Who will win a Major Golf Tournament in 2005?

This is the one part of the year in which we do not have a top class professional golf tournament every week, but even amongst the 90 or so high calibre events around the world each season, there remain four which hold more prestige than any others in the sport, The Majors. The long term standing of a good player will be judged by his performances in the big four, namely The Masters, The US Open, The Open and the US PGA, whilst for those supposed lesser players there are four chances a year for them to join the pantheon of true champions from which they can never be ejected.2003 saw the latter category bloom with four first time winners. Few would argue that Mike Weir and Jim Furyk were of deserved quality to own a Major, but there were surely a few disgruntled faces when Ben Curtis and Shaun Micheel joined the elite band with victories coming out of nowhere. More order was restored in 2004 with an overdue win for Phil Mickelson, and return successes for Retief Goosen and Vijay Singh, all of whom began and ended the year firmly within the top ten places in the world. But the win of Todd Hamilton at The Open in July was another example of how the journeyman can dream, and that dreams can come true.The bookies have opened a market called 'To win a Major in 2005', and they have concentrated on those players at the top of the world rankings, ignoring the credentials of anyone below around fiftieth.This is perhaps understandable when looking back over the past ten years, during which time roughly 75% of the 40 Majors have been won by players we would deem to be likely victors. Class tends to rise to the top in these high intensity events.Tiger Woods won seven out of ten between 2000 and 2002, but now has not laid claim to one since the US Open of that year. This is a run of ten events that few would have believed back then. He is priced at Evens to win a Major in 2005 however.The surge in form referred to was enough to keep him as the world number one for two years, but towards the end of 2004 Vijay Singh finally overtook him. Whether or not this was the prompt, Woods decided to make some swing alterations, and his form since has been superb. In fact, in his last two outings, one in Japan and one at his own event, the Target Challenge, he has ended up winning. Swing changes are always dangerous however, and it would be extremely unusual if there were not some teething problems. However, he has won all four of the Majors, and if at his best, there is no player who can beat him. We consider this to be a rather short price though.Singh is next on the list at 6/4, but this is also short for a man who has topped the money list for the last two seasons largely by winning regular tour events, although victory at the PGA Championship in July is an exception. The quality is clearly there with two PGA's and the Millennium Masters, but there is not much fun to be had at this price.It is a similar story with Ernie Els who should have won several more than the three Majors the South African has to his name so far. In 2004 for example he was in the box seat towards the closing stages of all four, but finished 2nd, 9th, 2nd and 4th. This is not the first time these sort of results have been seen by Els either. If we go back to 2000, he remarkably finished as runner up in three Majors that season. Another increasingly interesting pattern developing s that the Europeans are faring very badly. No Majors have gone heir way since Paul Lawrie, who falls into the shock category, won the 1999 Open Championship at Carnoustie. That is a run of 19 Championships.However, in spite of this, a bet that we feel is worth taking on this market is for Padraig Harrington. The Irishman has been a permanent fixing inside the world top ten since November 2001, and is now dug in at number six. He admits there is a gap between himself and those in the top five but is determined to bridge that gap. Nobody works harder on the European Tour and we feel that Harrington has the game to succeed. He is incredibly tenacious and methodical, and enters golf tournaments with a long term strategy, realising that, as the old adage goes, you cannot win a tournament on the first day, but you can lose it. This approach is exactly what is needed to triumph in the hardest events.There are no real weaknesses in his game, and there is no problem with playing in America. He has won in the States before and proves popular with the occasionally volatile galleries. Length is not an issue, and we see no reason why Padraig should not do well at Augusta, and he has three top twenty results here from five entries in The Masters, including fifth from 2002. He has also come as close as any European to ending the dearth of success at the US Open, which goes back to Tony Jacklin in 1970. His structured game is well suited to that event, and Pinehurst No.2 is the kind of shot makers course the 33 year old will enjoy. He also intends to spend more time in America during the spring and early summer in a specific attempt hone his game for that Championship.Always a solid performer, Harrington is looking to make he extra step his season, and we would not be at all surprised to see him win any of the four. The Open is at St. Andrews where he came 20th in 2000 and has won the Dunhill Links Championship in 2002. And the US PGA is being held at Baltusrol in New Jersey. This is the first time that this particular Championship has been there, but as a seven times host of the US open, it ought to be the sort of tough set up on whish Harrington can prosper. His form was encouraging at the end of 2004, coming second a the Target Challenge and the Omega Hong Kong Open in his last two starts. 7/1 can be found about him winning a Major this season, and we see this as a good price.Bet on who will win a major golf tournament with VCBET