It's a cracking field in Abu Dhabi, with four of the world's top five competing
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Click here to bet on the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship at bet365
After a few weeks of sparring between the European Tour's less-celebrated players, the big hitters get their season underway at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship. The high-calibre field gives the tournament the feel of a major, with four of the world's top five looking to lay down an early marker.
Tiger Woods is giving it a miss - after a turbulent 2010, you can't blame him for taking tentative steps into 2011 - so the main focus of attention will be Martin Kaymer and Lee Westwood resuming their duel for the No. 1 spot.
Williams' wagers
- Lee Westwood to win the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship - 9/1 at bet365
- Louis Oosthuizen e.w. to win - 18/1 at bet365
- David Horsey e.w. to win - 150/1 at bet365
Westwood treated with generosity
There will be a lot of money placed on Kaymer at 8/1 - inevitable as he's a two-time winner of the tournament - but it's Westwood that we're going to tip. The world No. 1 is priced up at 9/1, which appears exceptionally generous given the scrawny odds offered on Woods during his spell in the top rank.
Although Westwood can't boast a faultless record at the tournament - missing the cut in 2010 - he did finish second in 2008 and, on a course where iron shots are going to play a decisive role, he has the game to challenge. And let's face it, the guy has been a habitual presence at the top of the leaderboard for the best part of 12 months, with top-ten finishes in seven of the 14 European Tour events he played last year.
He hasn't played since December, so there will be fears over rustiness, but he proved at the Ryder Cup that an absence from the game does not lower his level.
Oosthuizen firmly in the groove
One man who has been extremely active already this season is Louis Oosthuizen (18/1), who has finished in the top three at each of his last two tournaments. After he won The Open last year, there was a suspicion that his spell in the limelight would be fleeting - but he has shown no sign of falling away into obscurity.
Since shaking off an injury that blighted the last few weeks of his 2010, Oosthuizen has played beautifully with the irons - he's hit 76% of his greens this year - and, for that reason, we think he'll be in the mix on this course for the third successive year, having finished finished fifth and second on his past two visits. Take a look in the each-way market.
Let's finish up with another player who excels on the fairway - the 150/1 shot David Horsey. He's played the tournament once before, finishing eighth, so that price looks a little too big. Snaffle it up.
Please note that odds are correct at time of publication and are subject to change.
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Josh Williams
Josh Williams is an assistant editor of ESPN.co.uk
