Golf Form Guide 
/ Mike Norman / 06 February 2012 / Leave a Comment 
Will Paul Lawrie follow up last week’s win in Qatar with a Dubai Desert Classic win?
"Paul Lawrie's odds to win in Dubai might look a tad skinny at [38.0], but if the expected high winds materialise - as they did last week in Qatar - he could well prove the man to beat again."
After his fantastic performance in Qatar last week there's no reason why Form Guide leader Paul Lawrie can't win again says Mike Norman, especially if the wind blows.
Another excellent result was enjoyed by the Form Guide at last week's Qatar Masters. True, eventual winner Paul Lawrie wasn't one of our Players to Watch but he so nearly was.
But for a late dropped shot in Abu Dhabi the week before, Lawrie would have been higher up on the Form Guide ahead of the Qatar Masters and an automatic choice for that event. Still, of the 132 golfers assembled in Qatar, Lawrie - available to back at [60.0] pre-tournament - was fifth on our list and very much someone to consider.
On top of all that, last week's headline player Peter Hanson finished tied second meaning both the winner and second were highlighted on our Form Guide list prior to the Qatar Masters starting. Hanson was available to lay at [3.0] when holding a two-shot lead on Saturday.
This week sees the climax to the Desert Swing with the staging of the 23rd Dubai Desert Classic, an event that despite the absence of Tiger Woods (who usually plays here) still has an extremely strong look to it.
Tournament Finishing Positions
(Tournaments used: Qatar Masters, Abu Dhabi Championship, Volvo Golf Champions, Joburg Open, Africa Open, Dubai World Championship)
Paul Lawrie (4)... 31
Branden Grace (2)... 24
Peter Hanson (2)... 20
Louis Oosthuizen (3)... 20
Robert Rock (3)... 19
Retief Goosen (2)... 16.5
Jaco Van Zyl (2)... 13.5
Jason Day (1)... 13
Rory McIlroy (1)... 12
Alvaro Quiros (1)... 12
Charl Schwartzel (2) ... 12
*number in brackets after a player's name is the number of top-10 finishes achieved in qualifying period
**players in bold are scheduled to participate in the next tournament on tour
Not surprisingly for someone who has figures of 2-10-8-1 from his last four outings on the European Tour, Lawrie tops this week's guide. The Scot has been in fantastic form of late and clearly loves playing in the desert. His odds to win in Dubai might look a tad skinny at [38.0], but if the expected high winds materialise - as they did last week in Qatar - Lawrie could well prove the man to beat again.
As I've mentioned previously, the Players to Watch are automatic choices based on the top three players in the list who are participating in the upcoming event on Tour, and that means that Branden Grace ([100.0]) is still on our radar. However, like last week, I'm more confident of a decent showing from Peter Hanson ([29.0]) who, like Lawrie, remains in terrific form.
Players to watch: Paul Lawrie [38.0], Branden Grace [100.0], Peter Hanson [29.0]
The Cut-makers
Paul Lawrie... 19
Jaco Van Zyl... 17.5
Charl Schwartzel... 14.5
George Coetzee... 13.5
Retief Goosen... 12.5
Thomas Bjorn... 12
Luke Donald... 12
Ernie Els... 12
Jamie Elson... 12
Robert Karlsson... 12
With just one round played after the cut at the Qatar Masters Jaco Van Zyl couldn't make his way up the leaderboard as he has done in previous weeks. He remains a player to watch In-Play however, and so too does that man Lawrie. He is a proven winner, a former major champion no less, and showed at last year's end-of-season Dubai World Championship, and in Qatar last week when recording the joint lowest score of the final round, that he is very reliable in contention.
Keep an eye out also for George Coetzee. The general consensus is that he doesn't play well in contention, but as this mini In-Play guide shows, he hasn't performed too badly in recent weeks on a weekend. I know a few betting.betfair golf experts who rate the South African very highly.
Players to watch In-Play: Paul Lawrie, Jaco Van Zyl, George Coetzee
*You can read a full preview of this week's Dubai Desert Classic by reading The Punter's unmissable thoughts on the event tomorrow.
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