Written By Robert Cobley - 26th February 2020

Honda Classic Golf Betting Tips

Robert Cobley is a maths graduate with years of experience in the sports betting industry. He has now teamed up with Bet UK to bring his golf betting tips to our readers. For the latest golf betting odds for the Honda Classic, make sure to head over to Bet UK’s online betting and live in-play betting markets.

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Rob Cobley’s Honda Classic Betting Tips

Lee Westwood - 20/1 To Win Keegan Bradley - 45/1 To Win

The Course

The Champion Course, PGA National Resort & Spa - Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA - Par 70, 7125 Yards

The PGA Tour continues in Florida this week at one of its most challenging and most enjoyable venues. Some 80 miles north of Miami - home of Tiger Woods and one of the toughest tests in modern golf lies the Tom Fazio designed PGA National.

The course was previously relatively benign before it underwent a series of changes in 1990 & 2014 under Jack Nicklaus’s stewardship to toughen it up and turn it from resort course into one of the most feared tracks on the PGA Tour circuit. With tight fairways, 107 bunkers, and water in play on 13 of the 18 holes, a winning score of anywhere between 6 and 13 under is typically sufficient to take home the trophy.

Whoever prevails Sunday night will have had to negotiate holes 15-17, more widely known as the "Bear Trap", following the redesign from the Golden Bear (Nicklaus). There is a premium on straight driving, and wind players are often successful at PGA National. Last year's winner Sungjae Im was followed home by a host of British challengers who enjoyed the harsh conditions and expected a similarly strong challenge from the home contingent this year.

Last Five Winners

The Market Leaders

The turnout in Jupiter this week is undeniably disappointing, with few of the big names making the short trip from Sawgrass, most likely in preparation for next week's WGC World Matchplay at the Austin Country Club. Of those that have made the journey, Daniel Berger (10/1) leads the market. At initial glance, the price seems peculiarly short, and looking deeper, only affirms that view. Berger is a great player when on form, but his aggressive play won't always suit venues like this, and if he is a tiny bit off, it could be a long week for Dan. He does have 2nd and 4th placed finishes here in his six starts, as well as a couple of missed cuts, and he did edge his way into the top 10 last week, but overall the price is easy for me to leave alone on the favourite.

Sungjae Im (12/1) won in impressive style last year, and I expected him to lead the market this time. With so much separation between him and the third favourite, he does stand out and, following a couple of back to back top 20s, and in a weak field, I can see why. Sungjae has the perfect long game for this course and performs well on Florida’s greens, so I anticipate a good week. I think there is better value down the market, though, away from the two stand out favourites, and that is where I will be looking.

Rob’s Golf Betting Tips

Headline Betting Tip

Lee Westwood: 20/1 To Win

I am almost loathed to select Lee Westwood for the second week running, but the Englishman is in such good form and so well suited to PGA National that he is my stand out market favourite, and I simply cannot pass up the opportunity to back him at this price. Coming into the year, Westwood would never have been foreseen as this price here in Jupiter, but his game is in such excellent shape that it even seems big.

As we know, Lee has a great long game, and if he is competing at tournaments where the winning scores are -15 and better, he is primed for a tough, windy challenge like that, which will be posed here this week. In seven appearances here, Lee has four top 10s and finished 4th last year, making it his strongest venue on the PGA Tour in terms of results. The similarities are stark with Bay Hill, where only an in form (and slightly fortunate) Bryson Dechambeau could stop him from beating a field infinitely stronger than this one. For me, he is one of the clearest bets of the season at the price, and I have had 3 points e/w at 20/1.

Other Betting Tip

Keegan Bradley: 45/1 To Win

Keegan Bradley has been in the golfing doldrums for quite some time. However, lately, he has been popping up at the head of leaderboards at various points during tournaments, although generally not sustaining it through 72 holes. At the Arnold Palmer at Bay Hill, he was in the third last two ball and managed a 10th placed finish in the end after a poor start to round 4, but there are strong signs that the former Major Champion, who finished 4th here in 2013 is getting his groove back. Bradley is another that thrives in the more demanding conditions, and with the forecast this week for wind and heavy showers, I want him in my stable with 2 points e/w at 45/1.

