Dubai Desert Classic

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2-1; +3.38pts  (system plays: 11-12-1)

Round 1 play (2pts):

Thongchai Jaidee to beat Rafael Cabrera-Bello -133 @ Unibet [also available @ Extrabet]  LOST by 6
Jaidee has an extremely impressive record in this event: he has played here in each of the ten years and has never missed the cut! In fact, he has finished outside the top-30 just twice in those ten years and held the lead after both the 2nd and 3rd round last year before missing out by a shot to Miguel Angel Jimenez. He comes into the event in good form over the previous three Middle East events, plus he won in Asia two months ago so I'm confident he can beat Cabrera-Bello who shot 76-72 on his course debut last year.

[unofficial rd1 system plays: Garcia tb Howell -125 (W); Stenson tb Howell -115 (L); Jaidee tb Martin -143 (L); Molinari tb Davies -143 (W); Hanson tb Hoey -143 (W); Jimenez tb Bjorn -117 (T); Stenson tb Bjorn -120 (L); Green tb Aiken -120 (L); Webster tb Karlberg -120 (W); Levet tb Cevaer -125 (W)]

Round 2 play (4pts):

Tiger Woods to beat Lee Westwood +101 @ Pinnacle [also available @ Stan James, Bet365, Unibet, and Extrabet]  WON by 4
Woods may not the World #1 anymore and, according to Kaymer, "he didn't play very good golf today", but he still hit his drives further, hit more fairways, hit more greens in regulation, and took less putts in regulation than Westwood. The focus is naturally upon Tiger's eagle at the last hole, but other than Westwood's scrambling skills, the stats showed that all parts of his game were better than Westwood's. At plus-odds there's enough reason to back Tiger Woods.

[unofficial rd2 system plays: Manassero tb Molinari +100 (L); Dredge tb Aiken +120 (L)]

Round 3 play (2pts):

Stephen Gallacher to beat Anders Hansen +110 @ 5Dimes  TIED
Good price to back a player in good form - Gallacher has finished 31st, 4th, and 12th in the last three weeks - and to oppose a player who is paired with Tiger Woods. The last time Hansen was paired with Woods - 2008 CA Championship - he shot with 73 and with Tiger's current momentum, he could be a very difficult player to be partnered with.

[unofficial rd3 system plays: Andersson Hed tb Martin -111 (W); Webster tb Rumford -111 (L)]

Round 4 play (2pts):

Anders Hansen to beat Thomas Aiken -105 @ Pinnacle [available generally]  WON by 2
Impressive performance by Hansen to shoot under-par in the windy conditions and so now share the lead with Aiken and Rory McIlroy. This is a familiar position for the Dane - he shared the lead after 54 holes of this event five years and was paired with Tiger Woods in the final round. He still shot 71 and only missed out by two shots. This is not such a familiar position for Aiken. He has held the lead after 54 holes of a 72-hole event just four times and each one was in South Africa. Yet each time he failed to shoot better than 70 and each time he failed to hold onto the lead. Against this field and playing for so much money, that relative inexperience should make this a much harder task for Aiken.

[unofficial rd4 system plays: Jacquelin tb Martin +105 (W); Drysdale tb Kruger -120 (L); Jacquelin tb Kingston -105 (L); Havret tb Martin -105 (W); Lafeber tb Hoey -110 (L); Garcia tb Quiros +121 (L); Strange tb Martin -104 (W); Strange tb Lafeber -111 (W); Sterne tb Davies +100 (W); Woods tb Westwood -138 (L)]