Bets for the Open

Who is everyone taking for next week? The Open must be the hardest of the Majors to try and predict in my opinion. Have a feeling we are going to have a surprise winner like last year again.

Simon khan 720/1

I've backed Stenson, D Johnson and will also have a few quid on Westwood as I saw he was 12/1 last night.
I can't see Rory being out the frame but 6s/7s is too tight IMO.

Best bet I saw last night with sporting index was in the 72 hole match bets, the Field over Rory 7.5-9 shots, he can't finish 10 shots off the winnner and as he proved last month he can demolish a field so a sell at 7.5 shots is a low risk interest for my money.
Good luck

Jason Day was at 40/1 E/W with Paddy Power yesterday. Don't know if he is a links man but worth a punt.

Garcia each way for me. Not sure on odds but he has a phenomenal ball flight for the wind and still has a great short game. I know that his putting has hardly been anything to talk of in recent years but I think that this has mainly been his short putting as his mid-range and long putts have been around average by tour standards and these will be the key to winning it.

People forget that Garcia was nearly as good as Jesus McIlroy in fairways and greens in the US Open, plus he's proven he can get in contention on links.
Got a quid each way on him

Cink
E Molinari
Kuchar
Harrington

Jesus McIlroy - is that Messiah Murray's understudy on the BBC production "Can we jump on the bandwagon and hype up British mediocrity instead of forming our own opinions."

Also starring Tim Henman and Justin Rose with narration by Clare "I suit all the positive discrimination criteria" Balding.

I think it's a bit harsh to call Murray or McIlroy mediocre but they do tend to overhype them. McIlroy especially, lest they forget he's only won three tournaments, not exactly a dominant force just yet is he?

As for Claire Balding, she fits the fat, female, ugly and gay criteria but she fails short on being disabled. Tut Tut BBC, not quite inclusive enough.

got top 5's on
McDowell 22-1
Manaserro 40-1
Poulter 33-1
Garcia! 20-1

Should be fun watching them all come in

I backed Donald to win last week. 'Suppose I got better odds then than I would now but whats the chances of a back to back? BUT! if there was a current golfer I'd back to the trick it would be Luke.

KJ, Harrington, Poults and Woodland also have got my backing. My other half went for GMac and Day - based on looks I think...

And I'm afraid that not calling golf a proper sport or mainstream sport is just ridiculous. It's far easier mentally to win a sport that when the whistle goes you play in the zone for 90mins or a couple of hours in the case of tennis. The stop-start nature of golf is far more challenging on the mental side...

Lairdy wrote:I backed Donald to win last week. 'Suppose I got better odds then than I would now but whats the chances of a back to back? BUT! if there was a current golfer I'd back to the trick it would be Luke..

Sandy won back to back weeks when he won The Masters, so it can be done, so go Luke.

If not Luke, then Sergio or Rory.

Please not a mediocre American, like Todd Hamilton, or Ben Curtis, or a mediocre Scotsman like Lawrie.

I opened an account with boylesports as they are paying out top 8 on each way bets plus they give you a free matching bet when you open an account.

So went for GMac £10 e/w at 20/1 and my freebie £20 went on Loooooook to win at 10/1

I'd be surprised if GMac can't make top 8.

I don't want to pour scorn on those liking Luke Donald but his Open record is not great.
Missed 5 cuts from 9 Opens
Finished under par just once (2006 - 35th)
Had record of +51 from 26 Open rounds
One top 10 finish (2009) next best 35th

Clearly a much better player than the one who was +13 for two rounds at Royal St Georges in 2003, but backing a player around single figures with a record like that would be a brave man for my money.

D Johnson 60/1 and Stenson 85/1 are better value for me.
Good luck

OK at the request of quite a few members I'm going to split off the Murray/McIlroy posts to a new thread so that this thread can stay on topic about "bets for the open"

Grizzly

I've backed him and yes, I'm aware of his rather poor Open record but with his current form, a win last week on a links course and the confidence in his game, I just have a warm feeling.