2021 P&L

Following a rolling profit of 300 points for the 2019 & 2020 seasons, I am looking for a great 2021 and have some great bets lined up for events throughout the year on both the PGA and European Tours. Each week I will pick between two to four selections at each event and suggest a suitable staking plan.

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Australian PGA Championship Betting Tips

Robert Cobley is a maths graduate with years of experience in the sports betting industry. He has now teamed up with Bet UK to bring his golf betting tips to our readers.

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The Course

Royal Pines Resort, Benowa - Queensland, Australia - Par 72, 7,380 Yards

We head to the beautiful Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia for the final event of 2019 at the Royal Pines Resort 10 minutes drive inland from the lively seaside resort of Surfers Paradise. This wonderful part of the World is home to some of the most picturesque and challenging golf courses anywhere in Australia, and this 1990 Tomojiro Maruyama design is no exception. A composite 18 holes on a complex of 27, this week's venue is made up of the "green" and "gold" nines (the patriotic Australians sticking to their national colours), and should provide a more relaxed and conquerable challenge than that posed by Royal Melbourne at last week's enthralling Presidents Cup. Royal Pines is a tree lined, largely flat, course with rivers and trees running along the fairways. It is generally more picturesque than challenging, but players will need to avoid complacency if they are to be successful this week.

The fairways here are quite narrow by Tour standards, although the couch grass rough could be more penal, so whilst there is more of an emphasis on driving here at Royal Pines than some of the bigger, more open, venues, there is no significant punishment for slightly wayward drives. Players, especially the bigger hitters could find trouble if they are significantly off line, and it's possible to run up big numbers with bad driving here, so i will generally favour the consistent, straighter, hitters. This is supported by the fact that lakes eat into several fairways making overpowering the course almost impossible, and players will need to think strategically throughout the round.

Lakes, as well as significant bunkering, also provide the biggest defence for the approach shots here. There are over 100 green side bunkers (although not all are realistically in play for these players), and if players are able to avoid these obvious hazards, there are also large runoff areas to contend with, making this primarily a second shot course. Any player whose shots do run off the green will need an extremely strong short game to get up and down as they are chipping back against the grain (direction of the grass), making both contact and ball speed exceptionally hard to control. To contend, players will need to hit a high number of greens in regulation. Failing that, a superb short game will be required, and it is no surprise to see home grown players taking four of the last five titles here.

Last Five Winners:

The Market Leaders

Adam Scott (11/2) edges out his fellow Australian, and two time Australian PGA Champion, Cameron Smith (6/1) to enter this week as the bookmakers favourite in Queensland. Scott's game has been relatively uninspiring of late, and he has failed to follow up his best PGA Tour season for 10 years with any significant showings over the Asian and Australian swings of the Tour over the past couple of months. That has been followed by a largely lacklustre showing at the Presidents Cup last week, and Scott will be looking to bounce back in the last event of the year. Previous visits to Royal Pines have been kind to the Australian number one with a win in 2013 followed by a runner up place the next year, and a subsequent third before missing the cut on his last visit in 2017. The course should be fairly suitable with Scott's accurate and intelligent long game able to put him ahead of the majority of what is a fairly weak field. The concerns come with the iron play, and particularly the short game. Last week at Royal Melbourne, Scott found himself in the run off areas more times than he would care to imagine, and his recovery play was on the whole quite poor. With relatively little form, and a badly missed cut at the Australian Open two weeks ago, i am leaving Adam alone this week at a price that, to me, seems a little short.

