Lee Westwood

It is the conclusion of the European PGA Tour this week as we head to the Dubai World Championship golf betting. We are at the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf estates, for our golf betting this week. Thankfully we have an absolute cracker of an event to look at. The Greatest Show on Earth, as it is has become to be known as, is the culmination of the European PGA Tour’s Race to Dubai, where the top money earners on the European Tour fight it out to finish number one. Holding that position going into the event is current world ranked number one player Luke Donald, who simply needs to finish within the top ten to guarantee his place at the top at the end of the season. Luke Donald is in the rare position of finishing at the top of both the PGA and the European PGA Tour’s money lists, and if he achieves that, he will be the first man in history to do so. There is only one man who can stop him doing that. That will be US Open winner Rory McIlroy, who kept his chances of becoming European number one alive last week, when he landed a pretty heroic win in Hong Kong, while Luke Donald was struggling at the Nedbank in South Africa. The basic upshot of this is that Rory McIlroy has to win the Dubai World Championship to finish as Europe’s top player ahead of Luke Donald, and even if he does win, he will need Donald to finish worse than a tie in ninth with one other player. If that scenario happened, then Donald would still win by just five Euros, which really would be something. There is a $7.5 million prize pot up for grabs, and another $7.5 million to be shared in a pool between the players who finish in the top fifteen in the Race to Dubai. The defending Champion is Robert Karlsson, and all of the world’s top four players are in attendance. So a massive week ahead with Dubai World Championship Golf betting.

Luke Donald 12/1 at SkyBet
What a season the Englishman has head. Just three times this entire season has Donald finished outside of the top nine, the place where he needs to be to guarantee his position as number one. He only returned to action at the Nedbank last week after a five week layoff from the game due to the birth of his child and also the passing away of his father. What could help Donald in his quest to become Europe’s number one, is that McIlroy will have to win in a very highly competitive and classy field. So there is still a big advantage for Donald going into the event.

Rory McIlroy 5/1 at Bet365
In brilliant form at the moment, and you can’t take anything away from him. He has really kept up t he pressure on Donald all the way. There is huge money at stake in the Dubai World Championship this week, but McIlroy needs to land that win, or else his chances will be done and dusted. A tough field to crack, especially with players hoping to finish the season inside the top fifteen to get extra financial bonus, but McIlroy has proven time and time again that he is one of the best. You have to think that he will go close after firing off wins at the Shanghai Masters and the Hong Kong Classic, plus has been in the top five in the last two renewals of the Dubai World Championship golf betting.

Lee Westwood 6/1 at Totesport
Is in great form at the moment, his 62 at the Nedbank on Saturday was one of the best rounds of golf we have seen anywhere this season. Starting in fifth in the Race to Dubai, Westwood can finish second in the final money order, because he can overhaul McIlroy given the right circumstances. Westwood could well be worth backing here because he is a previous winner of the Dubai World Championship back in 2009 and he finished in third last year. So great pedigree and is definitely going to be in the running. Was driving the ball beautifully last week, and is supremely consistent mood. Ignore his final round of one over on Sunday, his position on the Saturday had allowed him to play conservatively. Seven top ten finishes in his last nine, can’t fault that. Westwood is our tip as winner for the Dubai World Championship golf betting given his track record.

Martin Kaymer 16/1 at Unibet
Probably worth a little flutter because he has raised his game a little bit over the closing month or so of the season. He won the Race to Dubai last year. Hasn’t quite been able to get his full game going consistently over four days this year. Landed a great win in the WGC HSBC Champions though to show that he still has what it takes. Can deliver and is looking in much better form than earlier in the year, looks to be getting some confidence back and after his win in Abu Dhabi and at the WGC-HSBC, could be a good outside shot.

Charl Schwartzel 25/1 at Bet365
The Masters winner and the Joburg Open winner has had a pretty good year. Well he won the green jacket for starts, and he is getting better. Arguably one of the most accomplished players on the European PGA Tour, and has been mixing it up on the US and the European Tour. Landed an eighth place finish at the Dubai World Championships last season and will need to do better than that if he wants to keep himself up there in the Race to Dubai. Smooth striker of the ball and usually contests.

