Steve Palmer's Hong Kong Open preview, best bets, free golf tips & TV details

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the Hong Kong Open at Hong Kong Golf Club on the Asian Tour.

Best bets

Jazz Janewattananond
4pts each-way 7-1 Coral, Ladbrokes, Sky Bet
Back this tip with CoralAjeetesh Sandhu
1pt each-way 80-1 Betfair, Paddy Power
Back this tip with Paddy Power

Steve Palmer's top tip

Jazz Janewattananond 7-1

The Hong Kong Open has had its status downgraded after being postponed due to political issues. It is no longer a European Tour event after social unrest meant it could not be staged in November but Open champion Shane Lowry has retained his place in the field.

Francesco Molinari, Patrick Reed and Henrik Stenson have pulled out since the original cancellation, but Lowry is joined by American powerhouse Tony Finau in a 120-strong competition at the historic Hong Kong Golf Club, a tight, tree-lined, old-fashioned, 6,699-yard, par-70, where inaccuracy is severely punished.

Lowry missed the Hong Kong cut in 2009 and 2010 and is making his first start since, while Finau is a course debutant who seems unlikely to appreciate a restrictive track which contains only two par-five holes.

Throw in their travelling arrangements – Lowry went from Dublin to Dubai to prepare for the new season, but has still had an eight-hour trek from Dubai to Hong Kong, while Finau has had an arduous journey from Utah – and the most famous names in the line-up are unappealing at short prices.

Strong preference is for Jazz Janewattananond, who has taken his game to a new level in the last few weeks, winning the Indonesian Masters and the Thailand Masters for a timely December double which propelled him into the top 50 of the world rankings and secured a Masters debut.

Janewattananond, 14th on his US PGA debut in May, has always been full of potential and at the age of 24 it is starting to be realised. His two most recent victories were absolute masterclasses – both by five-shot margins after finishing 23 under par – and this was despite him complaining of late-season tiredness.

Refreshed by the Christmas break, Janewattananond can threaten a quickfire hat-trick of wins, especially as a layer of pressure has been removed by the European Tour's withdrawal. This is just another Asian Tour event – and the Thai has won six of them - so expect an improvement on his disappointing previous HKGC efforts.

Next best bet

Ajeetesh Sandhu 80-1

The pick of the players at bigger prices is Ajeetesh Sandhu. The accurate Indian won on his home circuit in October, has performed solidly on the Asian Tour since, and is well suited to the demands of HKGC.

The action starts at 11.10pm Wednesday UK and Ireland time, with clear, calm conditions expected.

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