Steve Palmer's Ras al Khaimah predictions & free golf betting tips

When to bet on the Ras al Khaimah Championship

By 3.10am on Thursday

It's also worth noting that Kwiff are offering a £30 free bet when new customers bet £10 on golf 

Where can I watch the Ras al Khaimah Championship

Live on Sky Sports Golf from 8am on Thursday

Steve Palmer's Ras al Khaimah Championship predictions

Rasmus Hojgaard
4pts each-way 12-1 Coral, Ladbrokes

Laurie Canter
2.5pts each-way 30-1 Coral, Ladbrokes

Alejandro Del Rey
2pts each-way 45-1 bet365

Keita Nakajima
1.5pts each-way 35-1 bet365

New customers can get a £30 free bet when they bet on the Ras al Khaimah Championship with Kwiff

Steve Palmer's Ras al Khaimah Championship preview

Tommy Fleetwood, Rory McIlroy and other stars are taking the week off, leaving the DP World Tour stage clear for some lesser lights to make an impact. Fleetwood and McIlroy have won the first two DPWT events of the year at short odds, but nobody is a single-figure price for the Ras al Khaimah Championship.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Rasmus Hojgaard 12-1

Nicolai Hojgaard won the 2022 Ras al Khaimah Championship by four shots and this week his twin brother can add his name to the trophy. Rasmus Hojgaard can make merry at Al Hamra over the next four days.

Rasmus has been in determined mood since missing out on last year's Ryder Cup. He attended the event as Thomas Bjorn's buggy driver and Nicolai's chief cheerleader but a more fulfilling role as a player should be coming in the next match against the United States.

Rasmus is fully focused on the DP World Tour having narrowly missed out on a PGA Tour card last year in the Race to Dubai Rankings and this week's low-grade assignment on an ideal track seems a golden opportunity.

Rasmus has finished in the top 20 in his last five tournaments. He was sixth in the Nedbank Challenge, 11th in the DP World Tour Championship and 11th again last week in the Dubai Desert Classic. While his sibling putted abysmally at the Emirates, Rasmus was holing everything, filling himself with putting confidence for the season ahead.

The Dane's long driving is a huge asset at this week's venue, where loose tee-shots often go unpunished, and progressive Al Hamra form figures of 42-30-6 add to the belief that Ras is by far the most likely Ras champion.

Jordan Smith is nine years older than Hojgaard, but has won only two DPWT titles. Rasmus is a four-time DPWT champion at the age of 22.

Next best bet

Laurie Canter 30-1

A pair of 73s to miss the Desert Classic cut was a slow start to the year for Laurie Canter. His driving was typically solid, but he lacked sharpness in other departments of the game. Al Hamra is a layout where he can quickly set the record straight.

Canter finished 25th in his only previous Al Hamra start. Fifth place in the 2020 DPWT Championship and fourth in the 2021 Desert Classic show what the Bath man can do in this region, and he will expect to contend in this lowly company.

The former LIV player, who banked a fortune from his time on that circuit, was in excellent nick before Christmas, finishing fourth in the Australian Open and runner-up in the Mauritius Open, so it is reasonable to expect normal service to resume this week.

Other selections

Alejandro Del Rey 45-1
Keita Nakajima 35-1

Another spectacular driver who will be licking his lips at the prospect of Al Hamra is Alejandro Del Rey. This explosive talent – a Spaniard who cut his teeth at Arizona State University – was in great nick in December. Fifth place in the South African Open was followed by seventh in the Alfred Dunhill Championship.

Last week Del Rey made a strong Desert Classic debut until a final-round 77 dropped him to 38th place. All the damage was done in the front nine. Del Rey was under-par for the back-nine, outscored McIlroy by two shots on that stretch, and closed with birdies at the 17th and 18th to leave Dubai in reasonable spirits. Del Rey was 28th at Al Hamra last year.

Former world number one amateur Keita Nakajima must also be in the staking plan. The Japanese ace, who was top dog in the unpaid ranks for 87 weeks, has just broken into the top 100 of the professional rankings. He has won four times on the Japan Tour, as well as finishing runner-up six times, and can boast form figures of 10-1-20-2-4-2 on his home circuit.

Nakajima was fifth in the Australian Open in 2018, four years before turning pro, so this huge talent has proved he can carry his game overseas.

Course guide for the Ras al Khaimah Championship

• Course Al Hamra Golf Club, Ras al Khaimah, UAE
• Prize money $2.5m ($416,500 to the winner)
• Length 7,410 yards
• Par 72 - four par-fives; ten par-fours; four par-threes
• Field 132 The cut Top 65 and ties qualify for round three
• Highest-ranked players in field (world ranking in brackets) Thriston Lawrence (69), Jordan Smith (74), Thorbjorn Olesen (85), Rasmus Hojgaard (89), Keita Nakajima (92)
• Course records - 72 holes 264 Nicolai Hojgaard (2022); 18 holes 62 Oliver Bekker (2022 Ras al Khaimah Classic)
• Course winners taking part Jordan Smith, Jens Dantorp, Adri Arnaus, Daniel Gavins
• When to bet By 3.10am on Thursday morning
• When to watch Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 8am on Thursday
• Time difference Ras al Khaimah is four hours ahead of the UK and Ireland
• Last week – Dubai Desert Classic 1 R McIlroy (3-1), 2 A Meronk (22-1), 3 C Young (20-1), T4 A Cockerill (250-1), P Larrazabal (175-1), J Niemann (22-1), T7 N Hojgaard (22-1), M Kawamura (350-1), H Li (150-1), A Scott (22-1)
• Course type Desert
• Course overview The 2016 and 2017 Ras al Khaimah Challenge on the Challenge Tour, the 2018 Challenge Tour Grand Final, the 2022 Ras al Khaimah Classic and the 2022 and 2023 Ras al Khaimah Championship and are the six pieces of course form for punters
• Story of last year Daniel Gavins twice found water on the 18th hole, but holed a long putt for double-bogey to win by a shot
• Weather forecast Sunny, warm and calm for three days, before some moderate breezes on Sunday afternoon
• Type of player suited to the challenge Wide fairways, limited bunkering and straightforward greens make this a simple assignment. Powerhouses putting well should thrive
• Key attribute Power

Steve Palmer's Ras al Khaimah Championship key stat

Two of the three DPWT winners at Al Hamra ranked inside the top ten for driving distance

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