2022 Saudi International
February 2, 2022 10:00 pm EDT
This week, the Asian Tour travels to Saudi Arabia for the 2022 Saudi International.
Before I discuss my favorite golf bets for this week’s Asian Tour event let’s take a look at the golf course the field will play and the key player statistics that I think are the most important to a player’s success at the 2022 Saudi International.
The 2022 Saudi International will be played at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in Saudi Arabia. This golf course is a par 70 that measures 7,010 yards. This track features paspalum fairways and rather large green complexes.
This golf course is near the Red Sea and winds are often a factor. Due to the possibility that wind could be a factor at this week’s event, I highly recommend that you identify golfers for your potential bets that can perform at a high level in windy conditions. I want to be betting on guys that can adjust to the weather change if needed.
Based on my review of the three previous Saudi International events, I observed a few specific key player statistics that were needed for success at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club. The key player statistics that I have identified as important in the two previous events played on this course were the following: driving distance, scrambling, GIR (greens in regulation), and putts per GIR. Keep those specific skill sets in mind as you look for golfers to bet on this week.
Here are my favorite golf bets for the 2022 Saudi International.
Here are two golfers to consider placing on your card to finish in the top five.
Thomas Pieters +410
The 30 year old Belgian arrives at this week’s Asian Tour event in rather good form. Let me be more specific. Pieters has accumulated four consecutive top 12 finishes, including two wins (2022 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, 2021 Portugal Masters).
Thomas Pieters also checks the box for me when it comes to previous course/event history. Pieters has played the Saudi International three times since 2019. In those three tournaments just mentioned, Pieters has accumulated three top 22 finishes, including a third place result at the 2020 Saudi International.
Tyrrell Hatton +240
Tyrrell Hatton has accumulated two consecutive top six finishes on the DP World Tour, including a fourth place result at last week’s 2022 Dubai Desert Classic.
Due to the fact that Tyrrell Hatton played so well at last week’s event I decided to take a hard look at Hatton’s player statistics relative to the 2022 Dubai Desert Classic field. Through four rounds of competitive play at the 2022 Dubai Desert Classic, in relation to the field, Hatton ranked tenth in driving distance, 12th in strokes gained off the tee, and sixth in putts per GIR.
It should also be noted that Tyrrell Hatton finished sixth at the 2021 Saudi International.
