With most of the big names heading back to America, this is a fairly weak event, but that means it’s wide open beyond the four favorites at the top of the board. At the Royal Golf Club, the profile that we are primarily looking for is a combination of iron play and distance. Driving accuracy is somewhat irrelevant, and while paspalum putting is a bonus, players have been able to contend and even win without putting well. Players with a good history at the comp courses of Al H

First, a word on last week's Dubai Desert Classic where Patrick Reed won easily. This wasn’t a massive surprise given he was one of the players who had gone against the driving and distance trend when 2nd in 2023. What is a large surprise was that he wasn’t alone, with five of the top six below average in distance and the likes of Andy Sullivan, Francesco Molinari and Jayden Schaper all fitting a shorter but more accurate architype. Other than Nicolai Hojgaard (who fit the di