Cameron Smith could push Scott to become the favourite as the week progresses. He had a fantastic Presidents Cup, capped off with a singles win over World number 5 Justin Thomas, and Smith is beginning to show his teeth as a top level competitor on Tour. Royal Pines perfectly suits Smiths strengths; he is a fairly diminutive character, and length is not a strength of his, but what he lacks in power he more than makes up for in accuracy, and an exceptional touch around the greens. Cameron won this event last year by two strokes over Marc Leishman (5 ahead of third place), and the year before triumphed in a playoff over Jordan Zunic so success here will not be unfamiliar to the twenty six year old who also finished in the top 10 in both 2015 and 2016. Although he hasn't played a great deal of stroke play golf lately, his game is indisputably in great shape, and it would be a surprise if Smith is not up there contending over the weekend.

Jason Scrivener (12/1) and American Cameron Champ (14/1) make up the remainder of the top of the market this week. Scrivener could be perhaps labelled a bit of a journeyman pro with only one win to his name at 30 years old, but he has been showing some promise of late with back to back top 10 finishes before another strong showing at the Australian Open where he tied for 13th place. That was followed by a week off, and the local lad also has relatively strong course form having finished in the top 20 on four of his last six appearances, including a career high 6th place last year. Scrivener is another with a very solid, but unspectacular, game, and he will likely be around all week. If he can make the putts that he needs at the crucial times then it isn't beyond him to contend, but the price is slightly too short for me. Champ is more explosive, and the young American has perhaps failed to live up to his billing this year, despite claiming his second PGA Tour win at the Safeway Open two months ago. Cameron is a spectacular talent, and his strength lies mostly in his phenomenal length from the tee. That said, he has a good all round game, and if things all come together for him this week then the price could look very generous come Sunday evening.

Rob’s Betting Tips

Headline Golf Betting Tip

Greg Chalmers: 100/1 To Win

At 46, and having suffered substantial injury problems over the past couple of years, many people could have been forgiven that they had about seen the last of Greg Chalmers. The Australian has 11 worldwide victories, including 5 on the PGA Tour, and 5 in Australia; including the 2014 Australian PGA Championship. That was at a happier time for Chalmers, but he did manage to post a hugely impressive 5th placed finish at the Australian Open two weeks ago on his return, and if he can repeat that type of form around Royal Pines, then the three figure quotes about him this week could look staggeringly inaccurate come the end of the week. Chalmers is an elegant left handed player (aren't they all), with a solid, accurate long game, and is terrific around the greens. Back in his hay day, Chalmers regularly ranked in the top 10 on the PGA Tour for driving accuracy, and his skills around the green, and ruthlessness when in contention made him one of the most feared players on leaderboards for many years. His prolonged absence is clearly written heavily into his price this week, but given the performance at the Australia Golf Club just two weeks ago, it seems crazy to write Greg off here at such a big price, and i see enough value to make him my headline selection this week with 2 points e/w at 100/1.

Other Betting Tips

Calum Hill: 25/1 To Win

Scotland's Calum Hill is enjoying a strong run around Asia and African to close 2019 after establishing himself on the European Tour over the course of the season. Hill is a strong player who has a great short game, and will be well suited to a lot of the challenges posed here, as he was two weeks ago when finishing in the top 20 at the Australia Club. Hill has gone largely unnoticed on Tour this year thanks to the exceptional performance of rookie of the year Robert McIntyre, but has used this swing of the Tour as his platform to really show off what he can do. One concern i do have over Hill is that length is an important part of his game, but he showed two weeks ago, and in Africa that he can put that strength aside and cope with the nuances and strategy required at a thinking player's venue such as this one. Whilst it is his first trip to Royal Pines, i see Hill as a cert to be in the top 20 and to push on to challenge for the title if he finds the course to his liking. In a relatively weak field, i am happy to have 2 points e/w at 25/1.

Andrew Dodt: 33/1 To Win

Andrew Dodt has been one of Australia's most consistent Worldwide performers over the past decade, collecting four wins across Europe, Australia, and Asia. This year has been a quieter one with a few top 10s on the European Tour being the best he can muster, but the World number 294 has recently stepped up his game with two top 5s in Asia before a disappointing missed cut at the Australian Open. This type of second shot should suit Dodt, who i had the pleasure of walking with at the Scottish Open a couple of years ago for his final 18 holes alongside Ian Poulter when neither player managed to play up to their best in the final group. He is, again, a straight hitter with a short game that is characteristically strong for an Australian player. What Dodt needs to do to contend this week is hit the 70% greens in regulation stat and get a few putts to drop. Although this is true of most of the field, Dodt should have the ability to avoid the big numbers, and to really put his foot down if he can get into contention. In his previous two visits to Royal Pines for this event, Andrew has finished 2nd and 15th so the synergy is clearly there, and i am happy to throw my weight behind him with __1 point e/w at 33/1 __.

