Golf Open Betting - Bet on The Open Golf Championship

July 9, 2008

GOLF - THE OPEN BETTING - BET ON THE 2008 GOLF OPEN - 17th JULY

The 137th Open Championship takes place at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, Lancashire, from July 17th to 20th. Preparation for the staging of the 2008 Championship has involved alterations to sixteen of the eighteen holes at Royal Birkdale. Playing at 7173 yards, the course is a mere 150 yards longer than when Mark O’Meara lifted the Claret Jug at the same venue in 1998. However, with a par of 70, the course will still present a tough challenge befitting the world’s greatest players. The Open competitors will be presented with some different choices with regard to playing tactics and strategy, with alterations to the lines of play on five holes, namely the third, ninth, eleventh, sixteenth and seventeenth holes. One of the most significant changes is to the par-four ninth, where the fairway has been moved some twenty-five yards to the left. Additionally, the green of the par-five seventeenth has been relocated. The new putting surface is raised above fairway level and a further twenty-five yards back. This is sure to present a far more testing approach, especially for any player attempting to reach in two. The Championship course has also been made more difficult by the insertion of sixteen new fairway bunkers and four new greenside hazards. Furthermore, seven of the greens now have substantial mounding, which will require players to use a greater diversity of inventive recovery shots.

The most significant fact about the 2008 Open Championship is the absence of fourteen time Major winner, Tiger Woods. Following knee surgery in April, Woods managed to capture the US Open in his first competitive outing since. However, the knee still caused him considerable pain and requires further surgery, which is likely to rule Woods out for the rest of the season.

As a result, bookmakers are looking forward to the most competitive Open, with the biggest turnover, for many years. Sergio Garcia leapt to Open favouritism after an encouraging display in the European Open. The Spaniard is now a best priced 10/1 with Paddy Power having finished an impressive runner-up to Ross Fisher. Fisher won by a comfortable seven shots (66/1 with William Hill for the Open), but Garcia had plenty of reason to be pleased. He ranked his last round 66, in atrocious conditions, as one of his best rounds of all time and “definitely the best putting round I’ve ever had.” With a previous win at The Players’ Championship, Garcia looks a worthy favourite. He is missing the Scottish Open to complete his Open preparations away from competitive golf. However, dual Scottish Open winner Ernie Els, a best-priced 14/1 with skybet for the Open, Lee Westwood and Phil Mickelson (both 16/1 with William Hill for the Open) are competing at Loch Lomond. Remarkably, Mickelson is the only US player in the top dozen in the Open betting.

Padraig Harrington, the reigning Open Champion, is now a best-priced 18/1 with Paddy Power to retain the Claret Jug, despite a rather disappointing 17th in the European Open. Justin Rose, ranked no. 9 in the world is a 25/1 chance with Paddy Power, but his recent form, tied 38th in the European Open, tied 92nd in the US Open and tied 106th in the BMW PGA Championship hardly inspires confidence. Fiji’s Vijay Singh (28/1 Paddy Power) inevitably performs well without winning, and looks good for a top-10 finish. Aussie Adam Scott (33/1 with Paddy Power) boasts a best Open finish of 8th place in 2006. A winner this season at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship, he must have some sort of chance in a very open event. South African Retief Goosen (33/1 with sportingbet) is a dual US Open winner, and 14 times European Tour winner. However, so often he flatters to deceive, posting 2 or 3 good rounds before fading in the closing stages.

Swede Robert Karlsson (33/1with Paddy Power) has been in excellent form, with 5 top-10 finishes from his last 6 starts, the other being a 13th in the French Open. Argentinean Andres Romero (40/1 with William Hill), a tied 36th in the US Open, had top-8 finishes in both the BMW PGA Championship and The Masters. Both represent decent each-way value. Anthony Kim, who won the AT&T National to all but guarantee himself a Ryder Cup debut in September, is 50-1 for the Open with skybet. Jim Furyk finished strongly to tie for third in the same event. Furyk, fourth at Royal Birkdale in 1998, is now a best-priced 25/1 with William Hill. Robert Allenby (50/1 with William Hill) and Hunter Mahan (66/1 with Ladbrokes) have also shortened for the Open after respectable finishes in the AT&T tournament. Mahan is 15th in total driving and 2nd in greens in regulation, so if he can get the putter working, might just be a contender.

Coincidentally, the last time an Open Championship favourite started at double-figure odds was the last time it was held at Royal Birkdale in 1998, when Mark O’Meara won at 40-1. The 12/1 favourite at the outset was a certain Eldrick “Tiger” Woods (he has since officially changed his name by deed poll). At the time, Woods was twenty-two years old, with just one Major (the 1997 Masters) to his name. A final round 66 took him to within one shot of a playoff with close friend O’Meara on that occasion.

All odds correct at time of writing. Please click here for the latest odds