So-called expert golf tips for this week

Four more top-10s last week, but with the three major Tours drawing to a close this week the so-called experts are hunting some more wins for their tally. Here are their picks for the DP World Tour Championship, CME Group Tour Championship and RSM Classic.

EURO TOUR - DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Brendan James – Golf Australia Editor

Returning to the PGA Tour following his win in Spain hasn't delivered the best results for MATT FITZPATRICK who was T30 and T64 in his last starts. But it would be beyond foolish to count the Englishman out here.

Fitzpatrick is a two-time winner around the Earth Course at Jumeriah Golf Estates, and clearly his best golf can't be far off given he won at the tricky Valderrama just over a month ago.

Sportsbet odds: $15

JIMMY EMANUEL – Golf Australia Deputy & Digital Editor

This is seriously tough with so many top names firing and some more unlikely chances presenting some value. But the job of the tipster is to make a pick, and mine is the top ranked player in the field COLLIN MORIKAWA.

The American was T10 here last year on debut, is arguably the finest iron player in men’s golf and the motivation to get one back on Rory McIlroy on his home Tour after losing to the Northern Irishman at his home track won’t hurt.

Ranked No.2 on the official rankings, Morikawa can seriously lay claim to being the best player in the world if he finish the week as the European Tour’s (RIP) season long champion.

Sportsbet odds: $8.50

Rod Morri – Golf Australia magazine contributor and The Thing About Golf podcast host

As expected this is a difficult one to call with no shortage of good players in the field but the two young Australians who’ve had breakout years will be a feature.

Lucas Herbert and MIN WOO LEE have come of age in Europe in 2021 and since Herbert has already won in the US it would be a fitting finale for Lee to take the top prize this week.

Sportsbet odds: $26

Mark Hayes – Man About Golf

He may not play for months afterwards because he actually looks a little tired, but there’s zero doubting MIN WOO LEE’s form heading into the grand finale of the European Tour.

His (hair) tips might be slightly more dubious than even mine (golfing variety), but he’s flushing it and just looking for a little fortune on the back nine on Sunday and he’ll take his place in Australian golfing folklore, not to mention become very rich in the process.

Sportsbet odds: $26

LPGA TOUR - CME GROUP TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Brendan James – Golf Australia Editor

Like everyone in golf, the battle between NELLY KORDA and Jin Young Ko has had me enthralled this year, with the American to greet the judges this week and take out Player of the Year honours.

Ko has been hugely impressive, but Korda has put together the best season by an American on the LPGA Tour in a long time and playing for a second consecutive week in her home state is enough to give her the nod here.

Sportsbet odds: $6.50

JIMMY EMANUEL – Golf Australia Deputy & Digital Editor

The potential dual for Player of the Year honours between Nelly Korda and Jin Young Ko is an exciting one, however, LEXI THOMPSON will spoil the party this week in the opinion of this observer.

Thompson wasn’t able to get the job done last week (despite my own anointing of here as the champion in this format) but I am sticking solid with the American, and for good reason.

Lexi’s form line at this event reads T20, 4^th, T40, T2, 1^st, T6, T5 and it is fair to suggest the local Floridian loves playing golf at Tiburon. Thompson was also joint runner-up behind Korda last week, and will be desperate to not go winless again this year after winning at least once on the LPGA Tour every between 2013 and 2019.

Sportsbet odds: $19

Rod Morri – Golf Australia magazine contributor and The Thing About Golf podcast host

This could be the most interesting tournament of the week with the year’s two dominant players, Jin Young Ko and Nelly Korda, both in great recent form and a supporting cast of the rest of the best in the world on hand to keep things interesting.

The biggest danger to the top two will come from 2014 champion LYDIA KO and she’s my pick to grab the last title of the year.

Sportsbet odds: $8

Mark Hayes – Man About Golf

Hopefully there is enough space among all the Lamborghinis in the car park for LYDIA KO to make it to the first tee on time.

She’s been back to her brilliant best since the world resumed this year and I think it would be almost just for her to swoop on the big season-ending prize after her playoff loss last week.

One of THE nicest people you’ll ever meet in golf, so if an Aussie can’t win it, I’ll throw the cricket-mourning Kiwis a bone.

Sportsbet odds: $8

PGA TOUR - RSM CLASSIC

Brendan James – Golf Australia Editor

ADAM SCOTT said a little while back he was going to continue playing later in the year in 2021 because he felt like his game was getting close. And his debut here for that reason earns him my pick for this week.

Scott hasn't put consistent results on the board this year, and his ranking has slid to 40th as a result, but look for Scott to get acclimatised quickly at Sea Island and be among the lead runners come Sunday.

Sportsbet odds: $34

JIMMY EMANUEL – Golf Australia Deputy & Digital Editor

This is an event the North Americans dominate, and while Cam Smith and Adam Scott both shape as players worth some interest this week for mine, the primarily red, white and blue dominance will continue this week.

KEVIN KISNER is a specialist at this event, winning once and losing in a play-off last year and it wasn’t that long ago he prevailed at the Wyndham in that oversized sudden death where Scott should have taken the chocolates.

The American’s new season form hasn’t been great so far, and a slightly worse for wear start to the week following his foundation event is a concern, but Kisner will lift here. A true horse for courses.

Sportsbet odds: $34

RELATED: RSM Classic preview

Rod Morri – Golf Australia magazine contributor and The Thing About Golf podcast host

This is always a close event and no reason to think it won’t be again this year. That should be right in the wheelhouse of one of the form players of the past month, SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER.

The only thing the Texan hasn’t done in his PGA Tour career so far is win and after back to back top fives his last two starts it could well be his time in Georgia.

Sportsbet odds: $13

Mark Hayes – Man About Golf

As most Tours in the northern hemisphere celebrate their season’s end, I’m going to celebrate the PGA Tour’s ninth attempt to maintain interest past their season “showpiece” (Ryder Cup excluded) by tipping people I want to win this week, rather than my usual painstaking research.

As Golf Australia Magazine readers will soon learn, CAM SMITH told me he was going to have a couple of months off before Hawaii, yet here he is playing his second tournament in a row – and I don’t reckon he’s doing it for fun.

So off a T15 in Houston, our Queensland warrior will cap his brilliant 2021 with victory back on the east coast.

Sportsbet odds: $17

2021 RESULTS

So far our so-called experts have combined to tip 26 winners in 2021, with 136 of their picks recording top-10 finishes that week and a best return of $61 for Max Homa to win the Genesis Invitational (tipped by Rod Morri).