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Dubai Desert Classic Betting Tips

Robert Cobley is a maths graduate with years of experience in the sports betting industry. He has now teamed up with Bet UK to bring his golf betting tips to our readers. For the latest golf betting odds for the Dubai Desert Classic, make sure to head over to Bet UK’s online betting and live in-play betting markets.

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Rob Cobley’s World Tour Championship Betting Tips

Rafael Cabrera-Bello - 40/1 To Win Andy Sullivan - 30/1 To Win

The Course

The Majlis Course, Emirates Golf Club - Dubai, UAE - 7,350 Yards, Par 72

The 1988 Karl Litten designed Majlis Course at the Emirates Golf Club is the venue for the 32nd Dubai Desert Classic. Having played host to the event every year bar a brief hiatus in 1999 when Dubai Creek hosted David Howell's victory, The Majlis Course again provides the backdrop to one of the richest, and strongest, fields on the European Tour. The Emirates is a mostly flat desert complex, strewn with water hazards and substantial bunkering, making it one of the more visually impactful courses in the region, and indeed the World.

The players are driving into average width Bermuda fairways from the tee, and the punishments for not finding them vary. The rough is around three inches long which is deeper than on most courses, but it is not thick, and it's some of the easier rough to play from on the Tour. There is water in play at landing distance on five of the eighteen holes, including the tough 9th where any drive too long will find the water on a sharp dogleg. Other than that, only the most wayward of tee shots will be in danger of a watery grave. The bunkering is more penal on the fairways than the greens with several deep faced fairway bunkers making reaching the greens challenging. Some players will opt to play more strategically short of these; others in the bigger hitting category can simply carry their ball over them.

The approach shots are to large Bermuda putting surfaces that probably make up most of the slopes on the course. They are overseeded with rye, which makes them very fast (around 13 on the stimpmeter), and players will need to control their irons’ speed and trajectory to achieve the right distance control.

The four par 5s on the Majlis Course are all eagle opportunities, and if the wind stays away, then the scoring is typically very low, and almost always below 20 under par. A right to left ball flight (players such as Garcia, Fleetwood and most left-handers such as MacIntyre) is favoured with the shape of the holes; a feature similar to Augusta National. Driving is essential here, as is a record of good putting displays on Bermuda greens. If the wind blows, it really blows, and wind management becomes an equally critical factor if so. Due to the prevalence of wind later in the day, the morning wave can often average three strokes lower than afternoon players; a point worth noting if looking at betting in play or on round leader markets.

Last Five Winners

The Market Leaders

With several of the usual big names disappointingly absent this week, last week's winner Tyrrel Hatton (7/1) leads the market. Hatton had a fantastic year in 2020, mainly putting in some solid performances in the US, and it was little surprise to see him take the win in Abu Dhabi. The Englishman is being tipped up as a likely Major winner in 2021, and it is hard to argue against given his links form, and that they are being played at the likes of Sandwich and Torey Pines. At the Emirates Club, Hatton has enjoyed some success. He finished 3rd in 2017 and 2018, although he didn't play the event last year. I have no concerns about his ability to win back to back and think the price is relatively reasonable.

Tommy Fleetwood (10/1) had a strong weekend in Abu Dhabi to finish 7th, and he will be looking to improve upon a relatively lacklustre career record around the Majlis course. In nine starts here, Fleetwood has just two top-ten finishes and has never realistically contended. That record does surprise me. He has similar strengths to Hatton, and there is no reason why he shouldn't challenge the title here. Fleetwood has the right shot shape, would enjoy and wind, and putts beautifully on large, challenging, greens such as these. Given his better record here, I would make Hatton the better value of the two market leaders.

