The final stretch of the 2016 European Tour season will begin this week in Antalya, Turkey and the Regnum Carya Golf & Spa Resort where the Turkish Airlines Open will take place. There isn’t much to talk about in terms of history since this event was first started in 2013 but it already has a two-time winner in Victor Dubuisson, who registered a pair of impressive scores that will likely serve as the benchmark for success heading in to this week’s event. The favorites for this event are Bern Wiesberger, Tyrell Hatton, Andy Sullivan, Lee Westwood and Tommy Fleetwood. There are no other golfers inside of 20/1 for this event.
Event
Event Details: Turkish Airlines Open
Category: European
Date: November 3-6
Location: Regnum Carya Golf & Spa Resort, Antalya, Turkey
Dubuisson won the inaugural edition of this event with a 24-under score and then followed it up a couple of years later with a 22-under score to win this event in 2015. 2014 winner Brooks Koepka will not take part in this year’s edition so the field should be wide open with Dubuisson actually listed as a substantial long shot to win outright at +8000 odds with this year’s tournament shifting to a new course.
Past Three Winners
2015: Victor Dubuisson -22
2014: Brooks Koepka -17
2013: Victor Dubuisson -24
What To Know About The Course
The first three installments of this event were held at the Montgomerie Maxx Royal so this year’s tournament should have a completely different feel. The Regnum Carya Golf & Spa was only built in 2008 and it could have a much different feel than the Maxx. While the Maxx was better suited to power hitters, the Regnum will likely require more accuracy and patience. Putting numbers should also be taken in to account since it could be the difference in a tournament that should feature plenty of low scores. It should be a competitive event this weekend.
The Field
Concerns over security heading in to this event narrowed the number of top competitors that were willing to attend the Turkish Airlines Open this week with Rory McIlroy among the notable declines based on a lack of security. With Koepka also skipping this year’s tournament and Dubuisson a long shot to win again at a new course there is a very good chance a new champion will be crowned from a field that appears to be wide open. Bernd Wiesberger is the sports betting favorite at +1100 odds with Andy Sullivan, Tyrrell Hatton, Anirban Lahiri and Lee Westwood among the top five options according to the sports betting odds.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Andy Sullivan over Tyrell Hatton
Hatton looked outstanding at the Dunhill Links Championship and he has posted two top-25 finishes since but he could be in line for a small decline after playing above his head of late. That could be enough to open the door for Sullivan to best him in terms of their head-to-head scores, especially if Sullivan can get a better handle on his putter. Sullivan averaged more than 30 putts per round at the Portugal Masters and still finished one stroke back of the winner Padraig Harrington so if he can get his putting game settled he should have an excellent shot at besting Hatton in a head-to-head sports betting matchup this week.
Top-Five Pick: Anirban Lahiri
Lahiri is one of the more intriguing picks available in this week’s wide open field as long as you believe he can pick himself back up again and compete at a high level after blowing a four-stroke lead at the CIMB Classic in his last start. Everything seemed to be going Lahiri’s way before the collapse so if he can bounce back mentally he should have a good shot at contending this week. We won’t take him to win this event outright but Lahiri should be a strong pick to finish in the top-five at the Turkish Airlines Open.
Top 10 Odds Turkish Airlines Open
Bernd Wiesberger +1150
Tyrell Hatton +1550
Andy Sullivan +1150
Lee Westwood +1850
Tommy Fleetwood +1850
Byeong Hun An +2250
Anirban Lahiri +2050
Danny Willett +2250
Alexander Levy +2550
Soren Kjeldsen +2850