Other selected Dubai World Championship Golf betting odds
Sergio Garcia: 16/1 at Boylesports
Paul Casey: 20/1 at Paddy Power
Ian Poulter: 25/1 at SkyBet
Robert Karlsson: 28/1 at Bet365
Graeme McDowell: 30/1 at Boylesports
Louis Oosthuizen: 33/1 at SkyBet

Online bookmaker BetFred have a great online betting promotion running for the 2011 Dubai World Championship golf betting. Back a player in the outright winner market this week, and if the player you back finishes in second place behind an Englishman (any Englishman in the field) then the bookie will refund your lost stake as a free bet, giving you some great coverage. The highly popular BetFred offer a free £50 bet for new customers registering an account with them. The bookie will match the value of your first bet on a new account, up to the maximum value of £50.

There’s a good field for the Nedbank Golf Challenge this week, in what is a busy week for your golf betting. The tournament is an invitational event at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, South Africa. The prize money is not counted as any official money, and it is a bit of a clash alongside Tiger Woods’ Chevron World Challenge. The four Major winners should be in attendance, but they are in California for the Chevron, so the Nedbank is made up of the top players in the Official World Golf Rankings, along with the defending Champion and the Sunshine Tour winner. While the prize money does not count for anything other than personal earnings, there are Official World Golf Ranking points up for grabs, so there is some importance to go on here. Last year’s winner was Lee Westwood, who is back to have another crack at the event. Westwood is favourite in Nedbank Golf Challenge this week, but there is such a good field here to enjoy. Westwood is playing well enough to go out and defend his title here and would genuinely pencil him in as the strong favourite. However, such is the competition in the small field, that the outright winner odds aren’t that strong on Westwood. Remember that this is only a twelve man field. Westwood most recently fired in a 13th place finish at the WGC HSBC Champions so is carrying good form going in. Has had a pretty good year although he has only won once this year, you would expect him to be at the top in a small field.

However, we have the world number one Luke Donald in the field. Donald has won four times this year, including topping both the PGA and the European Tour money lists, when he rattled off a truly remarkable finish at the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic to the PGA money list. After taking a late entry into that event, Donald took some time off with his wife giving birth and in the same period, Donald also lost his father. So you wonder what frame of mind he is going to be in in South Africa. Still, you can’t argue with the talent of the man, who has finally discovered that winning touch this year to cap off his potential. He could also have one eye on the Hong Kong Open, where Rory McIlroy is gunning for a win, the only man who can catch Rory McIlroy in the Race To Dubai Rankings. Donald is trading well though in Nedbank Golf Challenge but behind Lee Westwood probably in the pecking order really. Former world number one Martin Kaymer is in the field, and Kaymer had a pretty strong World Cup last week. Looks to have discovered more of his natural touch over the past couple of months after a difficult time since becoming the world’s highest ranked player. Has clearly worked on his game though and should be a strong challenger. So too Charl Schwartzel, who is one of the most complete players in the world. The Masters winner is coming of a decent showing at the Presidents Cup and he just makes everything look so easy when he is in the groove. Think that he is going to be a very, very shout in your Nedbank Golf Challenge betting this week, because he landed a 4th place finish at the WGC HSBC Champions and with two wins under his belt, 4th in the Race To Dubai is going to be our top tip here.

The strong field continues on down to Graeme McDowell, who, along with partner Rory McIlroy seemed to have the World Cup of Golf under control but let things slip in the final round. Still, he seems to have picked up his game as well, and in a small fields should show well. But would look for Schwartzel, who looks in a very confident mood at the moment, along with the natural game of defending champion Lee Westwood as well.

Nedbank Golf Challenge Betting Odds
Lee Westwood: 7/2 at Victor Chandler (Place Market 8/13 at Paddy Power)
Luke Donald: 9/2 at Boylesports (Place Market 5/6 at SkyBet)
Martin Kaymer: 5/1 at Bet365 (Place Market 6/4 at Unibet)
Charl Schwartzel: 7/1 at SkyBet (Place Market 6/4 at Skybet)
Graeme McDowell: 14/1 at SportingBet (Place Market 5/2 at SkyBet)
Anders Hansen: 16/1 at Totesport
Francesco Molinari: 16/1 at Paddy Power
Robert Karlsson: 20/1 at SkyBet
Simon Dyson: 20/1 at Boylesports
Jason Dufner: 28/1 at Bet365
Kyung-Tae Kim: 28/1 at Boylesports
Darren Clarke: 40/1 at SkyBet

Online bookmaker SkyBet offer a completely free £10 bet for new customers registering an account. This wonderful sign up bonus is automatically credited to a new account upon registration, so there is nothing else to do, other than open an account with highly popular bookie SkyBet. A very simple and straight forward reward to get your hands on. Head to SkyBet, register an account and get a free £10 bet to enjoy on your sports betting!

