How To Bet on Golf

Steve Rawlings Golf Previews

Golf Each-Way Tips

Long Odds Golf Tips

PGA Tour Golf Tips

Each-Way Calculator

Kenya Open Each-Way Tips: Arnaus a high roller

Matt Cooper
07 March 2023
4:00 min read

Spain's Adri Arnaus has a fine record in Kenya and also at other high altitude venues.

Join

View market

Twitter

Facebook

The DP World Tour moves to Africa this week. Robert MacIntyre heads the betting for the Kenya Open but Matt Cooper looks elsewhere in his three selections with the Betfair Sportsbook paying seven places...

Spain's Adri Arnaus is formidable in thin air
Romain Langasque has a strong event record
Dutchman Darius Van Driel is a lively outsider

Re-reading last year's preview of this event I was reminded that the Kenya Open was once a staple on the old Safari Tour and that Sandy Lyle had some wonderful tales about his travels (and travails) around Africa.

His autobiography, in fact, is an at times evocative reminder that the 1970s was a pretty desperate decade of scarcity and dizzying inflation.

"The hospitality offered to the visiting golfers bordered on the embarrassing," he remembered, "with every meal including fresh fruit and veg at a time when a humble cauliflower could fetch as much as a fiver on the black market."

Half a century later, it's a relief to all of us that there is no longer any struggle to supply "humble" fruit and veg, never mind find ourselves paying way above the odds for it.

This will be the fourth edition of the championship since it joined the DP World Tour but it has been going strong since 1967 and names as impressive as Seve Ballesteros, Ian Woosnam, Christy O'Connor Jr, Eamonn Darcy and Brian Barnes have been etched on the trophy.

The fields have not been so strong in the 21st century but one abiding trend has been for winners with a strong record at altitude, which makes perfect sense.

Nairobi sits at 1795 metres above sea level so the ball flies unusually long distances. Some players deal with that change in a positive manner, others are a little befuddled by it.

Form in Johannesburg is a good pointer with the high veldt there at 1753 metres.

Other common DP World Tour stops at altitude include Crans (1495m), all Madrid courses (650m), Eichenried in Munich (470m), Albatross in Czechia (420) and Adamstal in Austria (470).

Those latter examples are obviously less impacted by yardage changes but proven thin air merchants have prevailed there or transferred good form to the really high venues.

Main Bet: Adri Arnaus 1.5pt each-way @ 20/1

Spain's Adri Arnaus flagged that he was a fan of hitting balls in thin air when landing second in this tournament early in his rookie year on the DP World Tour.

The 28-year-old had headed into the final round of that 2019 edition with a share of the lead and it wouldn't be the first time that year that he flirted with a first win either at altitude or among the trees (another key factor this week).

In June he was second at Valderrama in the Andalucia Masters, in August second again at Albatross in the Czech Masters, in September sixth at Crans in the European Masters and in October fourth at Club de Campo in Madrid in the Open de Espana.

A year later this column tipped Arnaus when he returned to that latter venue and he very nearly found the first win, denied by a bit of bad luck and a very fortunate ruling on the final hole of the week for the winner Rafa Cabrera Bello.

Sooner after he was eighth here at Muthaiga and then lost in a play-off at the My GolfLife Open on the Joburg high veldt.

Before the year was out he had carded a 63 on his way to ninth in Crans.

He missed the cut last time out in Singapore but before then was T13th in Dubai and sixth at Al Hamra.

He's back in form and in his sweet spot.

Back Adri Arnaus 1.5pt each-way @

20/1

Next Best: Romain Langasque 1pt each-way @ 33/1

Frenchman Romain Langasque is another with the triple tick of altitude, tree-lined and country form.

He has eight finishes of T21st or better on the high veldt in South Africa including second at Randpark in the 2018 South African Open and ninth in the Joburg Open at Houghton last November.

He's also finished seventh at Crans in 2016 and fifth at Eichenried last summer.

Among the trees he has top 20s at Valderrama, The Belfry, Royal Pines, Maxx Royal and Halmstad.

romain langasque dubai desert classic 2022.jpg

His record in Kenya is excellent and we get a slightly better price because he's playing Muthaiga rather than Karen.

At the latter, his four starts have reaped second, fifth, sixth and T30th (seventh at halfway).

At the former, he was T44th in 2018 but did manage a 67 in the third round.

He opened this season with ninth in the Joburg Open (a nice pointer as noted), is 5-for-6 at making the cut, was T16th in Dubai and T28th last time out.

Back Romain Langasque 1pt each-way @

33/1

Final Bet: Darius Van Driel 0.5pt each-way @ 200/1

I'm keen on Ewen Ferguson this week, the Scot who led here by four shots after 54 holes last year before succumbing to pressure.

He responded brilliantly, winning within the month and adding another triumph in Northern Ireland before the year was out.

The compiler likes him too, however, and ditto for Shubhankar Sharma who also briefly led here 12 months ago and has pedigree at altitude.

Instead, final pick goes to the Dutchman Darius Van Driel with the stake halved and the remainder added to Arnaus.

Back in 2017 he got off to a slow start at Muthaiga before three rounds in the 60s earned him T12th.

A year earlier he was eighth at Karen and he was T10th there two years ago.

He's been a winner in the trees at Geneve and a winner at (low) altitude at Adamstal.

The nearest he came to a DP World Tour win was when second in the trees again at Rinkven. He's also been sixth at Royal Pines, T11th at The Belfry, seventh at Galgorm Castle and fourth at Bernardus.

Last year he was T10th at Eichenried and eighth in Madrid, both times flirting with the lead at some point in the week.

Back Darius Van Driel 1pt each-way @

200/1

* Having difficulty working out the place returns? Fret no more - you can easily work out your returns with our new each way calculator.

For each person you successfully refer to Betfair, we'll give you £10 in CASH when they stake £10 or more on the Sportsbook, Exchange or Casino. T&Cs apply.