The British Open Golf Betting Preview

The Open Championship is special in any year, but especially when it visits St. Andrews as it does this week. The Home of Golf is a fantastic tournament venue, with history founded in the very real origins of the game, and a course that has heroically stood the test of time. There have been some alterations of late, with five holes being lengthened since Tiger Woods romped to a -19 total in 2000, but these are mere tweaks in comparison to the bolstering many venues built centuries later have required to contain the power men of today.Modern day cynics may choose to argue that the quality of the course itself is not up to the pedigree of many other of the world's undoubtedly great set ups. Some of the holes are short, several of the fairways are wider than they are long, some of the shots are blind, and on a windless day the scores can be grouped in the very low 60's.But this is the home of golf and there is an intangible aura around the place that brings out greatness. An easy way to extenuate this point is to look at the Open career of Jack Nicklaus, a man who this week brings down the competitive curtain on the most cherished and successful career.18 Major victories leave him streets ahead of his closest rival, and despite his half dozen US Masters titles, including his last in 1986, Nicklaus still describes St Andrews as his favourite golfing location. The Golden Bear would only win the Open only times, but two of these were on the Old Course. Although the last two Claret Jugs have been won by rank outsiders (Ben Curtis in 2003, Todd Hamilton in 2004) the winners board from St. Andrews consists of some very special names. As well as Nicklaus and Woods, Nick Faldo, Sam Snead, Peter Thompson, Seve Ballesteros and Bobby Locke have all held the Trophy aloft in front of the famous Royal and Ancient clubhouse, and seeing another great of the game follow suit has to be seen as likely.When looking at the betting options for this year's Open, the first question that must be asked is whether or not Tiger Woods represents any value at all around the 3/1 mark. If you feel he does then there will be little room for others in your betting verdict. If not however, you have the luxury of plucking several more players and still staying within budget with potential profits of equal if not more substantial being. We prefer the latter of these options.There is no doubting Woods's class, and the fact that he looks to be gearing up for another sustained period at the very top of the sport. Major blips can now be forgotten following his win at the Masters and 2nd place at the US Open, and his game all year has been excellent.The bookies are also very aware that he won The Open the last time it was staged at St. Andrews, further pushing in his price, but we feel too much may have been read into this. One thing that is clear is that Woods has far less of a love affair with this than the other three Majors, not in as much as he devalues it, but simply that he is not as comfortable in the conditions. Yes, he won here in 2000, but this was in the midst of his best ever golf. The course was perhaps not significant as he managed to win four consecutive Majors in this time, all on differing courses.It is no secret that links golf is a different beast to that which presents itself weekly in America, and where Woods thrives, and we feel there are men out there better equipped in dealing with it. As such, the 3/1 holds no appeal.We do not have to look too far down the world rankings to find the man we want to top our betting list this week, Ernie Els. An ever present at the event since 1992, the South African has produced eight of thirteen results inside the top ten. This includes finishes in the last five years, starting with 2000 when held at St. Andrews of 2nd, 3rd, 1st, 18th and 2nd. This is an outstanding set of numbers, and clearly the best in the field. The world number three has all the attributes necessary. The wind seems only to solidify his wonderfully fluent swing, and his imagination around the greens is fantastic. His talent demands that more than his three Majors will be won, and this is the event we see most likely for him to add to this haul. 2005 has not been his best season, with no wins as yet on the US Tour, although seeing three victories (Dubai, Qatar and Malaysia)in Europe as a mediocre return only serves to accentuate his ability and expectations.Since the US Open his schedule has been limited, due in part to the death of his grand father. He did play last week in the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond however and the way he played was encouraging. Having been out of action for a few weeks, some teething difficulties were perhaps expected, especially as he had a new driver in his bag. However, rounds of 70, 66, 67, and 68 put him in fifteenth place and this quote from his website could be telling. With reference to that tournament the current Order of Merit champion wrote, "I felt like I made serious steps forward in my game. I made a lot of good swings and hit a lot of solid