The final player in what can be considered the top echelons of the market is America's USPGA Champion Collin Morikawa. A surprise inclusion in the field, and no doubt here for mostly commercial reasons, Morikawa is an undoubted talent who could very well contend if bringing the same form he has shown in the early part of the PGA Tour season. He has a low ball flight and will love some of the longer challenging holes where his length can come to the fore. My one reservation is that last year's winning score was an anomaly in incredibly tough conditions, and I am unsure whether winning scores of sub 20 under par are playing to the strengths of the young Hawaiin. For that reason, along with the travel, and lack of course experience, he is one to leave alone for me here.

Rob’s Golf Betting Tips

Headline Betting Tip

Rafael Cabrera-Bello: 40/1 To Win

Rafael Cabrera Bello won the Dubai Desert Classic back in 2012, and that has sparked a love affair between the Spaniard and this event ever since. A consistent performer in the gulf having won in Abu Dhabi also, Rafa had before finished runner up in 2016, and 6th in 2018 where only a bad 3rd round prevented him from seriously contending for the title. Cabrera Bello loves this type of golf. No tricks, just the course in front of you to hit the ball long and straight, and he benefits from an excellent short game as most Spaniards do. His form is excellent having finished 4th last week, and there are few better matches amongst the field for the course and current form, if any.

Cabrera Bello will be desperate to continue the strong start to the season with an eye on the Wisconsin season-ending Ryder Cup. He has still only played the event once and would make a great addition to the team if playing well. Rafa is a steely competitor, and if he can get himself into contention will have a great opportunity this week. I have backed him with 3 points e/w at 40 /1.

Other Betting Tip

Andy Sullivan: 30/1 To Win

Andy Sullivan returned to action last week with a top 25 finish in Abu Dhabi to open his season, and that seems like a good solid foundation for him to build on this week at a course where he has three top-six finishes in his last five starts. Sullivan picked up his first win in three years last season and followed it with a 2nd and a 10th at the end of year Continental swing. On form, he remains one of the top players on Tour with six career victories and a whole host of strong performances in significant events; and they don't come a lot bigger than the Dubai Desert Classic.

Andy can hit low winning scores as he has proved by shooting sub 20 under par for wins both in the UK and in South Africa. He has yet to claim a career win in the Gulf, but he looks great value to me at 3 to 4 times the price of the likes of Sullivan and Hatton. I suggest backing him with 2 points e/w at 30/1.

2021 P&L

Following a rolling profit of 300 points for the 2019 & 2020 seasons, I am looking for a great 2021, and have some great bets lined up for events throughout the year on both the PGA and European Tours. Each week I will pick between two to four selections at each event, and suggest a suitable staking plan.

UBS Hong Kong Open Golf Betting Tips

Bet UK’s golf betting expert Luke Tredget brings you his tips ahead of this weeks UBS Hong Kong Open. Head over to Bet UK's online betting for golf betting odds on all PGA and European tour events. You can also get golf betting tips for all major golf events at Bet UK's sports betting blog.

The Course

Fanling has been a regular stop on the European Tour for a long while now and many viewers will know it inside out. It’s a tight tree lined par 70, fiddly by nature and a course where the driver doesn’t come out of the bag that often. Accuracy from the tee is very much the key to unlocking Fanling. This is the first event of the new European Tour season.

The Big Names in Hong Kong

Tommy Fleetwood, Patrick Reed and Sergio Garcia are the three biggest names in the field this week and they head the market with Bet UK with all three trading close to the 6/1* mark. Fleetwood has excellent course form having finished 6th last year and 3rd the year before and he plays well nearly every time he tees it up at the moment. However he’s played a huge amount of golf recently and his futile chase of Francesco Molinari in the Race to Dubai standings may well have taken its toll. Patrick Reed also has a 3rd place finish here from back in 2015, but much like Fleetwood he may be somewhat drained after his 2nd place finish last week and final round shootout with Danny Willett. Sergio Garcia’s creative mind and vast array of shots should suit this venue, the golf required to win here would be of a similar ilk to that at Valderrama, and we all know how Sergio fares at that track. On balance though there’s not quite enough juice in the Spaniard’s price to warrant getting involved.

