The third event of the 2023-24 DP World Tour takes place at The Lakes Golf Club and The Australian Golf Club in Sydney, Australia this week, which also forms part of the PGA Tour of Australasia.
The first two days (Thursday-Friday) will be played across both courses, with the weekend's play solely on the Australian Golf Club course.
The field boasts defending champion Adrian Meronk, two-time winner Matt Jones and fellow Australian victors Cameron Davis and Adam Scott.
The leader in the betting, however, is Min Woo Lee, the winner at last week's Fortinet Australian PGA Championship - he claimed victory by three strokes at Royal Queensland. The Australian is a three-time winner on the DP World Tour and ranked in 2023 in scoring average (69.81) - the best in the field this week.
Lee has recorded top 15 finishes in four of his last five tournaments on the DP World Tour – including that victory last week. He's a 5/1 shot to win the tournament and 13/10 to earn a top 10 finish.
Cameron Smith is second favourite for the tournament at 6/1. A member of the LIV Golf League, Smith won a pair of tournaments in 2023 – LIV Golf London and LIV Golf Bedminster in July and August. Smith is second in birdie average (4.79) and first in putting average (1.51) in the LIV ranks.
Poland's Meronk (18/1) is the defending champion and won as recently as mid-October with victory at the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucia Masters, but he has failed to back up that success with three modest top 40 results since that tournament.
Those looking for encouragement statistically will not be buoyed by his recent form. He ranked top 10 in greens hit in regulation in 2023, and boasted a stroke average of 69.84, good for 12th on the DP World Tour. However, in drive distance, putting average, putts per round and sand save, he ranks outside of the Tour's top 50.
Those looking for an outsider to punt on could consider New Zealand's Daniel Hillier at 60/1. So far in the 2023-24 season, Hillier ranks sixth in drive accuracy (78.57), sixth in sand saves (85.71) and top 40 on the Tour in drive distance, greens in regulation and putts in regulation. A top 20 finish at 21/10 is potentially worth a small wager.
Those who prefer a nostalgia-based wager by backing a former winner have the choice of Jediah Morgan (300/1) - who won the event in January 2022 at Royal Queensland – along with Scott (10/1) or Smith (6/1).