shots. The only department of my game which let me down was my putting; I couldn't buy a putt all week. But that's just one of those things; and I know I can put that right in a heartbeat. The most important thing is I feel much more confident than I did, say, going into the US Open. I tell you, I'm really looking forward to the Open this week."Considering that he was 15th at the US Open, this must be ominous for the rest of the field. His new driver worked impeccably and added distance to his tee shots, something that will be very useful on the rock hard fairways of St Andrews.Els can be backed at 10/1 this week, and this looks like fine value in our eyes. Links golf suits his game, and this price suits our betting verdict. The great thing about making a case for Els is that there is no area of weakness, and his confidence appears to be sky high.Darren Clarke is another man who has had to limit his schedule this term for personal reasons, but at 33/1 the Irishman looks to be worth an each way punt.Having been brought up in Portrush, links golf is second nature to the 35 year old, and few would argue that his stature is lofty enough to merit success in a Major. This will be his 14th Open, and only once has the cut been missed, back in 1992. The stylish Ulsterman has come close on several occasions, never more than in 1997 when he was runner up, and his two Open visits to this venue have seen finishes of 30th in 1995, and 11th in the Millennium edition.He began 2005 by concentrating on the US Tour, and managed five top tens in just eight outings. Illness to his wife means that the Atlantic has not been crossed since April however, even meaning that the US Open was missed.Much will, as always come down to the greens, and his putting stroke has looked good over the past fortnight. Two World Golf Championship victories show he has the mettle to emerge from an elite pack of players, and if a few putts find the hole we would expect Clarke to be right in the mix on Sunday evening.Four excellent rounds of 67, 65, 69 and 66 were enough to come 2nd at the Scottish Open last week and this came hot on the heals of 4th place at the Smurfit European Open. This tournament marks the six-year anniversary since Paul Lawrie became the last British man to win a Major, but we feel Clarke could be the man to end this famine.Australians have long had a special relationship with the Open Championship, with Peter Thompson the most heralded for his five titles during the fifties and sixties. There are several in the field this time with strong credentials including Adam Scott (40/1), but the one we are going to plump for is Mark Hensby.He won for the first time in 2004 at the John Deere Classic, and has gone from strength to strength since then. The 34 year old went on to win over $2.8 Million last season, and has carried this form into 2005.Just three men have posted top five finishes at both the US Masters and US Open this year, and Hensby is one of them, with 5th at Augusta and 3rd at Pinehurst in June. Considering that the other two are the world's top ranked players, Vijay Singh and Tiger Woods shows the company that the Victorian is keeping these days.His last event finished on Sunday where he was defending the John Deere in America, and a dazzling 64 on the final day put him in 4th place and ensured that he flies into Scotland in good spirits. This will be his first trip to The Open but an accurate driving game ought to be a useful weapon at St. Andrews, an infamously quirky set up where danger lies in wait for errant stroke makers. The great Nicklaus himself once said his strategy when winning here in 1978 was to "miss the bunkers and putt well" and Hensby has it within him to follow this mantra to a tee.125/1 looks to be far too long a price, and the last two years have shown us that it is very possible for unheralded US based players to turn up at The Open and take the spoils. There is clearly each way value at this mark, and we are happy to include him.To complete our cosmopolitan betting verdict, we are going to include an American, possibly a wise decision considering their successes in all of the Majors, and especially this one of late. David Toms is the man who appeals.Again, he is a man with an all round game, and victory at the 2001 US PGA shows he knows how to win a Major. A renowned match player, birdies are never far from the scorecard, and St Andrews is a venue that can yield birdies, especially if the weather remains calm, as we are led to believe it will at this stage.Only three men, Woods, Singh and Phil Mickelson have earned more money this term and he comes to Fife with good form on his side. Results of 15th (US Open), 8th (Memorial), 2nd (Fed-Ex St. Jude Classic) and 3rd (Colonial) do plenty to prise our investment, as does the fact he came 4th here in 2000.This was his best effort in five appearances, but a repeat would be very handy with a nice looking 50/1 on offer. The two time Ryder Cupper is one of the most consistent players in the world, when surveyed against the other players at a similar price, the 38 year old leaps off the page.