It is off to historic St Andrews this week for your European Tour PGA golf betting with the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship swinging into action. This the annual Pro-Am extravaganza where golf stars and celebrities from film, music and television (such as Hugh Grant, Andy Garcia and Huey Lewis) get together in Scotland to go over the Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns. While this is a Pro-Am event, there is a huge amount of prestige for the professional golfers to pick up this title, which was won last year by Germany’s Martin Kaymer. The former world number one was in sparkling form at last years event and is looking forward to getting back to the special place of golf. There is a impressively competitive field out for this one, with US Open champions Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood and current world number one Luke Donald all in contention. But Martin Kaymer’s impressive victory last year will have people backing him in the Alfred Dunhill Cup golf betting this year. He is currently ranked 6th in the world, and fired a superb 66 over the Old Course to lift the lift the title last year, and was the conclusion of some impressive previous form at the tournament as well. The challenge is a little unique in that three golf courses are in play at once, and the fairytale came true for Kaymer last year finishing off at St Andrews. There is a huge amount of prestige and excitement about this tournament, and Kaymer, while thoroughly optimistic about the chances of defending his title, is not favourite. He is back in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship golf betting, simply because of the form of McIlroy, Westwood and Donald. But that does make the German some pretty good value and will be worth a shot in your betting.

The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is broken down into two parts. There is the professional tournament with the big stars like Westwood and Donald are gunning for, while a team event is also running. The team event sees the pro’s paired up with amateurs and the collective scores goes towards the team challenge. This is what makes the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship so special. There are the pro’s going for serious business, playing alongside amateur celebrities. It all makes for a very special atmosphere and one which attracts large crowds over the links courses. Carnoustie will be the most difficult of the three courses which the players will have to negotiate this week. The links course is often very trying, and more difficult to score on than St Andrews and Kingsbarns. So if someone posts a great score from the get go at Carnoustie, it really should put them in good stead to challenge for an overall win here in Alfred Dunhill Links Championship golf betting. Lee Westwood will probably be putting up a strong challenge over the links conditions and will make for a very good bet as he has been looking relaxed and in pretty consistent shape over the past month or so. Luke Donald will no doubt be looking to make a name for himself here, after just missing out on the TOUR Championship and therefore the FedEx Cup title last weekend out in Georgia. Donald, who actually played some sublime golf throughout the FedEx Cup play offs came so very close, but just could quite make it to where he needed to take the FedEx Cup and its $10 million prize. So he could be pretty tired after all that emotion, but is in superb form.

You cannot ignore the threat of Rory McIlroy either. He has decided to go back to the US Tour next season, wanting to return there and step up his challenge because he feels that the courses are better suited to his game. He is still the great maverick talent in the PGA, and while he hasn’t been quite as busy since his incredible US Open victory, he is still a powerhouse. When he is relaxed in the groove he will take some stopping and usually plays the weather pretty well, if it gets a little rough up in Scotland. He just has the bravery to attack the links hard, and with a bit of extra distance off the tee which he has gotten, the Northern Irishman should be a force to be reckoned with. Would also take a look at South African Charl Schwartzel, this year’s Masters winner. Two reasons here for Schwartzel really, is that he has played here several times but has not quite gotten it right, especially at Carnoustie, but he believes that he has figured out the right tactics to impressive there this time around. Another name to watch in Alfred Dunhill Links golf betting will be American Dustin Johnson, who makes his first visit to the tournament. Johnson won the Barclays in the FedEx Cup play offs and while he fell away a bit in the over all charge for the end of season honours, has all the tools to challenge here. May be a bit difficult for the first timer to land it on the Scottish Links, but you feel if someone is going to challenge from abroad, then it will be either Schwartzel or Johnson. One final name to look out for is Thomas Bjorn who is a recent winner on the European PGA Tour and is carrying good form into the tournament.

