Golf Open Championship Betting Preview

Golf Open Championship Betting Preview: The world's best players in a fabulous setting

Betfair Sports Betting

Tiger Woods is striking the ball beautifully and his superior imagination will set him apart from his opponents at Turnberry, says Tareq Quiroz as he provides his Open Championship fact file.

    "Two of the three lowest ever winning scores in an Open have been recorded at Turnberry so maybe, just maybe, it won’t play as hard as we all think."

After lining my pockets for two weeks in a row, Martin Kaymer is currently my favourite person on the planet. The German and I are both in tip-top form at just the right moment as we move into the biggest week of the golfing calendar. The Open Championship from Turnberry sounds great and I am sure that it won't let anyone down.


The Course

The Open rotation has finally worked its way back to the fabulous setting of Turnberry and what a treat we are all in for. This track is a great example of what a links course is all about. There is natural history all around and a general feeling that this is a very special place. At just over 7,200 yards it is pretty lengthy for a par 70 course but as with all links courses the length is only ever second in relevance to the weather. My sources in that department tell me that whilst it will be unsettled we should not expect anything too severe. The course is tough but there are also good birdie chances so pick your holes and know when to play in-running.


The Favourite

No prizes for guessing who holds the top spot in the market this week. Tiger is hunting his 15th major win and he has an ominous look in his eyes this week. Since his return from knee surgery he has already recorded three tournament wins but notably no major victory. For anyone opposing him that is not a good sign. When the great man gets the bit between his teeth then it will take an act of god to stop him. Something similar to the scenes we saw at Muirfield in round three of the 2002 Open is what his opponents will have in mind.

The truth of the matter is that Tiger is striking the ball beautifully. As much as we try and deflect the attention away from him and big-up the chances of the Europeans, nobody can beat him if he executes his game plan. Tiger has had a few practice rounds at Turnberry now and whilst others are marveling in the surroundings he is doing nothing but plotting their downfall. His planning is meticulous and I believe that of all the majors this one suits him best. His low stinger shots will be seen to their full effect this week and his superior imagination will put him ahead of his rivals. I rarely get involved at anything so short but backing Tiger at 3.7 seems the only logical solution to the 138th Open Championship.


The Next Best Bets

There are two ways to play Turnberry. Either you take the hazards on and get a much easier second shot if successful or you play it safe. Tiger will play it safe but he can afford to do that as he is deadly with virtually every iron in his bag. That cannot be said for all his opponents. If Tiger is to be beaten it will have to be by someone who is great with the driver or someone who hits it very very long.

Angel Cabrera could be the man. The Masters champion is still underrated in my opinion and I am not sure what he has to do to get himself in amongst the top echelons of a market. He has always played links courses well and like Tiger he will play it safe. He is perceived as a swashbuckling big hitter but he is a great planner and will be more than happy to be patient and wait for his opportunities. At current odds of 100.00 he has to be in your staking plan.

If there was one player I would be happy to see play the risky shot off the tee it would be Lee Westwood. He is hitting the ball as well as anyone in the world right now. I really do hope he is lifting the Claret Jug on Sunday and he will be seeing a bit of my money at decent odds of 38.0.


The Massive Outsider

There are some seriously big prices available about some very good players this week. The main man in this category is definitely Vijay Singh. The big Fijian has taken some time to get back to his best following a knee problem but now the only problem is a misbehaving putter. As long as the really poor weather stays away he has all the game to challenge on Sunday afternoon. At current odds of 120.00 he is most definitely top of my outsider fancies.

A little further down the market you have to pay good attention to Stuart Appleby. A play-off loser in the 2002 Open, he knows he can play these courses. A lean spell is passing and the last few weeks has seen some really good stuff from Appleby. His record at the Mercedes Championship and his Aussie background tells you he knows how to play windy conditions so he won't be fazed by that. At odds of around 250.00 you can't really go too far wrong for a saver.


Interesting Info

Two of the three lowest ever winning scores in an Open have been recorded at Turnberry so maybe, just maybe, it won't play as hard as we all think. Only two players in the last 75 years have been wire to wire winners with no ties so don't get too excited if your fancy hits the front after the first round. Most interestingly of all is the fact that I backed Nick Price to win the Open the last time we had the championship at Turnberry in 1994. Surely I can't defend my 100% course record...

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.

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