Abu Dhabi Championship 2025 FRL Tips: Three Tips to Lead after 18 Holes

We have the Abu Dhabi Championship starting this Thursday and as always, our golf tipster Jamie Worsley has been busy previewing the action. His thoughts ahead of the full tournament are linked to below but he's also taken a look at the First Round Leader market.

You can read his thoughts and his three selections for the Abu Shabi Championship FRL Market here on Betfred Insights...

You can read Jamie's full Abu Dhabi Championship 2025 Betting Tips main preview here. 

The Abu Dhabi Championship begins tomorrow at Yas Links, where wind looks likely to play a crucial role in determining who is able to get off to a quick start. 

It is forecast to be bright and warm throughout the day, with temperatures reaching 33°C in the afternoon, but it's the wind that really matters here. The morning starters are set to enjoy calm conditions, with little more than a 6mph breeze to contend with. However, this starts to rise steadily from midday onwards, hitting consistent speeds of around 14mph, with gusts approaching 20mph. 

If materialising, that would hand a clear advantage to those out early on this exposed layout. With that in mind, I've focused my first-round leader selections entirely on those out before 8am, who should have the best chance to make an early statement. 

You can bet on the event and check out all of the latest live Abu Dhabi Championship Odds over on betfred.com

Ugo Coussaud 

Start time: 7.28am 

First up is Frenchman Ugo Coussaud. He has recorded two first-round leads in his last 11 starts, and having taken to Yas Links on his debut last year, he looks a lively contender in this betting heat. 

Coussaud has enjoyed a consistent 2025, picking up 10 top-25 finishes in 25 starts. He produced his best performance of the year just three events ago, finishing 5th in the Open de Espana – where he shared the first-round lead after opening with a six-under 65. Though he hasn't backed that up in two appearances since, he should appreciate this return to a more open layout. 

He excels on the greens, ranking 23rd on the DP World Tour this season. His irons have been encouraging of late, gaining strokes in three of his last four starts, and as a long but inaccurate driver, he's ideally suited to this course. 

Coussaud shot rounds of 68-64-70-66 to finish 6th at Yas Links last year. He also achieved his best DP World Tour result to date on a similar setup, finishing 2nd in the 2024 Qatar Masters. 

Arriving here with first-round form figures of 4-1-17-38, he's doing a lot of his best work in round one, and he looks well-placed to make another fast start this week. 

Alejandro Del Rey 

Start time: 7.39am 

Alejandro Del Rey picked up first-round leader place money for us on his latest start in the Genesis Championship, opening with a five-under 66 to sit 3rd after the opening round. As an attacking player who secured his first DP World Tour title in the Middle East at the beginning of this year, he's well worth sticking with from his advantageous tee-time. 

Del Rey got his year off to a flier, cruising to a four-shot victory in the Ras Al Khaimah Championship in January. His results haven't been all that inspiring since, but he did look much better when 21st in the Dunhill Links three starts ago, and he should again thrive back at a similarly exposed venue. 

The Spaniard is at his best with the driver, ranking 55th overall and 21st in driving distance. He's made improvements in approach recently, and despite being inconsistent on the greens, he was excellent on the paspalum surfaces in Ras Al Khaimah. 

Del Rey's start in Korea two weeks ago was the seventh time in eight appearances that he's begun with an under-par opening round. He also hit the top 10 on day one of the Dunhill Links, firing a seven-under 65 at St Andrews. Showing promise on his first spin around Yas Links last year, finishing 37th, he is primed for another strong first-round display in the desert. 

Jacob Skov Olesen 

Start time: 7.50am 

Last but not least is Danish rookie Jacob Skov Olesen. He too was among my first-round leader selections in Korea, performing solidly with a three-under 68 to sit 11th on day one. The 2024 Amateur Championship winner thrives on exposed, linksy courses, and as a quality all-rounder who is excelling with his irons and putter, he ticks a lot of boxes here. 

Olesen has shown promise throughout his debut season, but his performances have been especially impressive of late. He's secured his two best results of the season across his last nine starts, and each have come on links courses – finishing 3rd in the Nexo Championship and 5th in the Dunhill Links. 

He began brightly in the Dunhill Links, opening with an eight-under 64 at Carnoustie to end the round in 4th place. However, his most notable first-round display of the year came in The Open at Royal Portrush, where he fired a four-under 67 in round one to share the lead. 

This ability to perform on the links is an obvious plus for Olesen – a player who ranks 22nd in this field in first-round performance over the last three months. He's also 26th on the greens over the same period and ranking 34th in approach on the DP World Tour this season, he has the arsenal to shoot a low one on his Yas Links debut. 

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