Desert Classic: Steve Palmer's golf tips, odds & preview

Sky Sports Golf from 8pm Thursday

Jon Rahm and Justin Rose headline the Desert Classic – which was the Bob Hope, Humana and CareerBuilder in bygone days – and the Ryder Cup teammates dominate the betting.

Rahm is the defending champion - he won the Hero World Challenge at the end of last year and reappeared with eighth place in the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii, and a title retention is entirely possible. There should probably be a greater gap between Rahm and Rose in the market.

Rose has not competed in this event since missing the cut in 2010. He is making his first start of the year and has new clubs in the bag. Rahm at 15-2 is much preferred to Rose at 9-1, but the best value lies deeper in the Classic list.

Palmer's top tip

Charles Howell 25-1

Golf has suddenly become an easy game for Charles Howell, who won the RSM Classic in gutsy fashion in November, and the sweet-swinging Augusta man can claim a fourth US Tour title in California on Sunday.

Howell is playing beautifully and he cruised to eighth place in the Sony Open last week despite a slow start. In both 2019 spins, he has carded a poor opening round before clicking into gear, and the Desert Classic could be at his mercy if he exits the traps quicker. With eight competitive rounds under his belt this year – eight more than Justin Rose and many others – expect Chucky to hit the ground running at La Quinta.

Howell finished seventh for strokes-gained putting in the Sony – his stroke is looking more solid than ever – and this week he can enhance his excellent record in California. His second US Tour triumph, the 2007 Nissan Open, came in the Golden State. He was a playoff loser in the same tournament in 2003, finished second to Tiger Woods in the 2005 and 2007 Buick Invitationals, and second to Jon Rahm in the 2017 Farmers Insurance Open.

In this particular California gathering – when it was known as the Humana Challenge – Howell was a playoff loser to Brian Gay in 2013.

This is the time of year when Howell typically produces his best golf and his form figures since 2016 on the tracks being used this week are a solid 11-12-20. With levels of self-belief massively increased by his heroic RSM Classic success, the ever-genial Howell can revel in the pro-am atmosphere of the Desert Classic and post a 72-hole total which the rest of the field may struggle to match.

Next best

Aaron Wise 30-1

Finishing 27th of 33 runners in the Sentry Tournament of Champions was not the start to the year for which Aaron Wise had hoped, but he was making his course debut at quirky Kapalua and had plenty of rust in his system, so it was nothing to worry about. It will probably not take Wise long to rediscover the form with which he ended last year.

Wise finished sixth in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in August, then fifth in the opening event of the FedEx Cup playoffs, before signing off 2018 with form figures of 16-15-15-10. He is one of the most promising youngsters in the world, possesses the putting ability to reach the super-low score which will be required to win this week, and has already had two tidy spins in this event at the three courses being employed, finishing 34th and 17th.

It was an interesting scheduling decision from Wise to skip the Sony Open despite being in Hawaii for the Tournament of Champions – he clearly wanted to be fresh and focused for what appears a much greater opportunity in the Desert Classic.

Other selections

Brian Harman 80-1
Beau Hossler 55-1

A missed cut in the Sony Open came as a surprise for Brian Harman, who may have left too much Christmas rust in the system and failed to prepare properly for Hawaii, but that kick up the backside should prompt a more determined effort in the Desert Classic.

The three courses being used are ideal for the little left-hander to show off his typically tidy long game and razor-sharp short game. The Georgia man, US Open runner-up in 2017, has got form figures of 11-3-20 from the last three years at La Quinta.

Complete a four-pronged attack with Beau Hossler, a California-born youngster who has already gone extremely close to getting off the mark on the US Tour. He lost a playoff to Ian Poulter for the Houston Open in April, then tied second in the Travelers Championship.

Hossler is a superb putter who much improved his driving last year. He has been grinding in the close-season in a bid for more accurate approach shots, and if he has succeeded, his opening outing of 2019 could be a memorable one. Big Beau finished 20th on his debut in this event last year.

