DP World Tour Championship First-Round Leader Tips: Dave Tindall's three to back up to 45/1

• 40/141.00 Andy Sullivan has FRL, current and course form

• 40/141.00 Keita Nakajima has made several good starts in the UAE

• 45/146.00 Adrien Saddier has the record to add to the list of French fast starters

Weather forecast for Thursday

A field of 52 go to post at the lengthy Earth Course with tee-times for the 26 two-balls running from 08:15 to 12:40 (Race to Dubai Nos 1 and 2, Rory McIlroy and Marco Penge).

It's increased from 50 to 52 due to Ludvig Aberg and Shane Lowry (out together in the first group) not qualifying but getting a spot due to having played in the Ryder Cup.

In terms of wind speeds, it's relatively calm. They start at around 5mph and gradually rise to a peak of 11mph by 3-4pm but there's no great bias.

As is the norm for this part of the world, it's sunny with temperatures increasing from 75 degrees early on to a max of 87 later in the golfing day.

FRL Bet 1: Andy Sullivan @ 40/141.00

I've been toying with backing Andy Sullivan - a past and profitable regular in this column - for first-round leader over the last few weeks.

As it happened, it would have been a frustrating experience as he's missed out by a shot or two.

Looking at his last three day one positions, the Englishman was 17th at the India Championship, 11th at the Genesis Championship in South Korea and sixth in Abu Dhabi last week.

He used those scores to finish 15th, fourth and seventh respectively to book his place here and, having made the field, past form in the region suggests Sullivan can cash in.

Sullivan was FRL in this event when runner-up in 2015 while more recently he set the pace after 18 holes of last year's Dubai Desert Classic.

You'll find another UAE first-round lead from him in the 2020 Golf in Dubai Championship.

Those are the highlights and hopefully he can show off his liking for desert golf again on Thursday.

Sullivan, a 40/141.00 shot (1/5 Odds, 5 Places), tees off in the morning at 10.10.

FRL Bet 2: Keita Nakajima @ 40/141.00

Keita Nakajima is relatively new to golf in this part of the world, teeing it up just six times in the United Arab Emirates.

But it's a style of golf that suits him judged by finishes of 4-13-7-21-MC-12 since his debut in the Ras al Khaimah Championship in early 2024.

As for first-round positions in that run, he has a fourth, a sixth and a ninth, that fourth place coming via an opening 65 in Abu Dhabi last week.

Check through his record and fast starts jump out everywhere. Before Abu Dhabi he was 11th after day one at the Genesis and second after a first-round 65 in the India Championship.

Two starts earlier he was fourth after the opening lap in France. You get the idea.

Back Nakajima at 40s from his 11.35 tee-time.

FRL Bet 3: Adrien Saddier @ 45/146.00

French golfers have a weirdly good record in this market in recent years.

Matthieu Pavon (2024), Julien Guerrier (2023), Victor Perez (2020) and Mike Lorenzo-Vera (2019) all held a piece of the 18-hole lead here.

And, on current form, Adrien Saddier could join that list of gallic golfers.

The 33-year-old shared the lead after an opening 64 in Abu Dhabi last week and was also the day one pacesetter in the European Masters in Switzerland six starts earlier via a 62.

A week after Crans he was fourth after 18 holes of the Irish Open.

As for form in the region, he has a 13th (Ras al Khaimah Championship 2025) and a 19th (Abu Dhabi 2024) in his last four starts and, as mentioned, he burst out of the blocks in the latter last week.

Saddier, a 12:20 starter, is 45/146.00 and can hopefully match Shane Lowry's feat of being FRL in back-to-back events. It happens!

*You can follow me on Twitter @DaveTindallgolf

Now read Matt Cooper's each-way preview of the DP World Tour Championship