Matthew Fitzpatrick - 14/1*

Having overlooked the three players that dominate the betting, out first wager will be on the man who sits fifth in Bet UK’s list. Fitzpatrick already has five European Tour wins to his name including two at Crans-sur-Sierre, a venue that requires the type of plotting accurate game that will be needed this week. 19th last year and tied 3rd in 2015 Fitzpatrick has already shown he’s comfortable with the Fanling layout and a sixth career victory aged just 24 is a distinct possibility. Perhaps we’d have liked a better showing last week, a 34th place in Dubai will mean the Englishman won’t exactly arrive with a spring in his step, but this week’s test is so different that it’s not a huge concern. Bet UK make Fitzpatrick a 14/1* chance and that looks worth a moderate wager to begin the staking plan.

Marcus Kinhult - 45/1*

Our next bet will be the highly promising young Swede Marcus Kinhult. Kinhult had a very solid season last year given it was his first look at the vast majority of courses and we can safely expect this exciting talent to progress again this time around. Kinhult’s neat and tidy game should be perfect for Fanling and he was a respectable 27th last year when seeing the layout for the first time. Bet UK have the Swede at 45/1* and we think he’s well worth chancing at that price.

Alejandro Canizares - 70/1*

My idea of just about the best value in the field is Alejandro Canizares at 70/1*. The Spaniard had a disappointing season last year and was forced to go back to Tour School. That proved to be no bad thing for Canizares as he regained his card with ease finishing joint top in the end of year scramble. Just prior to that Canizares posted a respectable 16th place finish at Valderrama, so with his game in good shape and confidence sure to have returned all the signs point to a decent week ahead. The Spaniard has a couple of bits of form at Fanling too with a 22nd and 6th place in the history books and another good showing is fully expected.

Thomas Aiken - 67/1*

Fairways and greens have always been the basis of Thomas Aiken’s golf and there have been enough positive signs from the South African recently to suggest he’s worth a small bet this week. 16th at Valderrama and 10th in Turkey are encouraging performances, and last year in the second round here Aiken fired a magnificent 64 before fading away over the weekend. Tree lined courses are right up Aiken’s street and he has some good form at both Valderrama and Wentworth which bodes well for him this week. Bet UK have him at 67/1* and that looks a touch too generous all things considered.

Gregory Bourdy - 125/1*

Our final selection is 125/1* shot Gregory Bourdy. The Frenchman seems to have been around forever but is only 36 and given he is a former champion here looks overpriced this week. His game has always been built around accuracy and he’ll be returning to a course he has very fond memories of. In 2009 Bourdy took the title here and beat none other than Rory Mcilroy into second place. The 11th place finish at Valderrama shows that Bourdy can still plot his way around tough tracks and a small wager at a monster price is hard to resist.

Other Notables in the Field

Rafa Cabrera Bello and Lucas Bjerregaard both command plenty of respect. Cabrera Bello has finished second here in the last two renewals and Bjerregaard has had an excellent year and become one of the European Tour’s rising stars. A victory for either would come as no great surprise but they make little appeal at the prices. Two Australians likely to prove reasonably popular with punters are Jason Scrivener (10th and 3rd on his only two visits here) and defending champion Wade Ormsby. Bet UK have them at 30/1* and 48/1* respectively. We’ve already highlighted Gregory Bourdy as the best of those at three figure prices, but the one other that caught the eye was Phachara Khongwatmai at 175/1*. The Thai teenager won’t be those sort of prices for long but arrives here on the back of three missed cuts so is reluctantly passed over.

Bet UK’s Golf Betting Tips

*All odds from Bet UK’s online betting correct at the time of writing.

If you are betting on the Hong Kong Open, please gamble responsibly and remember that when the fun stops, stop. All players must be 18+, begambleaware.org.