Ian Poulter
Kevin Murray

Justin Rose
Kevin Murray

George Coetzee
Kevin Murray

Anders Hansen
Kevin Murray

Chris Wood
Mizuno

Bernd Wiesberger
Kevin Murray

The European season and the race to Dubai reaches its climax this week on a course that is perfect for this type of shoot out. Greg Normans Earth course opened with the staging of this event back in November 2009 where Lee Westwood (12/1) won that year with a score of -23.

This is the first Greg Norman designed track in Dubai along with sister course Fire at the Jumeirah Golf Estates. The Earth course is a very open layout with generous fairways and large sloping greens, so position is all-important.

Talk about bringing coals to Newcastle, or Sand to Dubai, which is exactly what has happened here. The bleached white sand in the fairway waste areas and bunkers was imported from North Carolina.

There really isn’t too much rough to worry about, but the players will have tricky recovery shots off the red wood chips if they do manage to miss these wide fairways. The most challenging hole is the final hole, with its rock-lined stream meandering up the middle of its 620-yard fairway. The hole gently climbs to the huge and undulating green, a fitting crescendo to this 7706 yards track.

Jumeirah Golf Estates have overseeded the tees, fairways and rough on the Earth course with ryegrass, offering greater contrast and definition to the brilliant white bunkers and barkmulched landscape areas. The course will prove to be a tougher test this year for the players than in 2009 and 2010, with more of a premium being placed on finding the fairways with tee shots.

My tips to win:

Ian Poulter 15/1 comes into this week in great form with a win at the WGC HSBC Champions and a runners up spot at last weeks Australian Masters, he also had a top 5 finish at the BMW Masters. It would be the perfect way to end the year after his heroics at the Ryder Cup and I don’t think there will be too many golf fans out there who wouldn’t love to see the lad from Hitchin finish the season by picking up the Tour Championship title.

Justin Rose's 19/1 European Tour record this year makes for impressive reading. He’s competed in twelve events and has finished outside of the Top 25 on only two occasions, eight of those ten tournaments have seen him finish inside the Top 10. That is a fantastic record and don’t be surprised to see him top it off with a win here this week.

George Coetzee 36/1 has finished in the Top 10 in five out of the last seven tournaments he’s competed in culminating in a second place at last weeks South African Open. George has finished inside the Top 25 on another nine occasions with four of those also being Top 10 finishes. Coetzee hasn’t won yet this season so look for him to rectify that here this week.

My each-way tips:

I am going to stick with Anders Hansen 51/1 this week after his Top 10 finish at the Hong Kong Open. That is Anders' second Top 10 finish on the spin and as I stated last week he seems to have a pattern of having three good tournaments in a row, so look for him to do well again this week.

Another player I am going to stick with this week is Chris Wood 81/1, his final two rounds at the Hong Kong Open of 68 and a wonderful final round of 63 saw the Bristonian coming into the Tour Championship in confident mood with two Top 10 finishes on the spin.

My outside tip:

This weeks outside bet has to be Bernd Wiesberger 100/1 these are incredible odds for someone who has won twice this year on the European Tour and has also finished in the Top 25 another eight times, with three of those being Top 10 finishes. I am not sure he will stay at these odds too long so I would put a couple of quid on him pretty sharpish.


As always good luck

Jeff Overton
Keith Allison

Brendon De Jonge
Keith Allison

Troy Matteson
Kevin Murray

Henrik Stenson
Kevin Murray

Gary Woodland
Kevin Murray

This week’s event is played over the two courses, Disney's Magnolia & Palm Courses at Lake Buena Vista, Florida for the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic. The Magnolia is the longest of the Disney courses and is your normal tour style design with wide fairways, eleven of the eighteen holes have water.

The course meanders through 175 acres of thick Florida wetlands. There are ninety-seven bunkers guarding large undulating greens, including the famous Mouse Trap that protects the Par 3 sixth hole. The Magnolia has been the home of the final round of the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic since 1971. Jack Nicklaus shot final rounds of 68, 64 and 67 to win the first three Disney tournaments between 1971-73. Payne Stewart holds the course record when he shot 61, which included nine birdies and one eagle back in 1990.

Disney's Palm course is the toughest of the original Disney courses and is rated by Golf Digest as one of the "Top 100" Resort Courses in the country. It’s not one of the longest on the tour measuring in at 6,957 yards from the back tees, but it offers a stern strategic challenge, nine holes have water on them and feature tight heavily wooded fairways. Justin Rose holds the course record here shooting an opening round of 60 at the 2006 event.

My tips to Win:

I have tipped Jeff Overton 22/1 to do well over the last several weeks and I still think he has a win in him. Out of his last six tournaments he has made the Top 20 four times, two of those being Top 10 finishes. I feel he is just one very low round away from turning those finishes into a victory.

Another player who seems on the verge of winning is Brendon De Jonge 14/1, with three Top 5 finishes in his last three tournaments, that is a great record and very consistent golf. Two 65s five 66s and a 62 are amongst those rounds of golf and I am sure the Zimbabwean will be challenging again this week.

I did tip Troy Matteson 50/1 a few weeks ago and he promptly went and missed two cuts, after looking like he was going to kick on, after three Top 20 finishes from four tournaments. But a first round 63 at the CIMB Classic saw him come back into form and although his final two rounds were in the low 70s, I think he could be worth our outside bet this week

This week I am going for three players who all need good weeks to retain their Top 125 exempt tour status.

Henrik Stenson 25/1 has limited his appearances this year, but of the fourteen tournaments he has teed it up in on the PGA Tour, he has finished in the Top 25 six times. Henrik has also had five Top 5 finishes on the European Tour and I fancy the Swede to do well here this week.

It’s a big week for Gary Woodland 33/1, after finishing in the Top 10 at the Frys.com Open he promptly went and missed the cut at The McGladrey Classic and now sits in 127 place on the order of merit and just outside the exempt Top 125. A good week here should see the Kansas kid retain his full tour playing rights and I think he will do a little better than just scrape past the finishing line.

Camilo Villegas 66/1 last three tournaments have seen him steadily progress up the field finishing in the Top 20 at the McGladrey Classic. Camilo currently sits at 157 on the money list and needs a very good week to make the Top 125 and I think he may pull it off.

As always good luck