A return to Doha is always welcome for the semi-pro punters where we have a long list of form lines and ties to other events. Last year we landed upon a 70/1 winner in the shape of Eddie Pepperell and this year I hope to find a similar nugget. Forever a fine exponent on links layouts Pepperell joined the likes of Paul Lawrie (twice), Els, Stenson, Bjorn, Garcia, Wood and Grace in winning this event having shown plenty of form on links layouts previously. That will be my guide for this week as ever. The course has always suited the longer hitters but down the last 36 holes last year it was Pepperell's precision tee to green game that really made the difference. Winners here down the years have always produced good putting stats also so always worth keeping an eye on this year's stats.

ROSS FISHER (best price 33-1) missed the cut in a messy Oman event last week but that doesn't deter me from having a chunky enough bet on him this week in Qatar. His finishes here leave a lot to be desired and it is somewhat puzzling as to why he hasn't performed better here down the years. His last two efforts here have been solid enough without pulling up any trees and it is worth noting here lay 4th after round 1 in 2014. Overall he possesses all the tools for an examination such as this. Runner up in the Dunhill Links on three occasions in 2008, 2016 and 2017 is just the history we want for a potential winner here. He has contended numerous other events we'd want him to to be considered a punt here including the 2007 KLM at the linksy Kennemer course. In the past, this field has been a lot stronger and despite some average finishes here the lack of field strength gives Fisher a solid opportunity to end his 5-year winless streak. 

3pts each-way  R.Fisher  33/1  (1/5 7)

Ross Fisher - 3pts e/w @ 33/1

THOMAS PIETERS (best price 11-1) produced a solid display and did well to hang in there last week in Oman despite some conditions that wouldn't really suit the Belgian. I won't hold back when I say I think his attitude is shocking on course and costs him shots on numerous occasions. Last week was encouraging though to stick to the task. He went off a similar price last week with Luiten in the field and with the likes of Alexander Bjork sitting in behind him and no Joost Luiten, I think it renders his outright price a shade of value.

There is nothing much more on his CV that would point to this event alone other than the 2015 KLM win. Overall on his day he is a classy golfer and having won the World Cup with his partner Thomas Detry has shown a lot of solid form since and doesn't look far off a win. With the weak field making the trip this year I believe this will probably be Pieters' best chance of a victory all season. 

2.5pts each-way  T.Pieters  11/1  (1/5 6)

Thomas Pieters - 2.5pts e/w @ 11/1

GAGANJEET BHULLAR (best price 80-1) is an emerging talent and looks to be producing his best stuff having turned 30 years old. He has only missed one cut across all his events on all tours in the past 11 months. Having amassed a multitude of victories on the Asian Tour in the past decade he has stepped up a level and began competing on the big tour. None more so was this evident when he won the Fiji International last year holding off the likes of Ernie Els in a close finish. That was a strong enough field and crucially a place where the wind always plays a role in the outcome of the event. When faced with the wind last week in Oman he coped very well before tumbling down the leaderboard to 27th with a final round 78. Signs were good however and he has a wealth of experience in the Far East. 27th in Abu Dhabi, 38th in Dubai and 34th in Saudi were all solid results in much stronger fields. He should be feeling confident of a bold display this week and if he gets in contention he has a lot of Asian Tour wins to call upon to get over the line. 

1pt each-way  G.Bhullar  80/1  (1/5 7)

Gaganjeet Bhullar - 1pt e/w @ 80/1

Having backed two towards the top of the market my attention turns to the lower down the pecking order and there are a handful certainly worth chancing. PETER HANSON (best price 110-1) is the first triple figure player to have a star beside his name this week. The Swede has a tremendous record at the Dunhill Links making 12 of his last 12 cuts there at an event which is extremely tiresome and slow. Last year amidst a gaggle of missed cuts he fired in a top ten finish. Once again he did the same in a windy Oman last week by finishing 6th having missed his two previous cuts. Where wind is a factor the Swede seems to play his best stuff these days and there's a tournament or two left in the old dog yet.

0.75pt each-way  P.Hanson  100/1  (1/5 7)

Peter Hanson - 0.75pts e/w @ 110/1

MARC WARREN (best price 200-1) is a chancy one this week but nevertheless, there are a fair amount of positives for someone who has played well here before. His missed cut last week is of little worry as it was crazy golf at times but previous to that he was showing some decent form. 11th at Valderrama at the back end of last year was a particularly solid effort and 24th in the SA Open and 26th at the Dunhill Championship also in South Africa are all signs that Warren can't be too far off contending. Couple that with umpteen links performances and the 200/1 out there looks very tempting. A win at the linksy Himmerland, three tops 5s in Scottish Opens and three top 5s in the Dunhill Links is exactly what we want to see on our staking list this week. It's a risky one as I say but potentially high rewards. 

0.75pt each-way M.Warren 200/1 (1/5 6)

Marc Warren - 0.75pts e/w @ 200/1

If I believe Marc Warren to be a little value this week having finished inside the top 26 in the two SA events at the start of the season, then OLIVER WILSON (best price 200-1) must also be supported at the same odds. He finished 3rd and 5th in those two events and was beginning to get a lot of attention towards the top of the market. Wind on a few weeks with two missed cuts and 56th in Oman the 2014 Dunhill Links Champion sits at an eye-watering 200/1. It was only 7 months ago this week that he won the Swedish Challenge beating into 3rd Tom Lewis who lies just two spots below jolly Thomas Pieters in the betting. Golf is so reactionary to recent results but it is important to weigh up how this weeks challenge suits the golfer and Qatar looks like a place where Wilson could thrive having finished 5th and 12th here in 2010 and 2011.

0.75pt each-way  O.Wilson  200/1  (1/5 6)

Oliver Wilson - 0.75pts e/w @ 200/1