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One of the oldest tournaments in golf takes place in America this week as the European Tour switches to Africa.
The Valero Texas Open was first played in 1922 and is the sixth oldest professional golf tournament worldwide, the third oldest on the PGA Tour.
Across the Atlantic and it is to Rabat in Morocco for the Hassan II Golf Trophy.
See below as we run through the tournament for you including facts, odds and picks from our own golfing professional Cliff Jackson and Betfair.
VALERO TEXAS OPEN
FIELD: Not a bad field with some big names lining up in Texas including Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott, Matt Kuchar and Charley Hoffman, whilst defending champion Kevin Chappell is back looking for back-to-back titles.
QUOTES: Sergio Garcia failed to put up a decent defence of his Masters title but he is not getting too down and is now ready to get back to winning ways. “You’ve just got to deal with it and put it behind you and keep moving forward. Obviously, the Masters, it’s massive, it’s very important, but it’s one week and you can’t let one week ruin your whole year.”
Welcome to the 2018 Valero Texas Open! Meet our new team member @faaaabel! If you spot her on course during the week make sure you stop and say hi! #VTOgoat pic.twitter.com/SDEFtQNq4o
— Valero Texas Open (@valerotxopen) April 16, 2018
TROPHEE HASSAN II
FIELD: As with a number of European events this season, this is not the greatest field with Ryder Cup Thomas Pieters the biggest name on show although Irishman Paul Dunne – who was runner-up in Spain last week, is seen as favourite as he was also runner-up on Morocco last year to Edoardo Molinari. There could also be a strong African push with George Coetzee the leading local teeing it up.
QUOTES: Favourite Dunne is looking for a big week in Rabat, saying: After Spain, I’m not any more determined than normal. My game has been in good shape for five or six weeks now. I’ve been playing some good golf every week. I’m just going to continue what I’m doing and hopefully have another chance to win and see if I can do better.”
? Rabat, Morocco
⛳ Royal Golf Dar Es Salam
? #TropheeHassanIIOur home for the week. ? pic.twitter.com/PA7Hn0u5yO
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) April 18, 2018
Our resident golf expert is Cliff Jackson. Cliff is a leading youth coach and PGA professional at the famed Seaton Carew Links – one of the oldest courses in the world.
Nice to pick a winner last week, and let’s start in Morocco – and to be honest hard to look past Paul Dunne, he knows the course, loves it in-fact and he in-form, he is surely a banker top-six finish.
And then to Texas, an interesting field and I have to admit I think Charley Hofman is the one I would be looking at.
We caught up with Betfair’s Joe Dyer to get their views on this week’s action
Two tricky test await professionals on the major tours this week with the PGA back in Texas and the European on its annual pilgrimage to Morocco.
Both events are something of a grind with winning totals likely to be around -10.
The windy Greg Norman-designed TPC San Antonio track is a tough course – the 10th hardest of 50 played on the PGA Tour in fact – and the betting is headed by 12/1 Sergio Garcia, one of the best battlers in world golf.
Matt Kuchar at 16/1 and 18/1 Charley Hoffman with in-form Luke List, 22/1 to back this week, sitting ahead of 25/1 trio Adam Scott, Kevin Chappell and Ryan Moore.
Betfair tipster Dave Tindall put up Si-woo Kim at 100/1 last week only to see the South Korean golfer agonisingly lose a play-off having missed numerous putts on his closing nine holes.
Few players are in better nick than Ireland’s Paul Dunne right now and at 12/1 he heads the betting for the Trophee Hassan II. Dunne is both last week and last year’s runner-up having finished second to Jon Rahm at the Open de Espana last time out and losing to Edoardo Molinari in a playoff at this event in 2017.
A few classy types stud the betting below him with 14/1 George Coetzee, 16/1 Thomas Pieters and 18/1 Joost Luiten heading up the list.
For five each-way options from the Betfair team, read this article >>> https://betting.betfair.com/golf/golf-bets/each-way-betting/trophee-hassan-ii-2018-each-way-betting-tips-170418-6.html
