Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship Predictions, Betting Odds & Top Picks

• This is the DP World Tour’s first event of the new calendar year
• The tournament moves venue to Yas Links for the first time
• Collin Morikawa, Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland headline the field

Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship Odds

The odds for this tournament are provided by Caesars Sportsbook. Click on the odds below to head to Caesars Sportsbook and place a bet.

Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship Picks

Big names dominate these Rolex Series events and Viktor Hovland stands out due to his record by the sea on Paspalum. Back him to win at +1000 with Caesars Sportsbook.

Robert MacIntyre has a great record in the UAE and will be able to handle strong winds. Back him to beat Nicolai Hojgaard over 72-holes at -135 with DraftKings Sportsbook.

Shane Lowry won this event at Abu Dhabi GC but the new course and conditions should suit him too. Back the Irishman to place top 5 at +350 with DraftKings Sportsbook.

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Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

After 16 years at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship moves to a new venue in 2022 – Yas Links.

The loss of that solid bank of course form is potentially frustrating for punters so what do we know about the new track?

Well, one clue is in the name. As the official blurb says: “Yas Links Abu Dhabi represents the first true Links Golf Course in the Middle East Region, designed by Kyle Phillips.

“The Championship Links course is located on the west shores of Yas Island and has rolling hills and seashore green locations.

Opened in March 2010, it currently ranks 48th in Golf Digest’s Top 100 courses in the world.

Designer Kyle Phillips is also responsible for Kingsbarns, one of the courses used in the annual Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, and 2017 Scottish Open venue Dundonald Links.

Yas Links is a par 72 measuring 7,425 yards and has Paspalum grass.

It previously hosted an annual pro-am event, the Abu Dhabi Invitational. Winners there included several links specialists such as Darren Clarke, Lee Westwood, Retief Goosen and Stephen Gallacher.

One key this week is the weather forecast. It’s always a big factor in links events and, significantly, the winds look to be particularly strong in round two, perhaps touching 35mph.

On the other days, it’s closer to 15mph but will still provide an added test.

This is the first of the DP World (formerly European) Tour’s Rolex Series events.

The purse is a hefty $8,000,000 and that’s attracted some big names, with Collin Morikawa, Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland the star trio at the front of the betting.

Hovland Can Show Class

The Rolex Series events tend to produce classy winners and 16 of the last 19 have been captured by players who had played in or gone on to play in Ryder Cups.

Viktor Hovland made his Ryder Cup debut in September and emerged as one of Europe’s better performers in their heavy defeat.

But while that makes him part of a bigger category, Hovland starts to stand out on his own when we take another look at this week’s course.

This is a seaside track laid with Paspalum grass and that should be music to Hovland’s ears.

Why? The Norwegian’s three PGA Tour wins have all come on coastal courses featuring this rarely-seen grass.

He won for the first time in 2020 when landing the Puerto Rico Open and he’s won the last two editions of the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba in Mexico.

Hovland also landed his first European Tour event last year when flying back to hoist the silverware at the BMW International Open in Germany.

The World No. 7 shook off some rust at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii two weeks ago where he closed with a 6-under 67 and I fully expect him to kick on here.

Third on his last start in the UAE (2020 DP World Tour Championship), Hovland can oust main rivals Morikawa and McIlroy and get the win at +1000 with Caesars Sportsbook.

Macintyre Can Outscore Hojgaard

For this week’s 72-hole matchbet I’m going to take Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre to beat Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard.

MacIntyre was third (Dubai Desert Classic) and fourth (DP World Tour Championship) in two of the three UAE events he played in 2021.

And stretching back he’s connected eight straight top 25s in the UAE.

Growing up in Scotland, MacIntyre will also be able to handle the forecast windy conditions so he looks a solid betting proposition.

Nicolai Hojgaard was initially billed as a notch below his brother Rasmus but he was the stronger performer in the final few months of 2021.

He won the Italian Open, finished runner-up in Portugal and tied with MacIntyre when fourth at the DP World Tour Championship.

However, I think the weather forecast goes in MacIntyre’s favor and the Scot has been the faster starter in the last couple of campaigns.

MacIntyre has finished 16th and 8th in his last two season openers while Hojgaard has missed the cut in both his.

Take MacIntyre at –135 with DraftKings Sportsbook.

Lowry Can Crack the Top five

Shane Lowry won this event at the former course, Abu Dhabi GC, in 2019 so that suggests it’s a negative for him that the event has switched venues.

However, aside from that victory, he’d missed the cut in five of his other six starts in Abu Dhabi so maybe not.

Collin Morikawa got his first look at Yas Links on Tuesday and said: “I think the conditions are going to prove tough.

“We’re going to have a lot of wind this week, a lot of different winds from what we are seeing on Monday and Tuesday.

A lot of slopes in these greens, a lot of undulations and a lot of run-offs.

That suggests we need a player who can handle gusts and also boasts a wonderful short game.

That’s basically a description of Lowry so I’ll back him to finish in the top 5 at +350 with DraftKings Sportsbook.

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Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship Information