The Race to Dubai resumes this week after a few weeks off and it also returns to Europe for the first time in 2009. I’m afraid it’s a tournament for the purists though with not even Sky Sports deeming it a big enough pull for any live coverage. As always though and as the old betting adage goes, if there’s value to be had there’s a bet to be placed. We’ve scoured through the field at this week’s Madeira Islands Open to try and find you just that!

Bradley Dredge is the 12/1 favourite and it’s difficult to know why. Without even a finish in the places since 2007 and no recent form to go on it’s difficult to back Dredge at such a short price. In fact you could say that of a lot of the field, with so many lacking form or a tour victory to their name this really is a tough ask.

Of the ‘favourites’ we’d probably plumb for Niclas Fasth at 25/1. Regular readers of the blog will know we’ve put the Swede Fasth up a few times at big prices as he slowly rebuilds his game, but amongst such a field at as this his six tour victories surely have to count for something. Add to that a couple of fine performances during the Dubai Swing he’s shown some glimpses of returning to form and one of his tour victories came in this tournament back in 2000.

Further down the field David Lynn catches the eye and not only because he’s about seven foot tall! Lynn is a consistent performer and has a record of contending the lead in such events where the quality is not the best. The beanpole Englishman had three top twenty finishes in his last three tournaments of the 2008 season in this part of the world and could go well here at 28/1 with totesport.

If you’re looking for a big priced winner we’ve plucked out a couple to have a closer look at. At 80/1 Simon Griffiths comes here off the back of a 7th and 21st in the Indonesian and Malaysian Opens respectively in recent weeks and at the same price, Jarmo Sandelin is an interesting contender. The Swedish joker has been devoid of any consistent form for a few years now but a fourth place finish in the Alfred Dunhill last season came from out of nowhere and shows that he’s capable of springing the odd surprise. He also has this tour title to his name, way back in 1996.

For all your golf betting this week visit totesport.