2015 Omega Dubai Desert Classic Golf Channel Fantasy Picks

It’s that time of year again in the sports world where things are absolutely massive and it’s a huge week in golf. In the United States, you have the PGA Tour taking place in Scottsdale, Arizona for one of the tournaments on Tour in the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

Over on the European Tour, you have the 2015 Omega Dubai Desert Classic taking place on the Emirates Golf Club in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Omega Dubai Desert Classic is always one of the biggest tournaments on the European Tour that attracts some of the best golfers around the world.

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The Golf Channel has included the 2015 Omega Dubai Desert Classic as a part of their fantasy game this week. Most Americans don’t follow the European Tour too closely, so consider this as some useful information that will, hopefully, help you have a good picking week.

With that said, let’s get into it, breakdown some of the golfers in each group and makes some picks.

Group 1: Right off the bat, Rory McIlroy is my pick in group 1. Every time McIlroy tees it up at a tournament, he has a chance to win. Every time he tees it up at a European Tour event, and especially here at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, McIlroy has a really good chance to win.

I’ll put it this way, McIlroy’s worst finish in his last six tournaments on the European Tour has been second. Second! That’s just silly. His line looks like this: 1-1-1-2-2-2. Again, what can you say? That’s just silly. That’s tough to do in the video games like Tiger Woods PGA Tour. McIlroy is simply the best and it’s just best not to fade him.

Also, it’s worth noting that here at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, McIlroy won in 2009 and hasn’t finished outside the top ten in his last four tournaments here. The other golfers in the group like Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, and Martin Kaymer are great golfers, but it’s just not smart to go against McIlroy.

I’ll say this though, if I had to make pick without including McIlroy, it would be Westwood. Westwood has played really well of late, he’s in better shape, and has a rock solid history here at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

Group 2: Each and every week group two is always the toughest to pick because it has that blend of quality and quantity.

Group two features the two time defending champion here in Stephen Gallacher, the highest rated player – as sorted by the Official World Golf Rankings in the group – in Joost Luiten, last week’s winner at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in Branden Grace, and plenty of others. But my pick is going to be the golfer with arguably the best history here at the Emirates Golf Club and that is ‘The Big Easy’ Ernie Els.

In 13 tournaments, Els has finished in the top three nine times and he has won the Omega Dubai Desert Classic three times. Granted, he did miss the cut last year, but Els seems to be playing better this year.

He finished T-23 last week at the Qatar Masters, and T-12 at Abu Duabi HSBC Golf Championship. Els is in good form and is coming to a very familiar course. That’s a fantastic combination, one that I’m not going to pass up.

Jan 25, 2014; La Jolla, CA, USA; Nicolas Colsaerts hits his tee shot on the fourth hole during the third round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Course – South Co. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Group 3: Nicolas Colsaerts has been on fire of late. Since missing the cut at the Hong Kong Open in October, Colsaerts hasn’t missed a cut. Includes a T-6 at the BMW Masters, T-26 two weeks ago at Abu Dhabi and T-13 last week at the Qatar Masters.

The Emirates Golf Club is a bombers course. If you can drive it long, you have a really good chance at winning. All you have to do is look at the past winners and golfers who have had sustained success in their career.

Colsaerts has had success here as well, granted a very small sample size. In 2012 he finished T-9 here at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. Colsaerts bombs it with the best of them and he may finally be putting it all together. Keep your eye on Colsaerts he may be a sneaky play this week.

Scott Hend is a veteran on the European Tour and has played the Omega Dubai Desert Classic a few times including last year where he finished T-29.

Benjamin Hebert is a young player who is just starting up on the European Tour. He is off to a nice start making the cut in two out of three tournaments including a top ten last week at the Qatar Masters.

Last year, Emiliano Grillo finished second. Edoardo Molinari is a really solid player on the European Tour, Alejandro Canizares is off to a great start this season with a T-8 and T-12 on his resume. Eddie Pepperell, Tyrell Hatton, and An Byeone-Hun are all young, up-and-coming golfers to watch out for that are off to really good starts this season.

Group 4: Robert Rock has been up and down his entire career, but here at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic he has been…rock solid…yeah, yeah, I know. All jokes aside, he has been fantastic when playing here at the Emirates Golf Club. Last year, Rock finished T-5, the year before T-7, in 2012: T-51, and in 2011: T-20.

There are other notable golfers that are available like Dawie van Der Walt who finished T-30th last year. Paul Lawrie has made the cut the last two times he has played at the Emirates Golf Club.

Alexander Noren is coming off a top ten finish last week, Matthew Nixon is playing some solid golf right now, and Matthew Fitzpatrick is just a flat out stud that’s going to be a great golfer sooner rather than later. There are plenty of options, but I like Rock’s course history.

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