Steve Palmer's free predictions and golf betting tips for the Indian Open

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When to bet on the Indian Open

By 1.30am on Thursday morning

Where can I watch the Indian Open

Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 7.30am on Thursday

Steve Palmer's Indian Open predictions

Keita Nakajima
3.5pts each-way 18-1 Betfair, Paddy Power

Gavin Green
2pts each-way 45-1 Paddy Power

Shubhankar Sharma
1.5pts each-way 50-1 Coral, Ladbrokes

Ugo Coussaud
1.5pts each-way 40-1 general

Sam Bairstow
1.5pts each-way 33-1 Betfair, Paddy Power

Recommended

4/5

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Steve Palmer's Indian Open preview

Richard Mansell triumphed in the Singapore Classic on Sunday and is 35-1 to make it back-to-back victories in this week's Indian Open. His good friend Calum Hill won the Joburg Open – the preceding DP World Tour event – so he is part of an in-form peer group.

Ewen Ferguson, who was celebrating on the 18th green with Mansell and Hill in Singapore on Sunday, is 35-1 to follow his pals into the winner's enclosure. Success for Ferguson would cap an incredible spell for this trio of Brits, who appear to be inspiring each other.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Keita Nakajima 18-1

Japanese ace Keita Nakajima made a magnificent return to action last week after a long break and the 24-year-old rising star looks primed for a successful Indian Open title defence.

Nakajima went home to work on his body and mind after the Qatar Masters, which finished on February 9, then got back into the swing of things with rounds of 67, 69 and 65 in the Singapore Classic, finishing only a shot behind Mansell.

Nakajima dropped just two shots all week in Singapore, went bogey-free on Sunday and topped the greens-in-regulation statistics. He had an ice-cold putter in rounds one and three, underlining the excellence of his tee-to-green golf.

Nakajima putted superbly on his Indian Open debut last year, falling in love with the greens. He was 14 under par through two rounds, turning the event into a procession. Rounds of 65, 65 and 68 meant a four-shot Sunday lead, which he quickly extended to nine. Percentage golf down the stretch meant he closed with three consecutive bogeys for a four-shot triumph.

This former world number one amateur won four times on the Japan Tour before becoming a DPWT star. A second title on Sunday can enhance his chances of progressing to the PGA Tour for next season.

Next best bet

Gavin Green 45-1

Malaysia's Gavin Green is entirely comfortable on the grainy greens found in India and he has excelled at the course in the past. Green finished second in the 2017 Indian Open there, then was 16th in 2018 and eighth in 2023, despite starting that year with four consecutive missed cuts. He was fifth last year despite again arriving with some dodgy recent form behind him.

Green won on the Asian Tour in 2017 and has contended numerous times on the DPWT. Having hinted at a return to form with three under-par rounds for 20th place in Singapore, hitting his ball particularly well on Sunday, an overdue breakthrough on this tour may come at the age of 31.

Other selections

Shubhankar Sharma 50-1
Ugo Coussaud 40-1
Sam Bairstow 33-1

Two-time DPWT champion, Shubhankar Sharma, was a prolific winner on the Indian Tour early in his career and he can thrive in his homeland again this week. Sharma knows the course as well as anyone in the field as it was his practice base for many years.

Sharma was exhausted when arriving for the 2018 Indian Open straight after contending for the WGC-Mexico Championship, slumping to five over par through nine holes, but he fired a course-record 64 the following day and went on to finish seventh.

Sharma, 13th in 2023, played in an Asian Tour event at this course last month, so can hit the ground running this week. His form has picked up lately, with a solid effort last week on a long, wet, unsuitable track.

Ugo Coussaud, who has DPWT form of 11-25-20, impressed in high-class company last year, finishing seventh in the BMW PGA and sixth in the Abu Dhabi Championship. He won on the Challenge Tour in India in the spring of 2023 and his DPWT breakthrough could come in India in the spring of 2025 on Sunday at a course where he fired a 65 last year.

Sam Bairstow also seems like a DPWT winner waiting to happen. Formerly a top-class amateur, he won on the Challenge Tour in 2023, became a DPWT leaderboard regular as a rookie last season, and has already posted four top-20 finishes this year. The left-hander, who finished 13th on his course debut 12 months ago, carded eight birdies in Singapore on Sunday.

Recommended

4/5

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Read more ...

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Course guide for the Indian Open

• Course Signature Course, DLF Golf and Country Club, New Delhi, India
• Prize money $2.25m ($375,000 to the winner)
• Length 7,416 yards
• Par 72 – four par-five holes; ten par-fours; four par-threes
• Field 138 The cut Top 65 and ties qualify for round three
• Highest-ranked players in field (world ranking in brackets) John Parry (95), Romain Langasque (101), Keita Nakajima (120), Matthew Jordan (125), Jorge Campillo (126)
• Course records - 72 holes 271 Keita Nakajima (2024) 18 holes 62 Espen Kofstad (2024)
• Course winners taking part SSP Chawrasia, Marcel Siem, Keita Nakajima
• When to bet By 1.30am on Thursday morning
• When to watch Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 7.30am on Thursday
• Time difference India is five and a half hours ahead of the UK and Ireland
• Last week – Singapore Classic 1 R Mansell (50-1), 2 K Nakajima (40-1), T3 T McKibbin (16-1), A Saddier (50-1), 5 M Armitage (150-1), T6 D Erickson (1,500-1), M Jordan (40-1), Y Katsuragawa (175-1)
• Course type Parkland
• Course overview DLF Golf and Country Club's Signature Course hosted this event in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023 and last year, as well as an Asian Tour event (International Series India) in February this year. Gary Player created the layout in 2015. The layout is 700 feet above sea level, providing more carry, but serious troublespots lurk on every hole and the greens are full of grain
• The story of last year Keita Nakajima romped to a maiden DPWT title, cruising to a four-shot success
• Weather forecast Sunny and hot, particularly in round one, with light to moderate breezes
• Type of player suited to the challenge The modern DLF course is long and difficult, demanding accuracy from tee to green and great touch on the sloping, grainy greens
• Key attribute Touch/putting

Steve Palmer's Indian Open key stat

All five winners of the Indian Open at the Signature Course ranked inside the top 20 of the putting stats

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For those looking for even more extensive golf coverage don't miss Palmer's extra pointers every Wednesday in the Racing Post newspaper.

As well as his tips and insight you will also get expert spotlight comments for all players in our extensive PGA Tour and DP Tour price comparison grids which include course and recent form, plus Palmer's unique attribute icons to help identify the type of players likely to be suited to conditions each week.