Oman Open preview, Steve Palmer's best bets, free golf tips & course guide

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the Oman Open at Al Mouj on the European Tour.

Where to watch

Live on Sky Sports Golf from 6.30am Thursday

Best bets

Thomas Pieters
3.5pts each-way 12-1 Betfred
Adri Arnaus
2.5pts each-way 28-1 Betway
Min Woo Lee
2pts each-way 33-1 Ladbrokes
Adrian Meronk
1pt each-way 125-1Betway, Coral

The European Tour returns to the Middle East, with the Abu Dhabi Championship, Dubai Desert Classic and Saudi International done and dusted, and the Oman Open, Qatar Masters and season-ending DP World Tour Championship to come.

The circuit spends so much time in the desert these days that many of the players are extremely familiar with the courses used, but Al Mouj has staged only two previous European Tour events. The stunning layout has won rave reviews and two-time Major champion Martin Kaymer has jetted over this time to see what all the fuss is about. The former world number one is joined by a host of maidens seeking their Tour breakthrough.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Thomas Pieters 12-1

Kaymer has the Major titles on his CV and a proud history, but surely the most dangerous operator in Oman this week is the underachieving Thomas Pieters, who fully deserves his place at the head of the market.

Pieters can torment punters by quickly going from the sublime to the ridiculous – his 67-77 start in the Desert Classic a month ago is a classic example – but his A-game is so magnificent that further silverware is almost inevitable. At his best, and with his volatile temperament in order, the Belgian powerhouse is capable of winning anything.

Having turned 28 last month, Pieters has won four times on the European Tour, top-scored in a Ryder Cup and finished fourth in the Masters, but there seems so much more to come from a player who would not look out of place in the top ten of the world rankings.

• 45-1 Patrick Reed wins the Mexico Championship

On Thursday he will tee off as world number 68, meaning the next few weeks are crucial if he wants to secure another crack at the Green Jacket in April. Pieters needs to move into the top 50 before the Masters to book a ticket to Augusta and victory in Oman would be a significant stepping stone.

This 6ft 5ins beast is the best ball-striker in the field, hugely impressing from tee to green this year, and he will probably be difficult to beat if he can hole a few putts in Oman. Pieters finished third in the Saudi International last time out and was sixth in his only previous Al Mouj appearance.

Next best bet

Adri Arnaus 28-1

The Tour maiden most likely to use the Oman Open as his breakthrough event is probably Adri Arnaus, who has been awesome with driver in hand this season and pounding greens in regulation. The long-game class of the Spaniard can see him set up a winning chance for Sunday.

Arnaus moved to Dubai at the start of this year, so Oman was a short journey for him, and that freshness is helpful for an event to which most of the field have had to trek from afar. He was third in the Desert Classic a month ago and loves desert golf. He won the 2018 Challenge Tour Grand Final in the UAE and can be expected to massively improve on the 45th place he managed on his Oman Open debut as a European Tour rookie 12 months ago.

Other selections

Min Woo Lee 33-1

Adrian Meronk 125-1

Min Woo Lee is making his first appearance since winning the Vic Open in fine style at the start of this month. The 21-year-old bravely fended off Ryan Fox and others to claim a maiden European Tour title with a pair of weekend 68s in tough conditions. Lee's potential seems immense and he looks set to develop into Australia's next superstar.

Lee has already shown a liking for desert golf with fourth place in the Saudi International last year and he can do a similar job at Al Mouj. He missed the cut by a shot on his course debut 12 months ago, but was outside the world's top 300 at the time and has become more settled in the pro ranks since. Having secured a European Tour card, this free-flowing talent should play with even more swagger, and an immediate follow-up success is entirely feasible.

Complete a strong four-pronged attack with Adrian Meronk, one of the most promising players to graduate from the Challenge Tour last term. Meronk, the first Pole to gain European Tour membership, won on the Challenge Tour last year and seems good enough to make an impression in the higher grade. This is a talented and dangerous outsider.

Four under-par rounds in Saudi Arabia last time out hinted that Meronk has quickly settled among the big boys and he can hit the ground running at Al Mouj having finished 11th there in the 2017 Challenge Tour Grand Final. A playoff loss that year in a Challenge Tour event staged in the UAE underlined a liking for desert golf.

Players to note

Gavin Green
The 26-year-old Malaysian finished third in the Saudi International last time out and has made a solid start to the season. Oman seems another good opportunity to threaten a maiden success.

Clement Sordet
The Frenchman, a four-time Challenge Tour victor, won the CT Grand Final at Al Mouj in 2017 and lost the Oman Open by a shot last year. He narrowly lost his European Tour card last season.

Romain Langasque
The talented French maiden should get off the mark on the European Tour at some stage and Al Mouj is a suitable venue.

Haotong Li
The Chinaman is suffering a quiet spell and seems to have lost some confidence, but he is a former Desert Classic champion well suited to this assignment.

Al Mouj course guide

Course Al Mouj Golf, Muscat, Oman
Prize money $1.75m ($291,667 to the winner)
Length 7,365 yards
Par 72
Field 144
Course records- 72 holes 267 Bernd Ritthammer (2016 Challenge Tour Grand Final) 18 holes 63 Alexander Bjork (2016 Challenge Tour Grand Final), Gary King (2016 Challenge Tour Grand Final)

Course winners taking part Clement Sordet, Joost Luiten

When to bet By 3am Thursday

When to watch Live on Sky Sports Golf from 6.30am Thursday

Time difference Oman is four hours ahead of the UK and Ireland

Course overview The inaugural Oman Open at Al Mouj was staged in 2018, but the venue had been employed on the Challenge Tour for the preceding five years. The National Bank of Oman Golf Classic was the penultimate event on the Challenge Tour schedule in 2013 and 2014, before becoming the season-ending showpiece from 2015 to 2017. The Greg Norman-designed Al Mouj, opened in September, 2012, staged all of the CT gatherings. The track runs along a stretch of pristine coastline, flanking the Indian Ocean, providing an oasis of lush green grass. It features numerous bunkers, water hazards and natural dunes, while players typically face a stiff breeze. The exposed layout has Paspalum SeaDwarf grass throughout. The fairways are wide, while the greens are large and undulating. There are two par-fives on each nine – the shortest is the 543-yard 12th and the longest is the 598-yard seventh

Story of last year Clement Sordet three-putted the final green and had to settle for a four-way share of second place, with Kurt Kitayama taking advantage to win by a shot and claim the second title of his burgeoning European Tour career

Weather forecast Hot and sunny throughout, with light to moderate breezes

Type of player suited to the challenge The course was labelled 'links-style' by its creators, but is too lush to fit perfectly with that description. Great touch is required on and around the large, undulating greens. Big-hitters with a strong short-game should flourish in perfect weather

Key attribute Touch

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