Outright picks (1pt):
Brian Davis to win 16/1 e.w. @ Sportingbet, Sporting Odds and BetDirect
Nothing much to enthuse about this week, but in a very weak field Davis does look a worthy favourite. His last victory on Tour was only four weeks ago and he has finished in the top-5 here, just as he did last week in Dubai. This is a course that plays fairly short with more of an emphasis on the short game and this should also favour Davis this week.
Phillip Price to win 40/1 e.w. @ Sportingbet and Sporting Odds
Price is another who has a good short game and he should also be favoured by the often windy conditions that prevail here in the afternoon. He failed to deliver as a 100/1 selection last week, but at least there were signs of form in the first round when he would had been very well-placed had he not incurred a silly two-shot penalty. He finished 2nd in 1999 and could easily repeat that performance in this field. This price is too high for a player who win a prestigious event on the Tour last year (European Open).
John Bickerton to win 50/1 e.w. @ Tote
Bickerton has yet to win on the Tour so place-only bets would seem appropriate, but at a best price of 8/1 for a top-5 finish, it is no alternative to 50/1 each-way. His 2004 form is steady as it usually is - he is a good player to back in match bets as he has a high success rate in finishing in the top-25 - but he does tend to specialise in certain events and this is one of them. He has finished 4th, 35th, 4th and 8th in four appearances at Doha and that cannot be ignored. So long as he doesn't hit the front too early, he may yet secure his maiden Tour win.
Brian Davis to win 16/1 e.w. @ Sportingbet, Sporting Odds and BetDirect
Nothing much to enthuse about this week, but in a very weak field Davis does look a worthy favourite. His last victory on Tour was only four weeks ago and he has finished in the top-5 here, just as he did last week in Dubai. This is a course that plays fairly short with more of an emphasis on the short game and this should also favour Davis this week.
Phillip Price to win 40/1 e.w. @ Sportingbet and Sporting Odds
Price is another who has a good short game and he should also be favoured by the often windy conditions that prevail here in the afternoon. He failed to deliver as a 100/1 selection last week, but at least there were signs of form in the first round when he would had been very well-placed had he not incurred a silly two-shot penalty. He finished 2nd in 1999 and could easily repeat that performance in this field. This price is too high for a player who win a prestigious event on the Tour last year (European Open).
John Bickerton to win 50/1 e.w. @ Tote
Bickerton has yet to win on the Tour so place-only bets would seem appropriate, but at a best price of 8/1 for a top-5 finish, it is no alternative to 50/1 each-way. His 2004 form is steady as it usually is - he is a good player to back in match bets as he has a high success rate in finishing in the top-25 - but he does tend to specialise in certain events and this is one of them. He has finished 4th, 35th, 4th and 8th in four appearances at Doha and that cannot be ignored. So long as he doesn't hit the front too early, he may yet secure his maiden Tour win.
