Preview
Event Info
Starts: 2 February 2023
Course: Royal Greens G&CC, Saudi Arabia
Par: 70 (35-35)
Length: 7,010 yards
2022 Champion: Harold Varner III
Course Info
Designer: Dave Sampson
Course Type: Short, Coastal
Used Since: 2019
Fairways: Narrow-Average
Rough: Average.
Greens: Royal Dynasty Paspalum
Water Hazards: On 5 holes
Par 5's: 4th, 18th
Premium on: Length off the tee
Weather Forecast
Thurs: Sunny. Winds of 18mph.
Fri: Sunny. Winds of 13mph in the afternoon.
Sat: Sunny. Winds of 14mph in the afternoon.
Sun: Sunny. Winds of 15mph in the afternoon.
Significant Info To Be Aware Of
This is a lucrative Asian Tour event which features many LIV Golf, PGA Tour and DP World Tour stars. Large appearance fees are given to players to play.
This was previously a European Tour event.
Many players are making their first appearance of the year.
Trends
Winning score
The wining score for the last four events has been -13, -15, -12 and -19. We can expect a winning score in the mid teens given the weather forecast.
World ranking of winner
The four previous winners have ranked 99-1-104-3 (most recent first).
Correlating Courses
Al Mouj Golf Course (Oman Open) is also laid with Paspalum Grass. We should look for comfortable links players, perhaps due to the strong winds that tend to arrive.
Course form
There have only been four events here so take course form with a pinch of salt. However, Dustin Johnson has a course record which reads 8-1-2-1!!
Recent form
Last year, Harold Varner had posted a 22nd place finish at The American Express prior to his win. In 2021, Dustin Johnson was 11th at the Tournament of Champions prior to his win. Graeme McDowell had a 4th place finish at the Sony Open in 2020 a few weeks before his win but missed his previous cut in Dubai. In 2019, Johnson arrived in hot form with 16th and 4th place finishes already that year. We should look for some form already shown in 2022.
Nationality
Last four winners were American (three victories) and Northern Irish.
Stats Analysis
Strokes Gained stats are available since 2019 but don't include PGA Tour players like Dustin Johnson. McDowell showed you could putt your way to victory here as his other stats weren't anything special. Ignoring McDowell, driving distance seems a massive advantage here.
Driving Distance
DJ was 5th in 2021. McDowell only ranked 47th in 2020. In 2019 the top 5 all ranked 1st-13th.
SG: Off The Tee
Last year, DJ ranked 2nd. However, Tony Finau was the only other player in the top 5 to rank inside the top 20. In 2020, McDowell was 36th but three of the top 5 ranked inside the top 20 for SG: Off The Tee. In 2019, three of the top six ranked in the top 10 for this category.
SG: Approach
DJ was 5th last year. McDowell was 32nd in 2020 but it was notable Thomas Pieters (3rd) was 1st. Tom Lewis ranked 4th for approach in 2019 when finishing 3rd but the rest of the top 10 didn't rank highly.
SG: Around the Green
DJ was 20th last year. McDowell was 19th in 2020 but Green (3rd) was 81st.
SG: Putting
Johnson putted terribly last year, ranking 89th. McDowell putted superbly in 2020 to finish 5th in this category.
In Play
Tough Holes
We don't have hole averages from last year's event but the 13th, 16th and 3rd played as the hardest holes on the course in 2021.
Birdie Holes
The 4th, 17th and 10th played as the three easiest holes in 2021.
Fast or Slow Start
Harold Varner was in second position after the opening round last year. In 2021, Dustin Johnson trailed by six after round one. McDowell led after round one in 2020 and was always near the top. In 2019, DJ was five shots behind after round one and Tong Li (2nd) was 4 shots back. Winners have come from a mix of positions.
Closing stretch
The 17th and 18th rank among the five easiest holes on the course. The 17th is a driveable par 4 for the long hitters and 18 was the 4th easiest hole on course in 2021.