While the stars are gunning for the prestigious title, some of the other celebrities in attendance are Chris Evans, Ruud Gullit, Ian Botham, Matthew Pinsent, Steve Redgrave, Jamie Redknapp, Alan Hansen, Tim Henman, Michael Vaughan and Shane Warne to name but a few.
Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Golf Betting Outright Winner
Rory McIlroy: 10/1 at SkyBet
Lee Westwood: 11/1 at Victor Chandler
Luke Donald: 12/1 at Boylesports
Martin Kaymer: 14/1 at Bet365
Simon Dyson: 22/1 at Bet365
Dustin Johnson: 25/1 at SportingBet
Charl Schwartzel: 28/1 at Boylesports
Thomas Bjorn: 35/1 at Stan James

If you want to get away from the high pressures of the FedEx Cup play offs, then the Vivendi Seve Trophy is being played this week. This is a head to head Ryder Cup style clash between Great Britain & Northern Ireland v Continental Europe. So you can see a lot of the European PGA stars battling it out for honours here. However, there are two notable absentees from the Great Britain and Northern Ireland side, with Luke Donald contesting the PGA BMW Championship as he is in with a great shot at the FedEx Cup title, and US Open Champion Rory McIlroy who is not competing. So, Great Britain and Northern Ireland will have the steady guiding hand of Lee Westwood to lead the way for them, and with the likes of Ian Poulter, Darren Clarke, Ross Fisher and Robert Rock in the side, you may think that Great Britain will be strong favourites. However, Lee Westwood, and team captain Paul McGinley don’t appear to think so. The main threats from Continental Europe are three players inside the top thirty, namely Anders Hansen, Francesco Molinari and the in form Thomas Bjorn. Throw in the experienced Miguel Angel Jimenez (who will be the very first to tee off) and youngster Matteo Manassero, Continental Europe do look strong. They will have home advantage here as well in Paris, and have the higher ranked players in their team collectively than Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Maybe if McIlroy and match play expert Luke Donald were appearing alongside Westwood then this wouldn’t be in question but they aren’t so this renewal of the event is interesting. One thing which may influence your Vivendi Seve Trophy golf betting is the fact that Great Britain and Northern Ireland have won the last five tournaments. There should be some great match play golf ahead, entertaining and all in the cause of honouring the sadly departed Seve Ballasteros.

Vivendi Seve Trophy Golf Betting
Continental Europe to win: 4/5 at Bet365
Great Britain & Northern Ireland to win: 23/20 at Sporting Bet

There is some fascinating golf betting to be had for Sunday, with the Omega European Masters out on the Crans-sur-Sierre in Switzerland. There is a really battle going on out there and some truly wonderful scoring taking place. At the halfway stage of proceedings, US Masters winner  Rory McIlroy had his share of the lead. This is the first time that McIlroy has competed since he injured himself at the US PGA a few weeks ago. But he doesn’t look any worse for taking a good break, as he got off to a blistering start with a round -6 Under par, shooting 65 for the round. That being said, McIlroy was not exactly happy with his performance at the halfway stage of the Omega European Masters, cursing himself for missing a lot of chances that should have put him in an even stronger position. Going in to Sunday’s final round, McIlroy sits two shots back of the leader Jamie Donaldson. McIlroy did fire in a beauty to score an eagle at the seventh in the third round, but after that, McIlroy really failed to capitalise on that score which put him out in front at -12 under par at the time. McIlroy did fire back to back birdies on the 14th and 15th, but then it went a bit wrong as he bogeyed both the 16th and the 17th, leaving him back at -12 under and two shots off the lead. Still, it has been a pretty strong showing from McIlroy in Switzerland, and he will be worth backing to put in one more superb round while the pressure mounts on the other players around him. Lee Westwood is looking in prime shape to challenge for the title as well after a stunning third round.

England’s Lee Westwood started off with a 67 -4 under par in the first round, and that should have been a lot better after a double bogey on the second and then back to back bogeys on the 17th and 18th. However, Westwood did fire in a couple of eagles as well in the first round. Strangely enough, he found the going just a little more difficult in the second round, when he fired a 69 -2 under to leave him down in tenth place. But he clearly found his rhythm in the third, when he went on a blistering run of golf form. The round started off perfectly with a birdie on the par five first, and then he strung together birdies on the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th to fire himself into contention. But Westwood was not even done there, as down the back nine he picked up a couple more bogeys on the easy 14th and 15th which left him with a superb round of -7 under, pulling him up into second place at the end of day three, just one shot off the lead. This is a prime position from which he can attack now. The ground work has really been laid and when Westwood is in a position like this, a player of his calibre really should not  be letting things slip. Well worth backing in your Omega European Masters golf betting because he should be there or thereabouts. The course is pretty soft and scoring very low, and so Westwood, with the confidence from that third round, in which he didn’t drop a shot, should really go on and capture this. He is in a great position but there is going to be a great fight to the finish here with the lead changing so many times at the Omega European Masters.