Or maybe I've just wet myself

Davie wrote:OK at the request of quite a few members I'm going to split off the Murray/McIlroy posts to a new thread so that this thread can stay on topic about "bets for the open"

Davie

I bumped up my Anything Goes thread as a good place to have the golf/tennis debate

Davie wrote:OK at the request of quite a few members I'm going to split off the Murray/McIlroy posts to a new thread so that this thread can stay on topic about "bets for the open"

drive4show - I'm not saying he can't win but I do feel that his win last week has made his price for the Open artifically short.
I remember following him R1 at Sandwich in 03, some may recall that he was paired with Tiger and the media circus that creates (especially when Tiger lost his ball on 1 had to go back and take 3) and I remember thinking that Luke was handling it all very well, but he fell away when the wind got up so there's always been a lingering doubt in my mind that he has the game to win an Open.
Hope you got bigger than the 9/1 I have just seen !

Yeah I saw that, thanks. Seems there is enough interest in the McIlroy/Murray debate to warrant its own thread - and it's only half off-topic as at least one of them is a golfer

Grizzly

I got 10/1 so not a huge improvement. I just think that he is a completely different player now to what he was even just a year ago, just seems to ooze confidence now.

Hope he turns that into £££'s for me on Sunday evening

He does, and you could argue this is a weaker Open than his previous tilts, but on that basis I'd prefer to be with Westwood who has proved he can cope with links golf and has come close to winning a major so many times, he just seems to have the better all round game to me.
Be great to have UK 1-2 and given that I've just snapped up the Tote's very kind offer of 12/1 I hope is a Westwood-Donald straight forecast !

IMO there is some big value in the open market. It's so unpredictable, winds are reportedly high this week. Both Molinari's are over priced in my book, backing to lay is a good shout there. Also Danny Willet at around 400s on betfair, good links player (2nd to Kaymer 2010 dunhill links) and played well in scotland last week. Also fancy for Colsaerts at almost 200s and Jaquelin at almost 500s, both in decent form and have links form. Value is to be had.

One thing this tournament has taught me is not to be afraid of backing the rags, so I can't argue with any of your selections EJ4

I've gone for my group bet (see Ladrokes) as per Masters which suits me well. Pick the winner of each group, the more winners you get, the more money you get. After some deliberation I went for:

Donald --> A
Stricker --> B
Choi --> C
Manassero --> D
Stenson --> E

For an outlay of 18 sheets it's a good nail-biter, cos if that lot came in you'd be talking a payout of several thousand. Also had a quid e/w on Langer at 500/1 and Rock at 150/1

What are the odds for Bjørn? Just entered the tournament - played on the same course where he (famously) almost won the Open in 2003.... He has won once this year and is in reasonable form. Could be a dark horse.

Luckily for me I have just turned the betting age.

Going down to put two bets on an outright winner.

Donald 12/1
Day 40/1

Can't get much better than that.

Just taken advantage of Paddy Power's welcome offer of a free £20 bet if you place £10. Had £10 on Lee on the nose and the free bet's gone on Coetzee at 200/1 e/w 1/4 odds on the top 7 places. Can't wait now!

Bjorn is 200/1 - I know one or two judges who have backed him.

Interesting Smithers suggests Coetzee, I don't follow golf avidly and I've never heard of this fella but a few within the game are speaking very highly of him, been practising exclusively at SA links courses and apparently has a great wind game, I got some 300 on betfair.

So many possibilities! Weather could be the key.

Outside of the favs -

So far Goosen @ 50/1 - no missed cuts for 10+ years and 6 top 10 finishes since 99. Just hope his putter is on song!

Dustin @ 60/1 and Cabrera at 80/1 - length could help and have challenged/won in majors.

For day 1 3 balls have picked out 4 who I think are overpriced based upon the others recent form

Brian Davis 6/4 against Villegas and Duval
Thorbjorn Olsen 13/8 against O Hare and Noh
Takatama 3/1 against Furyk and Langar
Oosthuizen 5/2 against Kaymer and Mickleson

Good luck to all

Brian Davis 6/4 looks a good bet, wasn't he the highest placed Englishman at RSG in 2003 ?

I'm backing quite a few. 9 in fact! They are:

Stenson
Coetzee
Choi
Kuchar
Watney
Jacquelin
Rock
Z Johnson
Colsaerts

Jason Day 40/1

Zach Johnson 125/1

Thomas Aiken 150/1

Gary Woodland 200/1