The DP World Tour makes the short trip from Abu Dhabi to Dubai this week for the 33rd running of the Desert Classic, the second in a run of four events in the UAE.

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The Emirates course measures just over 7400 yards, with a slightly lop-sided look given just one par-five on the front nine and three coming home.

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Recent history dictates that strong driving and a touch of links pedigree are the order of the day, with the first five at each of the last two runnings containing seven of the top-10 in off-the-tee stats.

Whilst each event took place in differing conditions, seven of the combined top-10 ranked in the top eight for tee-to-green despite not recording an impressive number for their approaches, whilst each of the last ten champions had more than a semblance of course form, with only Haotong Li finishing outside the top-20 in previous outings.

Here are my selections for the Dubai Desert Classic:

Thomas Pieters Win +3000

Yes, I know it’s terrifically difficult to win back-to-back, and certainly in a field containing some of the elite golfers in the world, but the Belgian may be on his way to joining them.

With two recent wins in just three starts, the selection is not hidden from view, and it is a matter of whether you believe the oddsmakers have compensated for his current form.

Considered a player without the wins his talent deserves, he has threatened in more loaded events than this (top-six finishes at The Masters, Riviera and a couple of WGC events are just a few examples), and it’s always looked to these eyes as if it was a matter of simply not getting too down over a missed chance or two.

Okay, he’ll not be one to be grinning all over the course like a Marcus Armitage, but he’ll be smiling inside after a couple of wins at which there were those typical dangers of fuming over a missed short putt.

Numbers have been impressive for a long time now, and he finished the 2021 season with the win in Portugal, well controlled when in front, and a 15th at the DP Tour Championship when an understandably slow start left him in 40th after day one.

Last week’s victory came via a couple of rocky moments as the event hotted up, but it was the manner in which he got to the front that impressed, and he again finished second for off-the-tee and top-six for tee-to-green, backing up his overall stats from the last full season.

Whilst form around the Emirates track isn’t stunning, with three mid-20 finishes his best, he has rarely looked in danger of missing a cut in the UAE and with doubts about a couple at the very front of the market; he is a solid selection to go close.

Nicolai Hojgaard Win/Top 10 +6600/+600

The debate rages on as to which of the Danish twins will prove to be most successful by the end of their career, but at just 20-years-old that day looks a long way off.

For now, the man that lags 3-1 behind in the ‘tour victory’ stakes can prove that a course rewarding long driving and efficient tee-to-green play is right up his street.

After running up at the 2019 KLM Open, brother Rasmus seemed to take all the attention away from the selection with a quick-enough trio of wins, but Nicolai now ranks just in front of him in the world rankings.

Amongst several top-20 finishes in 2021, the 17th at the Czech event points to the likes of Pieters, whilst the silver medal in Portugal is always a link with many of the courses to be found in the UAE.

In between those, his driving helped with the victory in Italy; he finished in the top-20 at both Wentworth and at the Alfred Dunhill Links and finished the season with a fine fourth place at the concluding championship.

Ignore the missed-cut in Abu as conditions were almost unplayable during the second round and concentrate on the opening 69, when he ranked 14th off-the-tee and 17th tee-to-green, figures that will see him contend this week.

The current prices, around +6500, are figures we won’t see when the big guns go back over to the PGA, so make hay while we can.

Padraig Harrington Win/Top 10/Top 20 +15000/+1100/+450

There was temptation to go with in-form Jeff Winther at a three-figure price, but he simply doesn’t look long enough off the tee, even ranking outside of the top-50 in that regard when winning in Mallorca, so let’s plough on with links legend, Pod, runner-up here 20 years ago.

Never shy of coming forward on social media, and a fan of the afore-mentioned Hojgaard, this is an easy selection at the price, based on current form.

History can be bunkum, of course, but for the two-time Open and Dunhill Links champion, this is bread and butter. Indeed, it may help if the weather turns a tad windier than predicted, even if he needs to be taken seriously after recent finishes of 12/8/20 through Portugal, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Ignore 2020 despite a couple of decent efforts in Scotland – Ryder Cup year can take you down for a while before the event, and certainly after getting thrashed -and look at last season, where his best efforts are sixth around here, fourth at Phil’s PGA, a top-20 in the Scottish Open and the 12th and eighth mentioned above.

Still capable of giving it a bosh off the tee, he has ranked top-20 for tee-to-green in his last four recorded events, whilst his short game has never been in question should it come down to a grind down the stretch.