Sport
Farmers Insurance Open: Max factor at Torrey Pines
After his second consecutive victory, Jon Rahm looks to make it a hat-trick at this week’s Farmers Insurance Open.
And for Rahm, the 4/1 favourite, there’s probably not a much better location for him to attempt it. This is the golf course at which he eagled the final hole to win his first professional title and the same one at which he won his first Major, so it’s pretty clear he plays well here and is rarely out of contention.
With form and fitness worries over some of the other market leaders, Rahm’s chances are perhaps more obvious than they would be given how well he’s playing. However, it should be noted that he rarely plays the week after a win and the last time he did here in 2018 he faded over the weekend. He’s a better player now and is greatly respected, but we’ll be taking him on with Max Homa at 20/1.
The American has won three of his last six starts in his home state of California and also played well at similar layouts to Torrey Pines in the past. He won the Fortinet Championship for the second time in the Golden State in September and that followed an excellent President’s Cup debut where he won four points from four matches.
Homa has solid record at this event finishing ninth in 2020, 18th in 2021, and while he missed the cut last year it was only by a single shot. He heads into this year’s event the most confident he’s ever been – a trait that has haunted him in the past – and off the back of a third-place finish at the Tournament of Champions. He was rusty for the first couple of days on Hawaii, but burst into life at the weekend with rounds of 63 and 66 and that should have left him cherry ripe for this week.
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Dubai Desert Classic: Back Mac to come out on top
After correctly selecting Victor Perez in last week’s Abu Dhabi Championship, we’re hoping for more of the same in the Middle East this week.
The DP World Tour moves to one of the tour’s great tournaments in the Dubai Desert Classic and the field is headed by Rory McIlroy, who makes his first start of the year. This will be the Northern Irishman’s 14th appearance in Dubai and like most tournaments he plays in, he has a very good record. He was victorious in 2009 and 2015 and also finished third last year.
It’s clear this is a course Rory loves and throw in the fact he was arguably in the form of his life at the backend of 2022 – worst finish of a tie for eighth in his previous eight starts – there’s plenty to suggest he could take a good deal of beating. Quotes of 7/2 could look very big come Sunday.
While McIlroy is very much the one to beat in Dubai, Robert MacIntryre looks a viable alternative at 20/1. The Scot endured a torrid time on the greens in Abu Dhabi last week ranking 63rd for putting of those who made the cut. Given he’s one of the game’s better putters, it was certainly a week to forget and move on from and given he still managed to finish 20th, it shows the rest of his game is in fine fettle.
He ranked first off the tee last week and third Tee-to-Green, so if he can just drain a few more putts he’ll be bang there. He won in Italy last year shortly after a nightmare putting display in Denmark, so history could easily repeat itself.
Of the rest, Tyrrell Hatton is bubbling and looks close to winning again, while Antoine Rozner played really well for three rounds in Abu Dhabi and has two wins in this part of the world, so a price of 50/1 could be of interest.
