The European Tour starts its two-tournament swing through the UAE with this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
The 126-player field in Abu Dhabi is headlined by World No. 1 Dustin Johnson, who also happens to be the tournament favorite. The 33-year old South Carolina native, fresh off a blowout win at Kapalua, is listed with 5-1 odds to win his second-straight title.
Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy is another favorite at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. Coming off a winless year for the first time since 2008, McIlory is listed with odds of 8-1.
Also at 8-1 is Justin Rose, who finished 2017 on fire – winning three times in a six-start stretch, which additionally included a pair of top 5s and a top 10.
Henrik Stenson and Paul Casey, who helped lead Europe to a victory at last week’s EurAsia Cup, are both listed at 18-1.
Defending champion Tommy Fleetwood, and Branden Grace, the runner-up at last weekend’d BMW SA Open, are at 20-1.
Tyrell Hatton (22-1), three-time tournament winner, Martin Kaymer (25-1), and Matt Kuchar (30-1) round out the top 10 players, according to the oddsmakers.
Our payoff pick this week is Chris Paisley at 150-1. The winner of last week’s South African Open, the Englishman is an easy pick to take a flyer on.
THE SKINNY
Tournament: Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship
Dates: Jan. 18-21, 2018
TV Network: GOLF Channel
Course: Abu Dhabi Golf Club
Where: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Distance: 7,600 yards, Par 72
Architect: Peter Harradine
Field/Format: 126 players; 72-hole stroke; 36-hole cut
Purse: $2,700,000
Winning Share: $500,000
Race to Dubai Points: 421,000
Defending Champion: Tommy Fleetwood
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Dustin Johnson | 5-1 |
| Rory McIlroy | 8-1 |
| Justin Rose | 8-1 |
| Henrik Stenson | 18-1 |
| Paul Casey | 18-1 |
| Branden Grace | 20-1 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | 20-1 |
| Tyrrell Hatton | 22-1 |
| Martin Kaymer | 25-1 |
| Matt Kuchar | 30-1 |
| Matthew Fitzpatrick | 33-1 |
| Rafael Cabrera Bello | 33-1 |
| Thomas Pieters | 35-1 |
| Bernd Wiesberger | 35-1 |
| Kiradech Aphibarnrat | 45-1 |
| Byeong Hun An | 55-1 |
| Ross Fisher | 55-1 |
| Haotong Li | 66-1 |
| Bryson DeChambeau | 70-1 |
| Thorbjorn Olesen | 70-1 |
| Ian Poulter | 75-1 |
| Dean Burmester | 80-1 |
| Dylan Frittelli | 80-1 |
| Joost Luiten | 80-1 |
| Lee Westwood | 80-1 |
| Graeme McDowell | 90-1 |
| Paul Dunne | 90-1 |
| Alexander Levy | 100-1 |
| George Coetzee | 100-1 |
| Pablo Larrazabal | 100-1 |
| Eddie Pepperell | 125-1 |
| Nicolas Colsaerts | 125-1 |
| Renato Paratore | 125-1 |
| Jamie Donaldson | 125-1 |
| Alexander Bjork | 150-1 |
| Andy Sullivan | 150-1 |
| Chris Paisley | 150-1 |
| Danny Willett | 150-1 |
| Jordan Smith | 150-1 |
| Shubhankar Sharma | 150-1 |
| Scott Jamieson | 150-1 |
| Chris Wood | 175-1 |
| Hideto Tanihara | 175-1 |
| Jeunghun Wang | 175-1 |
| Nacho Elvira | 175-1 |
| Richard Sterne | 175-1 |
| Ryan Fox | 175-1 |
| Soren Kjeldsen | 175-1 |
| Romain Wattel | 175-1 |
| Fabrizio Zanotti | 200-1 |
| Haydn Porteous | 200-1 |
| Jason Scrivener | 200-1 |
| Jorge Campillo | 200-1 |
| Matt Wallace | 200-1 |
| Matthieu Pavon | 200-1 |
| Robert Rock | 200-1 |
| Scott Vincent | 200-1 |
| Thomas Detry | 200-1 |
| Wade Ormsby | 200-1 |
| Andrew Johnston | 250-1 |
| Brandon Stone | 250-1 |
| Callum Shinkwin | 250-1 |
| David Horsey | 250-1 |
| Jacques Kruyswijk | 250-1 |
| James Morrison | 250-1 |
| Joakim Lagergren | 250-1 |
| Lucas Bjerregaard | 250-1 |
| Maximilian Kieffer | 250-1 |
| Mike Lorenzo-Vera | 250-1 |
| Phachara Khongwatmai | 250-1 |
| Richie Ramsay | 250-1 |
| Seungsu Han | 250-1 |
| Thongchai Jaidee | 250-1 |
| Matthew Southgate | 275-1 |
| Nino Bertasio | 275-1 |
| Scott Hend | 275-1 |
| Ernie Els | 275-1 |
| Alejandro Canizares | 300-1 |
| Ashun Wu | 300-1 |
| Austin Connelly | 300-1 |
| Benjamin Hebert | 300-1 |
| Chris Hanson | 300-1 |
| Darren Fichardt | 300-1 |
| Marc Warren | 300-1 |
| Matteo Manassero | 300-1 |
| Mikko Ilonen | 300-1 |
| Oliver Fisher | 300-1 |
| Paul Waring | 300-1 |
| Richard Bland | 300-1 |
| Stephen Gallacher | 300-1 |
| Thomas Aiken | 300-1 |
| Adrian Otaegui | 350-1 |
| Andres Romero | 350-1 |
| Andrew Dodt | 350-1 |
| Anthony Wall | 350-1 |
| David Drysdale | 350-1 |
| David Lipsky | 350-1 |
| Graeme Storm | 350-1 |
| Gregory Bourdy | 350-1 |
| Kristoffer Broberg | 350-1 |
| Lee Slattery | 350-1 |
| Marcel Siem | 350-1 |
| Mikko Korhonen | 350-1 |
| Ricardo Gouveia | 350-1 |
| Alvaro Quiros | 400-1 |
| Ashley Chesters | 400-1 |
| Brett Rumford | 400-1 |
| Daniel Brooks | 400-1 |
| Edoardo Molinari | 400-1 |
| Lasse Jensen | 400-1 |
| Robert Karlsson | 400-1 |
| Soomin Lee | 400-1 |
| Thomas Bjorn | 400-1 |
| Zander Lombard | 400-1 |
| Carlos Pigem | 500-1 |
| Daniel Im | 500-1 |
| Gary Stal | 500-1 |
| Gregory Havret | 500-1 |
| Jason Norris | 500-1 |
| Sam Brazel | 500-1 |
| Harry Ellis | 750-1 |
| Dan Kirkwood | 1000-1 |
| Tom Buchanan | 1000-1 |
| Trevor Immelman | 1000-1 |
| Jose Maria Olazabal | 1500-1 |
| Ahmed Al Musharrekh | 2500-1 |
