The European Tour season will draw to a close this weekend when some of the best in the world compete at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. The DP World Tour Championship is the eighth and final event of the Rolex Series and it will determine who wins the Race To Dubai. Jon Rahm returns as the defending tournament champion but he will once again face some stiff competition. We took the time to break down the best bets on the board, including a look at the favorites and some sneaky good sleeper options. Here is a look at the best bets to win the DP World Tour Championship.
Event Details
Event: DP World Tour Championship
Date: November 15th-18th, 2018
Category: European Tour
Location: Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai, UAE
Past Five Winners:
2017: Jon Rahm -19
2016: Matthew Fitzpatrick -17
2015: Rory McIlroy -21
2014: Henrik Stenson -16
2013: Henrik Stenson -25
Rory McIlroy +850
Rory posted another surprising result in South Africa where he placed T-21st in the Nedbank Golf Challenge. However, there are plenty of reasons why he is still the betting favorite to win this tournament. First and foremost, he is a two-time tournament winner who loves this course and has never finished worse than 11th in eight career starts. Second, his putting has been much better than it was earlier in the season and he knows this course inside-out. Finally, Rory is due for a strong performance and there might not be a better opportunity for him to deliver than this week at the DP World Tour Championship. McIlroy should be a popular betting option this week.
Sergio Garcia +1050
Garcia has experienced his share of highs and lows at this course, including last year’s finish when he tied for fourth. There is no doubt he has the skill set to contend for the outright win. The question is whether he can put it all together and play to his potential against a tough field. Garcia has gotten the nod ahead of players like Jon Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood in large part because of his overall play this year and his name brand. However, it would be stupid to sleep on the Spaniard as a legitimate contender this week, even if it isn’t incredible value, especially as he tries to bounce back from last week’s disappointment.
Jon Rahm +1215
Rahm is the defending champion at this tournament and should feel confident that he could win again here to close out this season. Rahm will close the season out with starts in Dubai and the Bahamas before he fully emerges himself in planning his upcoming wedding. While he hasn’t exactly been good of late, Rahm is due for a strong performance and he has the pedigree at this course to believe it could come this week.
Tommy Fleetwood +1250
Fleetwood is the only golfer capable of catching Francesco Molinari to win the Race To Dubai, but he will need a victory as well as for Molinari to finish fifth or worse in order for that to happen. Fleetwood has been on fire of late with six consecutive top-11 finishes including back-to-back seventh-place finishes in his last two starts. With an extra week off to prepare for this tournament, Fleetwood should be a legitimate contender to win the DP World Tour Championship outright.
Tyrell Hatton +1550
Hatton has shown that he can excel at courses that favor his skill set and that includes this one. Hatton has posted a 3-3-8 score line in his last three Dubai Desert Classics and has recorded four top-15 finishes in his starts in Abu Dhabi. Hatton is available at a pretty decent price this week, especially considering the way he closed out last season. If you are looking beyond the obvious favorites, Hatton stands out as a decent value option.
Henrik Stenson +2050
Speaking of value options, it’s hard to overlook a golfer that has won this event twice before. Stenson won the DP World Tour Championship by six strokes when he posted a -25 final score in 2013 and then doubled up with another victory as the defending champion in 2014 with a -16 score. While it’s been a while, there is no doubt that he has the putting stats to contend here again. Experience should count for something when evaluating the field for this week’s tournament.
Matthew Fitzpatrick +3250
Looking a little further down the list we find some intriguing sleeper picks. In his three visits to the Earth Course, Fitzpatrick has been absolutely dominant, including a victory here in 2016 and two more top-12 results. The 24-year-old deserves strong consideration here this week based on his past performances at this tournament.
Ross Fisher +3550
Fisher has never won this tournament, but is coming off one of the strongest rounds in European Tour history at the Nedbank Golf Challenge last week and he could be in the mix again in Dubai this week. This course suits his long and straight hitting off the tee and he looked good in his debut here a couple of years ago when he placed T-17th. Fisher should be in the mix again this week and if he could perform at a similar level as what we saw a week ago, he could surprise as a sleeper pick to win the DP World Tour Championship outright at decent odds.
Odds To Win 2018 DP World Tour Championship
Rory McIlroy +850
Sergio Garcia +1050
Jon Rahm +1215
Tommy Fleetwood +1250
Francesco Molinari +1550
Xander Schauffele +1550
Tyrrell Hatton +1550
Haotong Li +1650
Henrik Stenson +2050
Patrick Reed +2050
Thorbjorn Olesen +2050
Rafa Cabrera Bello +2250
Lee Westwood +2550
Alex Noren +3250
Shane Lowry +3250
Branden Grace +3250
Matthew Fitzpatrick +3250
Lucas Bjerregaard +3550
Ross Fisher +3550
Matt Wallace +4050
Thomas Pieters +4550
Kiradech Aphibarnrat +4550
Ian Poulter +4550
Andy Sullivan +4550
Martin Kaymer +4550
Thomas Detry +5050
Eddie Pepperell +5050
Joost Luiten +5500
Andrea Pavan +6550
Tom Lewis +6550