Both McIlroy and Westwood are chasing leader, Welshman Jamie Donaldson, who almost matched Westwood’s terrific third round, firing in a -6 under 65. Donaldson dropped one shot on the front nine in the third round, but he certainly capitalised on a very good second round which he finished on -5 under. That’s eleven shots picked up in the last two rounds for him, and he is looking more and more comfortable out there. The pressure of the final round may tell, especially if McIlroy and Westwood start charging. But Donaldson has shown the most control out of the three, as he has only dropped five shots over the three rounds. Has to be worth looking at in your Omega European Masters golf betting for the final round. We are expecting plenty more low scores and truthfully the leader board is so tight, that the likes of Martin Kaymer down in T6, just four shots off the lead can make a major impact with just one final flourish. Would also take a good look at Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn (one of the higher ranking players in the chasing pack), who has three sub 70 rounds, including a very strong 66 in the third to put himself in contention.

Omega European Masters golf betting tip: We are going to take Westwood. McIlroy’s putter just hasn’t quite been working as well as it may need too for a low scoring fourth round.

Omega European Masters golf betting
Lee Westwood: 11/8 at Bet365
Rory McIlroy: 3/1 at Totesport
Jamie Donaldson: 4/1 at 888Sport
Martin Kaymer: 16/1 at Bet365
Thomas Bjorn: 20/1 at Stan James
Gary Boyd: 25/1 at Boylesports

Lee Westwood 2011 US PGA Championship Golf Betting will see the Englishman still hunting down his first ever Golf Major. It has not been the most impressive of showings from the former world number one this year in the Majors, but neither has it been all doom and gloom. A T11 finish at The Masters got the season off to a solid if unspectacular start for Westwood, but he played himself so well go get into contention at the US Open at Congressional, after a horrific first round. He ended up with a T3 there in the end, and if he had not blown his lines big time in the first round there, he could well have challenged Rory McIlroy for the title. However, at Royal St Georges, Lee Westwood never showed up and missed the cut along with Luke Donald to leave him still chasing that golf Holy Grail of winning a Major. Much has been made of the close calls he has had, with two second place finishes out of the four  Majors last year. The T3 at the US Open this year. After missing the 2010 US PGA Championship because of an injury, there may be a little hesitation over Lee Westwood 2011 US PGA Championship Golf Betting. However, in the big warm up competition at the Bridgestone Invitational, Westwood did not as if he was carrying any kind of Open Championship hangover and looked to be playing quite smoothly. One of the issues with Lee Westwood this season is that he has been just a bit erratic of the tee and not finding his accuracy there has held him back a bit. When he is on top of his game though, he is one of the toughest players to beat, and he has to get through this mental barrier of being the bridesmaid and never the bride when it comes to the golf Majors. So can he take this last opportunity of 2011 to break through to get something which he really deserves. Well, Westwood really does have an immense amount of quality, he is known for his consistency, in delivery shot after shot on a tee. However, that has deserted him a little bit this year, and we have seen him getting very frustrated with himself and his game. Many people are thinking that time is not on the side of Westwood any more, especially with such a strong crop of young players like Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Jason Day and Rickie Fowler bursting through. But he still has what it takes but winning at Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, Georgia is going to be a tough ask. Why? Well the course is a long one, a brutal one with lush fairways. Accuracy and length is a must and that accuracy Westwood has not been able to land with as much consistency this season. Has one win this season at the Ballantines and we really haven’t seen the best of him all year. His final three rounds at the US Open was perhaps some of the best golf he has played. If he turns up in Atlanta and gets going right out of the starting block playing like that then Lee Westwood 2011 US PGA Championship Golf Betting will be pretty rewarding. The bookies still recognise him as one of the big threats and will keep him as short as possible in the betting. What we rally want to see is Lee Westwood go out with a flourish here for the year. We really want to see him attacking the field and if he can drive straight then he will be in contention. He is still a Major champion in waiting we feel and there is promise that sooner or later he will deliver. Maybe with more focus on the likes of McIlroy and now with Tiger Woods back in the field, a bit of pressure will be off his shoulders. A relaxed Lee Westwood would be the best that we can ask for.

