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Dubai Desert Classic betting tips
Mike Norman / 03 February 2010 Free Bet View Market
England's Simon Dyson is now regarded as one of Europe's top golfers and that ability could see him having a fine week in Dubai
"He (Simon Dyson) had two top 20 finishes and a top 10 finish around here between 2005 and 2007 but has come on leaps and bounds since then. His two wins at the back-end of last season showed him to be one of the European Tour’s finest players
I'm just a tad embarrassed at the moment. I've so far had 42 letters from professional golfers begging me not to select them to win this week's Dubai Desert Classic!
It's true, word of my abysmal form - now known as 'the curse of Norman' - has spread like wildfire. Pro golfers all over the world are having sleepless nights in fear of me selecting them to win, knowing that I haven't backed a winner since I had a wager on Clark at 50/1. Tim Clark, Darren Clarke, it can't have been that long then since I had a winner, I hear you say. No, I'm talking about Howard Clark, who I backed to win the Madrid Open back in 19 bloody 78!
But it's on with the job this week. My state of mind is very positive despite recent failures. In fact my mentality is so strong that if I were to be likened to a golfer then I'd have to say I'm like Tiger Woods, but just more addicted to sex!
As was the case with the Qatar Masters, the Dubai Desert Classic boasts an impressive 'past winners' list which suggests once again that you have to have a bit of class to triumph around the 7,301 yard par 72 Emirates GC. Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy ([9.6] to win this year) is back to defend his maiden title, and will be joined by recent winners Martin Kaymer ([12.0]), Robert Karlsson ([18.0]) and Charl Schwartzel ([28.0]) as well as top Europeans Lee Westwood ([13.0]), Henrik Stenson ([18.0]), Paul Casey ([19.0]), Alvaro Quiros ([23.0]) and Ross Fisher ([28.0]).
In all honesty I'd be very surprised if one of the above named players didn't win this week (that's your cue to go and have a lay bet on them all), but if there's one thing I've learnt recently then it's that you can back players who - when at their best - are just as good as these guys and yet can be backed at three or four times the price - Oliver Wilson ([70.0]) and Bradley Dredge ([100.0]) are my cases in point from last week.
So the good news - for 150+ golfers at least - is that I'm not going to select anyone to win this week, instead I'm going to select a few players at 'tastier' odds who I believe can sneak into the frame.
My four against the field then are that wily-old character Miguel Angel Jiminez, lover of all things sand Louis Oosthuizen, last week's always prominent Dredge, and Yorkshire's Simon Dyson.
Dyson ([16.0] in Top-Five Finish market) is just about my most confident selection. He had two top-20 finishes and a top-10 finish around here between 2005 and 2007 but has come on leaps and bounds since then. His two wins at the back-end of last season showed him to be one of the European Tour's finest players, so in the hope that respectable finishes in Abu Dhabi and Qatar have blown away any cobwebs, Dyson can play a starring role this week.
Jiminez ([18.0]) and Dredge ([16.0]) have similar profiles in that they both have very respectable and consistent form on offer around this golf course in recent years (Jiminez two top 10s and a top 5 finish, Dredge four top 20 finishes).
Jiminez missed the cut two weeks ago but appeared to be finding his game with a couple of solid rounds last Thursday and Friday. However, he performed poorly over the weekend indicating that he is still some way from playing his best golf, but his price reflects this and a chance is taken that he can rediscover some magic this week.
As alluded to, Oosthuizen ([7.0]) has some great form around these desert-style golf courses. He finished seventh last year and third in 2008, and his performances so far this season suggest that he has a great chance of finishing high on the leaderboard this week.
Tread carefully with my selections though... remember my luck? If I were an episode of Friends I'd be called, "The One Where Mike won a 90% share in Portsmouth Football Club"!
Recommended Bets (all in Top 5 Finish market)
2.5 pts win Louis Oosthuizen @ [7.0]
2.5 pts win Simon Dyson @ [16.0]
1.5 pts win Bradley Dredge @ [16.0]
1.5 pts win Miguel Angel Jiminez @ [18.0]
