2010 Open Championship Predictions and Betting Odds: Part One

We're just two days away from the opening tee-off's in the 2010 Open Championship at St Andrews Golf Course.

As usual, the big story going in is Tiger Woods, but at least this time the headlines all seem to be about his putter and not more family drama. Woods had a rather disappointing performance in a local tournament last weekend and he will have to step it up big time if he wants to win another major championship.

There is a veritable slew of betting markets available on the 2010 British Open. You can choose from 3 ball, 2 ball and tournament match betting; as well as top player from specific nations.

Tiger Woods is favoured for first round leader with an 8/1 price, but we all know that Tiger usually starts a little slower and picks up speed on Saturday and Sunday. His 8/1 price is a bit too short for many, and it’s a decent option to back Padraig Harrington to open well on the first day.

With so many competitors in the field it can sometimes pay to back a real longshot, but Harrington is a safer bet. He's priced at 28/1 to be leading after the first day. Each-way odds are available on the top five places in this market as well.

We are heavily-favoured to have a debutante major winner here and I think the odds are more of a reflection of how many non-major winners are in this massive field. You can back the 2010 Open Championship to be anybody's first major, and you can also bet against it at an 11/8 price.

The challenge of St. Andrews is immense, and Tiger Woods’ record on that course is simply awesome. All the big names are here for this one and I'll be using this bet to back one of the usual suspects.

This is a tricky bet to make before the tournament actually starts but I think there's enough value there to make it worth a bash at least. Again, this one is based on the fact that there are so many big names lining up for this tournament, combined with the challenge you'll find at St Andrews. We've had a few majors go down to the wire recently and that speaks volumes for the type of competition you find at big tournaments like these.

That's a tidy payout on a fairly solid favourite as Tom Watson is expected to continue his rich vein of form. 5/2 is usually a decent price on a favourite, and with only nine contenders in this market he's a great win-only selection.

Tom Lehman is just behind him at a 3/1 price, while Mark Calcavecchia trades at 6/1. Calc took the 1989 Open at Royal Troon with a -13 after a playoff. Look to back five-time winner Watson here though, as his record in the Opens has just been solid.