Can Woods close the gap?

El Nino, Sergio Garcia, held his nerve to shoot a flawless 68 in the third round. Will he fare better than last year when he started in the final group only to blow his chances at Hoylake and can he finally live up to his potential or is world No 1 Tiger Woods going to be able to stage a recovery from eight shots back? Garcia would be a fitting winner of the event given the news this week that golfing legend and compatriot Seve Ballesteros has given up the game for good and that another Spaniard, Jose Maria Olazabal, has been forced to miss the week at the Scottish links course. The young Spaniard has struggled with his putter all year and pre-tournament odds of 40-1 with Sporting Odds were indicative of a player who could not find his feet on the dance floor. Garcia has even reverted to using a belly putter which throws up images of slippers and pipes but it certainly worked for him during his first round 65. He followed that up with a risk-free level par 71 a la Nick Faldo, before yesterday's 68 - all the time showing a new maturity. Garcia was available at 4/6 after the third round now ahead of Stricker, Els and Hamilton. World No 1 Woods was a best price 28/1 in the betting. Tiger had another round to forget, even hitting a spectator on the 6th hole during his round of 69. Elsewhere Steve Stricker's course record equalling 64 leaves him 11/2 in the betting but as he has never been in contention at a major before he could struggle. Ernie Els has all the experience and is worth a nibble at 16/1 - he is playing impressive stuff despite an eight on his card yesterday. KJ Choi is also worth a look. The Korean who lives in Texas has won two of his last three events on the PGA Tour - including the Memorial - and while he is relatively short off the tee, his putting is rock solid. Back him at 33/1 for a place. Verdict: 2pts e/w Ernie Els @ 16/1 (Sporting Odds); 1pt e/w K J Choi @ 33/1 (Sporting Odds) SportingOdds are offering all new customers £100 worth of free bets. Click here and open an account today. SportingOdds is interactive, instant, bringing you the fun and excitement of a revolutionary way of betting. SportingOdds aim to provide you with an unrivalled in running service, coupled with a comprehensive range of betting opportunities. With a blend of best prices, mass in-play coverage and various customer incentives, SportingOdds is a favourite with punters from Dundee to Dover.