Others to note

Denny McCarthy
The Web.com Tour Championship winner is a strong putter who could make an impact in an event which puts a premium on flat-stick form. The 125-1 chance has been playing nicely for five months.

Sebastian Munoz
The Colombian is an excellent putter who finished tenth in the Sony Open on Sunday and could enter the equation at a fancy price.

Bill Haas
The Carolinian has won two of his six US Tour titles in this event, but on different courses. This looks a good opportunity to get a faltering career back on track.

Si Woo Kim
The Korean flopped in the Sony last week, but could easily bounce back immediately in another suitable assignment. He finished ninth in his only start on these tracks.

Andrew Putnam
The Sony Open runner-up should go close if he reproduces his form from last week. He is a tidy player who putted superbly in Hawaii.

Corey Conners
The improving Canadian Monday qualified for the Sony before firing a pair of weekend 64s to tie for third place. He is on a roll and should like this assignment, too.

Staking plan
C Howell
2.5pts each-way 25-1 Paddy Power
A Wise
2pts each-way 30-1 Betfred, Sky Bet
B Harman
1pt each-way 80-1 Sky Bet
B Hossler
1pt each-way 55-1 BoyleSports, Sky Bet

Desert Classic lowdown

Courses PGA West (Stadium Course), PGA West (Nicklaus Tournament Course), La Quinta Country Club, La Quinta, California

Prize money $5.9m ($1.062m to the winner)

Lengths:Stadium 7,113 yards, Nicklaus 7,159 yards, La Quinta 7,060 yards Par All 72 Field 156

Course records – 72 holes (this set of courses) 263 Jason Dufner (2016), David Lingmerth (2016) 18 holes La Quinta 59 Adam Hadwin (2017), Stadium Course 63 Jonathan Fricke (2008 Q School), Whee Kim (2012 Q School), Nicklaus Tournament Course 59 Harrison Frazar (2008 Q School)

Course winners taking part (this set of courses) Jason Dufner, Hudson Swafford, Jon Rahm

When to bet By 4.30pm Thursday

Where to watch Live on Sky Sports from 8pm Thursday

Time difference California is eight hours behind the UK and Ireland

Last week – Sony Open 1 M Kuchar (40-1), 2 A Putnam (66-1), T3 M Leishman (20-1), H Swafford (200-1), C Reavie (80-1), C Conners (200-1), 7 D Love (400-1), T8 B Stuard (200-1), C Howell (30-1)

Course overview Various layouts have been used for this pro-am through the years, which used to be the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic and a 90-hole, five-day event.

The Stadium Course returned after a 29-year absence to act as host in 2016, and the Nicklaus Tournament Course made its debut. The event got a new name too, with CareerBuilder taking over as sponsor, soon followed by Humana.

The tournament is named the Desert Classic for the first time this week. One round is played at each of the tracks over the first three days, with the cut-makers gathering at the Stadium Course on Sunday.

The Stadium Course, designed by Pete Dye, is full of deep bunkers and water, has similarities to the TPC Sawgrass and is the most difficult. The two newest tracks have plenty of undulation in their greens.

La Quinta is the easiest on the rota (2018 average of 68.83). The Stadium Course (71.18) and the Nicklaus Tournament Course (69.45) were both used for the US Tour Qualifying School Finals in 2002, 2006 and 2008.

The story of last year Jon Rahm beat Andrew Landry with a birdie at the fourth extra hole, just before darkness shrouded La Quinta.

Weather forecast Day-one showers are expected to make way for three clear, sunny days. Hardly any wind throughout

Type of player suited to challenge Having a hot putter was enough to contend in this tournament in the past, but the venue changes put more of an emphasis on ball-striking, underlined by the victory of greens-in-regulation machine Jason Dufner in 2016.

The two new tracks do not yield as many birdies as the two which were axed. Putting arguably remains most important, but the penalties for errant tee-to-green work are more severe, so strong all-rounders are favoured.

Key attribute Touch

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