Mauritius Open: Steve Palmer's first-round preview, best bet, free golf tip

Where to watch

Sky Sports Golf, 8.30am Thursday

Best bet

Miguel Tabuena to win threeball
1pt 8-5 Betfred

Back this tip with bet365

First-round preview

Joel Sjoholm enjoyed a surprising spell on the leaderboard in the Alfred Dunhill Championship last week, having accessed the tournament as a late alternate, but it would be unwise to believe the chunky Swede has suddenly become a world-beater.

Sjoholm is an inconsistent sort and the Alfred Dunhill was his first European Tour event since he missed the cut in the 2018 Czech Masters. Prior to the Alfred Dunhill, the last cut he had made in a European Tour event was the 2017 Czech Masters, and he has never finished a year ranked inside the top 250 of the world.

Oppose Sjoholm on day one of the Mauritius Open, a tournament in which he is making his debut, and back Miguel Tabuena to win the 8.30am (UK and Ireland time) threeball. Tabuena has positive course experience, having finished fifth at the Heritage Club in the 2017 edition, and he has been in consistent form in Asia over the last four months.

Tabuena boasts Asian Tour form figures of 5-29-17-50-2-14-23 and he ended the 2017 Mauritius Open only three shots behind.

JC Ritchie, the third member of the group, missed the cut by three shots in his only previous Heritage visit, opening with a 74, and he was nine over par for the weekend of the Alfred Dunhill last time out.

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