The DP World Tour has left the desert and heads to Asia this week for the inaugural staging of the Singapore Classic, the latest tournament in the 2023 Race to Dubai as this global tour continues to live up to its billing.
Although this is the first staging of this event, and it might be the only one depending on what happens to the world over the next 12 months, it is still an important tournament in its own right in a big week for golf.
The Course
We are at the Laguna National Golf Resort Club in Singapore this week. This course has been used in the past even though this is the first renewal of this tournament. There have been Singapore Masters and Ballantine’s Championship competitions staged here so there is a little bit of knowledge for us to go with although those events were all held a while ago. We know the course is a par 72 which measures 7,420 yards.
This is a visually stunning course where the fairways are full of slopes and there are plenty of strategically placed bunkering ready for the wayward tee shots. The greens are full of slopes as well so there is going to be a premium on distance control into them. Good putters are likely to stand out from the crowd here. Accurate ball strikers are likely to be the ones to follow this week and if they have some extra length on top then so much the better.
The Field
With the recent big events on the DP World Tour a thing of the past and some big tournaments on the horizon across the pond there is a shortage of elite names in the field this week but we have a competitive list of players put together considering the venue and level of the event. Ryder Cup hopefuls Robert MacIntyre, Jordan Smith and Adri Arnaus head the names in the field with Ryan Fox another bigger name who has a tee time this week.
Two other members of the top 100 in the world rankings are in the field this week. They are Adrian Otaegui, who could be playing on the DP World Tour for the last time in his career if the ruling with the courts go the tour’s way this week, and Thriston Lawrence. The leading Asian hope is Rikuya Hoshino although the likes of Johannes Veerman and John Catlin have bags of Asian Tour experience. Sebastian Soderberg, Julien Brun and Dan Bradbury have begun the season well and will be looking to take advantage of absences to pick up more points and enhance their Race to Dubai standing.
Market Leaders
Robert MacIntyre will begin the week as a 16/1 chance to win the title. He has been competitive without really threatening anything special this season but this is a much lower grade than recent events and he’ll be looking to showcase his Ryder Cup credentials here. He looks to have the right skills for this test, although should the storms which often reach this part of the world at this time of year arrive, he might be found out in the length department. He doesn’t scream value at this price.
Ryan Fox is the second favourite for the title in Singapore. He has finished into the top 20 in the last two weeks and if this course gets softened up by the storms then his extra length and aggressive style should serve him very well. The only thing that puts me off taking him at 18/1 is the fact he doesn’t win much and we’re not really going to fill our boots on a place if he gets into the frame but finds one too good. I’d favour him over MacIntyre but I think better value lies elsewhere.
Jordan Smith is a 20/1 shot to take down this inaugural title. He won the Portugal Masters at the back end of last year and was in the top 20 last week which would have been so much better had he not opened the event with a 76 so the Englishman is in decent touch. He also doesn’t win as often as I would like but at least his latest win was within recent memory. He has the length and accuracy to get going around here but his putting can be suspect which is a concern.
Alexander Bjork and Adrian Otaegui are 25/1 shots to win the tournament. The latter is surely going to have more than a passing interest in the DP World Tour and LIV Golf hearing and I wonder if that will impact on his play this week. Bjork is certainly of interest. He has got better in each event this season and finished in a tie for second last week. This is a weaker event than that one so if the efforts of last week haven’t taken too much out of him he could be a leading runner here.
Main Bets
Alexander Bjork has a decent body of work in Asia throughout his career. His only win on the DP World Tour came in this part of the world when he took down the China Open a few seasons ago. He is a player who can handle the natural conditions that island and resort golf can bring. He is in excellent form after finishing second at the Ras Al Khaimah event last week and that backs up a good body of work which has seen him deliver 15 top 20 finishes in the last two seasons. Generally on courses which are called tough tests and classic designs a good short game is needed and Bjork has that so he’s my first main bet here.
My second main bet is someone who might be going under the radar in Rafa Cabrera Bello. The Spaniard has opened the season with two top 15 finishes in his first three events which suggests he is hitting the ball nicely, not least because the first one in Abu Dhabi was in an elite field on an exposed course not too dissimilar to this one. In fact, he is ideally suited to resort golf given that he is very solid in the wind and has all the skills to work the ball. His record in Asia is very good. He has a number of big finishes in places like Hong Kong, Malaysia and also has a top 20 in Singapore. The heavy conditions tend to suit him and given how well he is hitting the ball I’ll take a chance on RCB who if he is near his best could be far too good for this field.
Outsiders
John Catlin is never far from my shortlist when we go to this part of the world and on courses which require a lot of accuracy. He has plenty of Asian Tour form behind him and he has added three DP World Tour wins to his name as well, one of which I was on him for at the Irish Open three years ago. He hasn’t started the season in particularly great form but I don’t think those desert events on wide open courses which suit the bombers suit him at all. He needs a bit of toughness and a premium on accuracy such as at Valderrama where he has a wonderful record. Given his profile for being accurate in the long game department and a decent short game I think he could run hot at a big price in familiar conditions.
Nacho Elvira is another with a fair body of Asian form behind him and he could use his length to good advantage this week. He would go down as more of a flier pick but we won with one of them earlier in the season. The last time the tour went to the heart of Asia he was second in Malaysia and sixth in India. He also has a couple of top 15 finishes in the China Open and a top 10 in the Shenzhen International so these softer, heavier conditions allow him to let loose off the tee and go pin hunting with the irons. We are taking a stab in the dark that he is hitting the ball better than his results suggest but at a monster price it is a chance I’m willing to take.
Tips
Back A.Bjork to win Singapore Classic (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 23.00 with Boylesports (1/5 1-8)
Back N.Elvira to win Singapore Classic (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 201.00 with Boylesports (1/5 1-8)
Back them here:
Back R.Cabrera Bello to win Singapore Classic (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 51.00 with Coral (1/5 1-7)
Back J.Catlin to win Singapore Classic (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 71.00 with Coral (1/5 1-7)
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