History will be made on the DP World Tour this week with the inaugural Ras Al Khaimah Championship taking place at Al Hamra Golf Club and it looks to be a wide-open event heading into Thursday’s opening round in the United Arab Emirates.
Al Hamra GC has previously staged three Challenge Tour events – the Ras Al Khaimah Golf Challenge in 2016 and 2017 before then hosting the Ras Al Khaimah Challenge Tour Grand Final in 2018 – and it will be a big week for the championship course now brought onto the main tour.
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Measuring 7,325 yards, the 18-hole course meanders around four inter-connected open water lagoons and this should put a premium on finding fairways this week and not veering away from the beaten path.
Wiesberger Tops Betting in Wide-Open Market
World number 62 Bernd Wiesberger is the 10/1 favourite to lift the trophy this week and he has made a decent start to 2022, chalking up a T12 finish at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and then a T24 at the Dubai Desert Classic.
The 36-year-old Austrian is followed in the betting by Englishman Jordan Smith, who is a 22/1 chance to claim the spoils, while Frenchman Romain Langasque and Poland’s Adrian Meronk are both priced at 22/1.
England’s Richard Bland, who lost out in a playoff to Viktor Hovland last week, is available to back at 25/1, the same price as Scotland’s rising star Robert MacIntyre, who has missed the cut on his last two starts.
Big Value Elsewhere
Looking further down the betting and there are some big prices that stick out, none more so than Scotland’s Richie Ramsay, who is searching for his first win since claiming the spoils at the 2015 Trophee Hassan II.
The 38-year-old from Aberdeen is a steady player off the tee and he ranked 12th in driving accuracy, which could prove crucial at Al Hamra this week, on the European Tour last season.
Another Scot Ready to Shine
Previous course form may also prove beneficial this week and one of the players in the field that boasts that is Scotland’s Grant Forrest, who contested the 2018 Ras Al Khaimah Challenge Tour Grand Final.
The 28-year-old shot all four rounds in red numbers, finishing eight-under-par overall to end in a tie for 10th, and he will be hoping to use his course knowledge to his advantage across the four days of action.
Forrest certainly has the power off the tee, as he averaged 310.70 yards on the European Tour last season, and if he improve on his accuracy then he should be in with a chance of claiming the spoils.
Morrison Worth a Punt
Englishman James Morrison appears overpriced at 100/1 and he definitely looks like worth a go in the each-way market, especially if he can replicate his performance from the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
The 37-year-old, who has two professional wins to his name, was tied-sixth in what was his first appearance of 2022 and although he missed the cut the following week, there is enough to suggest he is swinging it well.
Morrison is another solid player off the tee, ranking 20th in driving accuracy last season, while he was also 14th in scrambling, 10th in sand saves and 24th in strokes gained: putting.
*All odds correct at time of writing.