The Maybank Championship might only be headed in to its third year but already it has delivered some exciting finishes. In 2016, Marcus Fraser holed a putt on the final green to edge out Soo-min Lee for the win. Fast-forward one year later and it was Fabrizio Zanotti who finished the tournament on fire and edge out David Lipsky by a single stroke. The Saujana Golf and Country Club will once again be the site for this year’s Maybank Championship. With another impressive looking field on paper, this year’s event should deliver plenty of excitement and drama once again. Here is a look at what to expect at the Maybank Championship.
Event Details
Event: Maybank Championship
Category: European
Date: February 1st-4th, 2018
Location: Saujana Golf and Country Club, Kuala Lumper, Malaysia
Zanotti and Fraser will both be on hand at this year’s tournament although neither is expected to repeat here. Zanotti, who will look to defend his title following last year’s incredible finish, is listed at +5000 to win here for the second year in a row. Meanwhile, Fraser is considered an even bigger long shot at +15000 to win this tournament outright. While both golfers have proven they can win here before, it might be a better bet to look elsewhere when it comes to putting money down on this event.
Past Winners
2017: Fabrizio Zanotti -19
2016: Marcus Fraser -15
What To Know About The Course
This course is fairly generous despite the tree-line fairways. Driving Accuracy will be an important stat, but not as important as Scrambling. A year ago, Zanotti ranked No. 1 in that category. Meanwhile, three of the first four home ranked inside the top-six in Scrambling. Putting numbers will also be important to keep an eye on when evaluating this week’s field. Experience will be important but considering how relatively new this tournament is it definitely won’t make or break the top contenders in this year’s Maybank Championship.
The Field
While Zanotti and Fraser are considered long shots to win this event once again, there are plenty of familiar faces among the sports betting favorites. Henrik Stenson is the top name on the board at +700 odds to win the Maybank Championship outright. Meanwhile, Alexander Levy and Bernd Wiesberger are both listed at +1400 odds, followed by Haotong Li at +1600 odds. Dylan Fittelli, Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Jeunghun Wang are all expected to be in the mix. Andy Sullivan, Chris Paisley and Thorbjorn Olesen round out the list of sports betting favorites for this week’s tournament.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Bernd Wiesberger over Haotong Li
Wiesberger delivered an unprecedented nine consecutive birdies in the second round of this tournament a year ago but struggled on Saturday and ultimately slipped down the leaderboard. A more consistent effort this time around could be enough to challenge for the outright win as he attempts to earn a measure of redemption here this time around. Wiesberger has the tools to compete and might be a good sleeper pick to contend for the outright win. Considering he is available at similar odds to Li, this might be the smartest bet on the board for a head-to-head matchup this week.
Top-Five Pick: Henrik Stenson
Stenson is the sports betting favorite at this tournament for a reason. If there is one golfer you should be willing to risk your money on betting a top-five finish, it is probably him. The world number 12 has played well of late and he is the most consistent golfer playing in this week’s Maybank Championship. While it might be a little riskier betting on him to win this event outright, there is nothing wrong with playing it safer and betting on Stenson to place in the top-five in Kuala Lumper this weekend.
Odds To Win 2018 Maybank Championship
Henrik Stenson +705
Alexander Levy +1415
Bernd Wiesberger +1650
Li Haotong +1650
Dylan Frittelli +1850
Kiradech Aphibarnrat +2850
Chris Paisley +3250
Thomas Detry +3250
Thorbjorn Olesen +3250
Andy Sullivan +3250
Shaun Norris +3250
Jeunghun Wang +3250
Joost Luiten +3550
Yusaku Miyazato +3550
Lee Westwood +4050
Dean Burmester +4050
Paul Peterson +4050
Andrew Johnston +5050
Haydn Porteous +5050
Scott Vincent +6550
David Lipsky +5050
Fabrizio Zanotti +6550
Alexander Bjork +6550
Richie Ramsay +6550
Gaganjeet Bhullar +6550
Gavin Green +6550
Scott Hend +6550
Matt Wallace +6550
Jason Scrivener +6550
Miguel Tabuena +7050
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