Open Betting: Woods inspired by Federer's record win

Open Betting: Woods inspired by Federer's record win


It's been a steady road back after the knee operation which kept him out of the second half of last season but Tiger Woods is now ready to add to his 14 majors, says Ralph Ellis.

    “I texted Roger to say: ‘Great job, now it’s my turn.’”

What's the saying about form being temporary and class permanent? It was certainly shown to be true by Roger Federer at the weekend and now Tiger Woods is about to get in on the act.

Woods and Federer are close pals and the Swiss tennis ace has been taking advice on changing nappies. Tiger's a bit of an expert on that now because his little boy Charlie is five months old tomorrow, and of course he's already been through the parenthood hoop once before when daughter Sam was born in the summer of 2007.

But if Federer is getting inspiration for being a dad, then Woods is chasing his mate's new total of Major victories. Wimbledon took his total to 15, one ahead of the tally that Tiger has accumulated, and the race will be on to catch up again when he stands on the first tee at Turnberry for The Open in nine days time.

It was a few hours before the final round of the AT&T National when Federer completed his epic final set against Andy Roddick. Woods was on the practice range - where else would he be? - when he heard and immediately sent his mate a text.

"I texted him to say: 'Great job, now it's my turn,'" he's revealed to today's papers. "Roger won at the French Open and I won Memorial, so it was kind of: 'Let's do it on the same day, let's do it again today.' But his wins are a hell of a lot bigger than mine. He won two Slams and I won two tour events. Hopefully it's my turn to get the Majors now."

It's been a steady road back to his best for Tiger since the knee operation that forced him out at the end of last season, and it was clear at Augusta that he still needed time. The fact he's now picked up a couple of tour wins - the latest after a superb closing round 67 at Congressional to win his third title of the season - suggests that he could be getting back to the type of form which has seen him accumulate 14 majors.

Woods hasn't always found things easy playing links golf at The Open. He says he loves the challenge but when the winds whip up, and the rain batters down, it's been known to blow him off course. His big hitting style, blazing long drives then playing superb recovery shots, isn't so well suited. Of his three wins, in 2000 and 2005 at St Andrew's the conditions were relatively kind - and in 2006 at Royal Liverpool he produced a master of course management hitting irons off the tees and only four times in 72 holes failing to find the fairway.

That year, of course, he was inspired by the raw emotion of his father's death to play controlled, winning golf. Will a mixture of little Charlie's arrival, and trying to catch up his mate, have the same effect this time on a course he's never seen before?

Betfair punters certainly think so. Woods is 3.2 favourite to win The Open and the next best bet, Sergio Garcia, is as long as 25.0. After that nobody is at odds shorter than 30.


Five things you might not know about Turnberry

1. Turnberry Castle is reputed to be the birthplace of Robert the Bruce - certainly his mother lived there


2. The site of the ruined castle is now occupied by a lighthouse which was built in 1871 after a two-year delay because of arguments over what sort of oil should be used. Three ships crashed on the rocks during those two years


3. Turnberry is credited with having been the first purpose built luxury golf resort, with a 100 bedroom hotel designed by architect James Miller opened in 1906


4. In World War I the hotel was used by Canadians who were training as pilots and aerial gunners as an officers' mess - in World War II it was a military hospital. The golf courses were concreted over in 1942 and used as an airfield


5. A two night weekend break in the hotel's Ocean View suite in August would set you back around £1,600.

Golf Equipment
Online Sportsbooks

Open Betting: Three reasons to back Tiger Woods

Open Betting: Three reasons to back Tiger Woods


The world number one has banished doubts about his form and fitness in recent weeks and is now in a prime position to make a sustained assault on the Open Championship. Paul Krishnamurty explains why...

    "Most encouraging has been Tiger's improved accuracy off the tee in recent weeks. The general rule over the past decade has been that when he drives it straight, he wins."

He's now fully back to his best after injury

Any doubts that Tiger would not fully recover his best form after an eight-month injury lay-off have been firmly laid to rest. Sunday's victory in the AT & T National was his third title in eight strokeplay events since returning, and he hasn't finished outside the top 10 in any of them. Most encouraging has been his improved accuracy off the tee in recent weeks. The general rule over the past decade has been that when Tiger drives it straight, he wins.

He lacks any obvious rivals

Going into the year's first two majors, all the focus was on Tiger's rivalry with Phil Mickelson; a battle won by the latter on both occasions. However, with Mickelson missing the Open and tournament specialists Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia and Ernie Els all badly out of form, Woods appears totally dominant. The market perfectly illustrates this year's 'Tiger vs the Rest' narrative, with Woods trading at 3.1 ahead of next best Garcia at 25.0.

Turnberry usually produces great champions

The last three Opens to be played at Turnberry have been won by world-class players at the peak of their powers. Tom Watson won the second of his five Open titles in 1980, and Greg Norman won the first of his two in 1986 during his best ever season. Nick Price was the world's leading player during his victorious year of 1994. The logical extension of that trend is a fourth Open, and 15th major title for Tiger Woods.

Golf Equipment
Online Sportsbooks


British Open Betting, Golf Betting, Padraig Harrington, Paul Krishnamurty, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, The Open Betting, Tiger Woods, Turnberry Golf Course