2023 Thailand Classic Tips

17th February 2023, 1:25pm (UK time)

2023 Thailand Classic Round 2 Summary

A draw bias emerged as the top eight all played this morning.  Dale Whitnell is the only player from the AM-PM tee times in the top 14. Our pre-event 100/1 selection, Rafa Cabrera Bello, leads by two shots after two rounds of 66-65.

Notable Round 2 Thailand Classic Quotes

"I've been doing a lot of work over the break on my swing and trying to make it better. I feel some weeks it really clicks, other weeks it's not quite there. I'm trending in the right direction and happy the swing is feeling good this week and I'm making good scores." Rafa Cabrera Bello

2023 Thailand Classic Round 3 Weather

Hazy sun, hot and humid. Wind 5-10mph. We should see low scores as a result. 

How do we expect the market favourites to perform?

Our man Rafa Cabrera Bello is now 5/1 favourite and firmly in the driving seat. All parts of his game look in decent shape and he is more experienced at getting over the line than most on the leaderboard. A winner as recently as the Open De Espana in October 2021, he has been a winner in the last 18 months.  However, the last two times he led at halfway - Open De Espana 2019 and Hong Kong Open 2016 - he went on to finish 2nd.

Fabrizio Zanotti and Thorbjorn Olesen are next in the betting at around the 15/2 mark. Out of the two, Olesen would be much preferred, having won last year at the British Masters and arriving in progressive form of 4-16-20

Where is the value?

Four of the last five winners at this course were leading at halfway which is great news for Cabrera Bello.  However, it is worth mentioning that four of the five winners of the Thailand Golf Championship were top class players (either Major winners or world number 1) and we saw how quickly Sami Valimaki and Martin Simonsen lost their leads this morning. We are therefore open minded about the possibility of someone making a move from off the pace but it largely depends on the performance or Cabrera Bello.

Round 3 Bets

16th February 2023, 1:25pm (UK time)

2023 Thailand Classic Round 1 Summary

Players with an afternoon tee time dominate the top of the leaderboard, with Robin Sciot Siegrist the only player in the top eight who played in the breezier morning conditions.  Sami Valimaki continues his strong recent play and tops the leaderboard with Martin Simonsen.

Notable Round 1 Thailand Classic Quotes

"I just kept playing and when I started hitting the ball really well, it just made it easy. I was putting really good the whole time and when I got chances I tried to make them." Sami Valimaki

"It's a great day. I thought it was going to be difficult out there with the wind, and it was. But thankfully I played the par fives really well, which helped. It was great. With the wind today, most of them were downwind, so that helped a lot, but you still have to hit the shots. I made it fairly easy for myself on the par fives, that's the key this week, I think." Martin Simonsen

2023 Thailand Classic Round 2 Weather

Variable clouds. Wind 12-18mph.

How do we expect the market favourites to perform?

Sami Valimaki is the only player priced up below 6/1 in what is a very open event.  The Finn came close to winning last week and has been knocking on the door of a win on the DP World Tour for several months now.  However, there are plenty of proven winners chasing him and there is no need to back him just yet.

Yannick Paul is 12/1 in the betting but he too makes little appeal given he must play in the morning and didn't appear to be entirely comfortable with his swing, his hand coming off the club several times on the follow through.  

Where is the value?

All the winners of the Thailand Golf Championship between 2011-2015 got off to fast starts.  Three of the five winners of those events were first round leaders and the other two were inside the top six after the opening round.  This hasn't been a course where players have come from off the pace.  However, it is worth mentioning that four of the five winners of the Thailand Golf Championship were top class players (either Major winners or world number 1).  

We are focusing on players who will play in the slightly easier afternoon conditions and have opened up with a round of 69 or better.

Round 2 Bets