US Open golf betting
Extraordinarily, Tiger Woods is the favourite for the US Open that starts tomorrow at Torrey Pines in San Diego.
He had knee surgery 2 months ago and hasn’t played in a competition since - do the bookies really think a one-legged Tiger is more likely to win than a player like Phil Mickelson?
Regardless, the bookies’ collective naivety means there is betting value to be enjoyed by the sports punter, and Mickelson is my pick.
He’s come close so many times, only to be foiled at the eleventh hour, but this year it’s his turn. He lives just 15 minutes from the club, and he is desperate to win this major on his home course - you can back him at 8/1 with Ladbrokes (Tiger is a ridiculous 7/2).
Jim Furyk is also worth an each-way bet. Few people remember that he has finished second in the last two editions of this competition, and is available at an attractive 35/1 with Bet365.
US Masters Golf Preview and Betting
The US Masters at Augusta National is golf’s blue riband event, the one that everyone dreams of winning. Every young golfer has wondered how he would look in that fabled green jacket, but reality shows that it’s not an easy event to win.
Lightning fast, undulating greens are the main difficulty - you can be putting on your third shot and taking a wedge for your fourth. The course favours the big hitters, but the power game must be complemented by a deft touch around the greens.
Tiger Woods has all the skills and there’s no surprise that he’s currently available at around 2/1 - ridiculously short odds over 72 holes at Augusta, and not worth backing at this stage.
Instead, it’s worth looking at the main challengers who might offer better value. Phil Mickelson should never be overlooked, and it’s easily forgotten that he has won two of the last four Masters tournaments. If you want to back him to win, the best odds are at Paddy Power at 11/1.
The strongest European challenge should come from Padraig Harrington, the 2007 Open Champion, and young English hopeful Justin Rose. The latter has performed well at the last few majors and should be there or thereabouts on Sunday - he looks like a decent each way bet at 45/1 with Extrabet.
Angel Cabrera certainly seems worth a small bet. The reigning US Open champion is currently at 100/1 with totesport, which seems very long for a proven winner.
The best way to bet on golf tournaments is to use Betfair. The outsiders will normally be available at very long odds to start with, but if they start well in the relatively pressure-free early rounds, you can lay them off again at a tidy profit. They may not have the Tiger temperament to rip up the course on Sunday, but by then we’ve cashed in at someone else’s expense.
If that sounds good to you, have a look at JB Holmes. He’s one of only a handful of players that can hit it further than Woods, and he could well find himself near the top of the leaderboard after Thursday’s opening round. He’s currently a very tempting 340/1 on Betfair - if he’s in the top ten by Thursday evening, this will probably be down under 100 (especially if Tiger starts badly), so we can lay the bet back and pick another player to back.
Let us know who you are backing, and be sure to share any killer tips with everyone else.
Coming up this week on The Betting Blog
Hopefully you all had some good luck on the Grand National at the weekend. Our Super 14 picks weren’t far off, but not 100% unfortunately.
This week, it’s Groundhog Day with another Liverpool v Arsenal showdown - what price a 1-1 draw? We’ll be previewing the Champions League second leg ties, and bringing you details of various special offers.
In the golf world, The Masters starts this week, which always provides opportunities to make some money. You always get good odds at the start of golf competitions, and the best thing to do is study the form (which we’ll do for you), then back the player on Betfair, and lay them off again when they start challenging on the leaderboard. We’ll be bringing you a full preview of one of golf’s finest events later in the week.
As ever, feel free to share your tips with other readers, and sign up for The Don’s exclusive newsletter for more betting tips and advice.
WGC Accenture World Match Play Betting
Wednesday sees the start of the WGC Accenture Match Play in Arizona, the first event of the 2008 World Golf Championships. It’s an unusual format for the players, but defending champion Henrik Stenson summed it up succinctly recently, observing that, “You’ve got your opponent and you either do better or worse.”
Whenever anyone talks about golf betting, Tiger Woods is always the favourite. This competition is no exception, and rightly so - he’s won 8 out of the last 9 tournaments he’s played.
However, Tiger’s record in match play isn’t as good as his strokeplay and isn’t really worth backing. He hasn’t won the Accenture event since 2004, and his Ryder Cup record isn’t too strong either. His first round match is against rookie JB Holmes, one of the biggest hitters on the tour, and there’s an outside chance that Woods will fall at the first hurdle - a lay bet with Betfair might be a good option.
Phil Mickelson may be a better bet for the title - his Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup record is excellent, and he has found some good form of late on the tour. He also looks to have a more straightforward run to the third round, unlike Woods who is likely to face Mike Weir in Round 2. Mickelson is available at 14/1 with Boylesports and totesport.
Trevor Immelman is one of the dark horses (at 80-1 with Betfred), having enjoyed success both in this format and on this course. He’s in the same section of the draw as Ernie Els, who nearly didn’t enter because he never wins - Immelman could make sure Els’ misfortune continues, and might be worth a small each way bet.
Matchplay specialist Angel Cabrera has also been tipped at 66/1 - he faces Anders Hansen in the first round. If you back him on Betfair at these odds, they’ll shorten dramatically when he reaches the second round. You can then lay the bet at much shorter odds, close out your original position and walk away with a tidy profit.
Have a look at Extrabet for good odds on this event - they will also let you sell the bet back to them at a given price as the tournament progresses, which is similar to laying the bet at Betfair.
Good luck!
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This is a brand new blog about sports betting, brought to you by seasoned betting experts, with resident tipsters sharing their views on upcoming sports events, and where you can find the best odds.
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