Golf Tips: Best bets for this week's Sony Open and Dubai Invitational 2026

• Steve Rawlings previews and provides weekend in-play blog

• Check out Steve's outsiders to back at 100/1101.00 and bigger

• Dave Tindall says get on Gotterup each-way at 40/141.00 

• Andy Swales brings course info and form players

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Sony Open tips and predictions

The Punter's Preview: Course experience essential

Steve Rawlings:  This has been an excellent event for big-priced winners over the years, but previous course experience has still been almost essential.

Like the 2018 winner, Patton Kizzire, Grayson Murray had missed the cut here in his only previous visit and Russell Henley won here 13 years ago in his first PGA Tour event, but those three are the only winners here since 1996 not to have played Waialae Country Club at least twice previously and Henley was the first winner in his 20s here since Paul Stankowski way back in 1997 so look to the more experienced stars. 

Course experience looks important and Nick Taylor has finished seventh in each of the two previous renewals, but strong course form isn't vital. In addition to Murray and Kizzire, Gomez's course form figures read MC-67-MC prior to his victory ten years ago and when Jimmy Walker took the title for the first time, in 2014, his figures read MC-61-32-MC-4-MC-26. Cameron Smith had somewhat modest course form figures in 2020, reading MC-27-18-22, and when Johnson Wagner took the title in 2012, his previous course form numbers read 34-MC-MC-MC-MC. 

Prior to his victory three years ago, Si Woo Kim had course form figures reading 4-58-MC-25-55 and Hideki Matsuyama's course form figures read MC-MC-MC-MC-27-51-12-19 prior to his victory four years ago.

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Each-way Tips: Back Gotterup to gain more momentum at 40/141.00

Dave Tindall:  Chris Gotterup was one of the hottest players on the planet last summer when he beat a world-class field to land the Scottish Open and then added third place on his Open debut at Royal Portrush a week later.

Two more top 10s followed in his next four starts (3M Open and the Tour Championship) before he, deservedly, took it easy for a little while and was hardly seen from August onwards. There appeared to be some rust when he turned up for the Baycurrent in October (40th although had rounds of 66 and 68) and then finished at the bottom of the pack in November's 20-man Hero World Challenge.

But he closed that event at Albany with a 67 (only five players went lower on Sunday) and then finished runner-up in the Grant Thornton Invitational pairs event alongside Jennifer Kupcho. That was played December 12-14 and we've since seen him make two impressive appearances in the indoor TGL league in Florida, helping champions Atlanta Drive win their first two matches.

Some won't read much into that but it helps feed the idea that Gotterup is active and gaining momentum when others will be needing a run. Before he made his jump up the world rankings - Gotterup is currently 28th - the 26-year-old from Maryland had blitzed his rivals to win the Myrtle Beach Classic, another coastal event played on Bermuda greens, by six shots in 2024. He was 13th when defending.  The windy forecast this week is a help too as he's a low-ball hitter who can hit stingers all day long.

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First Round Leader Tips: Back Kim to maintain hot starts at 60/161.00

Dave Tindall:  Michael Kim has a rather spotty record at Waialae but, dig a little, and it's better than on first glance.

He's fired in the 60s in five of his last six rounds here and his latest lap at the picturesque Honolulu venue saw the American sign for a 65.

Kim's main appeal though is how well he's been starting tournaments in recent times.

He was first-round leader at November's DP World Tour Championship in Dubai thanks to a 64 and has ended day one in the top seven in each of his last three starts and in four of the last seven. During that run of tournaments, Kim won the Open de France.

The Dallas-based pro had some great results on Bermuda greens early last year (second, fourth and sixth on the Florida Swing) and can hopefully burst out of the blocks when he heads out in the first group of the day from the 1st tee at 07:10.

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Find Me a 100 Winner: Haotong Li can keep good times rolling at 129/1130.00

Matt Cooper: There's no doubting the boom or bust nature of China's Haotong Li, but 2025 was a boom to such an extent that he earned himself a crack at the PGA Tour this season and this week represents a good opportunity for him to start well.

The most obvious sense of that notion is that he closed 2025 in good nick. He held a halfway lead in October at the Genesis Championship, was T8 in the DP World Tour Championship after a very slow start (T46 after 18 holes), and then T10 in the Nedbank Challenge.

He also likes a blustery oceanside test, nearly winning at windy Verdura in Sicily, notching two Open top five finishes, and landing victories at Emirates and Doha (the latter in February year).

Finally he has course experience with a MC in 2016 (two 69s) and T12 in 2022. In the latter, he opened 63-65 and was third with 18 holes to play.

Place order to lay 8 Us @ 10.0 and 12 Us @ 2.0

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Course and current form stats

Course Form Pick:

Russell Henley is the pre-tournament favourite and his form at Waialae makes it easy to see why. He has finished in the top 10 in four of the past five editions of the tournament. Can he take the prize this year? He was 10th last year, fourth prior to that and his best ever performance was a second-placed finish in 2022.

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Dubai Invitational tips and predictions

The Punter's Preview: Desert and links form an angle in

Steve Rawlings: Desert form very often crosses over so look to form at the Dubai Desert Classic, the Abu Dhabi Championship, the Ras Al Khaimah Championship, the Qatar Masters, and the DP World Tour Championship. And links form is also well worth considering.

Events staged at desert tracks are played in very different conditions than experienced at your typical links event like the Scottish Open, the Open Championship or the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, but the courses are similar and form between the two course types translates well.

Links and desert courses are typically flat and wind exposed.

Many fine links exponents enjoy desert golf and that was the case last year with the first three home, Fleetwood, McIlroy and Thriston Lawrence, all having form in the biggest links event of them all - the Open Championship.

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Course and current form stats

Current Form Pick:

The Englishman enjoyed a strong 2025, winning the Tour Championship on the PGA Tour and The India Championship on the DPWT in October. He has taken more world ranking points than any other player in the field since July last year and kicks off 2026 at this biannual tournament as the defending champion.

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Now read an early preview of US Masters 2026 with three bets from Dave Tindall

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