, Padraig Harrington, Rory McIlroy and defending champion Patrick Reed.   Key Stats/Skill Set Required  Driving Accuracy  GIR  Strokes Gained: Approach  Putting Average  Three-Putt Avoidance  Birdies  The Hong Kong Golf Club is a highly revered course that rewards accuracy from the tee and punishes the wayward. A strong iron game is essential while elite putters have a fabulous record at the venue.   Key Correlation Courses/Tournaments  Nil  BEST BET Paul Casey @ $17 It has been…

The PGA Tour returned to Utah for the first time in 61 years last season with the inaugural staging of the Bank Of Utah Championship and it returns again with young lefty Matt McCarty back to defend his crown.   Key Stats/Skill Set Required  Birdie or Better  Strokes Gained: Putting  Putting Average  Three-Putt Avoidance  Strokes Gained Tee To Green  Par 4 Scoring  The Black Desert Golf Course is a Tom Weiskopf – his last design – that has wide open fairways that only the most stray of drives will have trouble with. Once again we are in for a birdie fiesta…

The DP World Tour returns to Korea for the second straight season with regular Korea Open course Woo Jeong Hills Country Club hosting this year’s edition of the Genesis Championship with Benny An looking to defend his crown.   Key Stats/Skill Set Required  GIR  Strokes Gained: Approach  Putting Average  Strokes Gained: Putting  Driving Distance  Bogey Avoidance  Woo Jeong Hills Country Club hosts this tournament for the first time but is well exposed having hosted the Korea Open for a long time. It is a long, difficult course that requires a precise iron game, an ability to avoid trouble and a hot…

The inaugural India Championship joins the DP World Tour this week and it has attracted some major talent with Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Tommy Fleetwood, Ben Griffin and Shane Lowry looking to win in one of golf’s outposts.   Key Stats/Skill Set Required  Putting Average  Strokes Gained: Putting  Scrambling  Strokes Gained: Around The Green  Driving Accuracy  Delhi Golf Club opened in 1951 and was renovated by Peter Thomson in 1977 before Gary   Player’s team undertook another renovation in 2019. It is a tight track bordering on claustrophobic. The key to success on this deck is scrambling well when missing the small…

The PGA Tour heads to Japan this week for the staging of the Baycurrent Classic, formerly known as the Zozo Championship, arguably the highlight of the fall schedule with the limited 78-man field featuring major winners Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa and Hideki Matsuyama.  Key Stats/Skill Set Required  Driving Accuracy  Ball Striking  Strokes Gained: Approach  Strokes Gained: Putting  Par 4 Scoring   Yokohama Country Club is the new venue for this newly renamed event that was launched in an attempt to showcase the PGA Tour as a global brand. This is a new venue so data is limited. It is tree-lined so…

The Open de Espana is an event that traces its roots back to 1912, won by the great Arnaud Massey at its first staging. Since the likes of Peter Thomson, Arnold Palmer, Bernhard Langer, Nick Faldo and the greatest Spaniard of all Seve Ballesteros all won the event over the next century. Over the last decade Jon Rahm has won his national open three times.   Key Stats/Skill Set Required  Birdie or Better  Strokes Gained: Tee To Green  GIR  Par 5 Scoring  Driving Distance  Scrambling  Club de Campo Villa de Madrid has hosted this event since 2021 and it is a…

The PGA Tour returns after the Ryder Cup hiatus with the Sanderson Farms Classic at The Country Club in Jackson, Mississippi. It is a tournament that traces its roots back to 1968 with the likes of Fred Funk, Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia and Sam Burns on the winners list.   Key Stats/Skill Set Required  Birdie or Better  GIR  Strokes Gained: Putting  Strokes Gained: Off The Tee  Strokes Gained Tee To Green  Bogey Avoidance  Driving Distance  Par 4 Scoring  Proximity: 175-200 Yards  The Country Club of Jackson is a wide open Donald Ross-esque course that benefits length off the tee. Finding the…

One of the highlights of the DP World Tour, the Alfred Dunhill Links is a longstanding event that has attracted a sensational field including four winning European Ryder Cup players, a host of stars from the LIV Tour led by Cameron Smith and the cream of the crop from the DP World Tour.   Key Stats/Skill Set Required  Birdies  Par 4 Scoring  Putting Average  Strokes Gained: Putting  Scrambling  Strokes Gained: Around The Green  GIR  The Alfred Dunhill Links is an annual tour of some of golf’s grandest courses – St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns – with players playing the three courses…