Lee Westwood 2011 US PGA Championship golf betting tip:
Still think that Westwood is well worth a bet at the moment. Has not carried the greatest threat in his outings this year and perhaps missing the cut at The Open Championship will be just the fire in his belly that he needs to come out roaring. Completely unplayable when he is on song and therefore will always be a threat. No reason at all why he can’t win the Major if he pulls everything together. Does need to work on freeing up his putter a bit, a slightly hit and miss area of his game at the moment. If he sorts that out, if his steady, experienced hand comes through then he will shine and pretty decent odds for him to do so on the outright betting market.

Lee Westwood Odds to win the 2011 US PGA Masters: 14/1 at Bet365

Best US PGA Finish: T3 in 2009

2011 Masters Performances: Masters T11, US Open T3, The Open Cut

See our Full 2011 US PGA Championship Golf Guide here

See our 2011 US PGA Leaderboard, Betting Tips and Updates here
 

It is time for the WGC Bridgestone Invitational again in Akron, Ohio, with the big news that Tiger Woods will be stepping back into action. After missing the British Open with an injury, Woods is back on the playing trail but once again, last week on the PGA Tour was all about the unknowns. Rookie Scott Stallings landed Greenbrier Classic in a play off to grab all the headlines, after his form throughout the season didn’t suggest that he had it in him. It certainly has been the year of the underdog on the PGA Tour, but in such a strong field lining up at the 2011 Bridgestone Invitational, it is hard to look past one of the best taking the title here. This is of course a primer for next weeks USPGA Championship, the fourth and final Major of the year. What makes 2011 Bridgestone Invitational golf betting so interesting, is that players want the glory, but none of them will want to peak to early here and blow their chances at the Major. It is extremely tough to win back to back tournaments on the PGA Calendar, and so players want to do well, but maybe not go all out here. That leaves things wide open in your 2011 Bridgestone Invitational golf betting and once again it should be a fascinating event. Tiger Woods has pretty much owned this tournament during his career, winning seven out of the last ten renewals here. History is definitely behind Woods in golf betting here, but there are major question marks about him. So will Europe be able to dominate again on US soil, with the likes of Lee Westwood, Luke Donald, Martin Kaymer and Rory McIlroy gunning for glory? The South Course at Firestone is 7,400 yards, making it the longest on PGA Tour calendar. The 16th is the longest hole on the PGA Tour as well (par 5 667 yards). Look for players who have the ability to go long and go straight. This is a power and distance course more than finesse with the iron work. Those who can land it on the green in regulation with most accuracy are going to run away with this.

Rory McIlroy: 14/1 at William Hill
Naturally has not lived up to the heights of winning the US Open, but his game should translate well at Firestone. There will be a bigger prize waiting his full attention next week of course, but this is just the ideal course for him to get back into the flow of things, to build a little confidence again after being on top of the world. After a T9 here last year, it showed he enjoyed the course and if he is on top of his game, should be near the front of the pack. There are stronger, more in form players carrying better momentum than him though. His recent US Open success keeps him short in the 2011 Bridgestone Invitational golf betting.

Lee Westwood: 18/1 at BetFred
There is no doubt, no question over the talent of Lee Westwood, but we want to see him put it together more when the high pressure tournaments are here. This is another event where he just has not been able to get over the finish line first. He landed a T2 back in 2008 but didn’t play last year because of an injury. Should not have any concerns about the fact that he missed the cut at the British Open, because his consistency in finishing before that really was up there with the best. He should come good at this point and he is likely to be a lot more relaxed here than he will be next week in Georgia. That makes him a very likely winner here.

Steve Stricker: 18/1 at BetFred
The American is on fire at the moment and enjoys playing at Firestone. In his last two outings here he has finished in the top ten, and with two PGA Tour wins under his belt in his last four tournaments, Stricker is tearing it up at the moment. Now, reading his stats, which will  be envious to most other players on the Tour, such as leading in birdie average and adjusted scoring, Stricker should be right at the top of the leader board on Sunday. It doesn’t matter if he is chasing down a leader or striding on alone out front, he has the game to punish the field at the moment. Will naturally have one eye on the PGA Championships, the big one starting next week, but this is the PGA’s prime man at the moment, and won’t want his momentum to slip up.

Luke Donald: 19/1 at Unibet
The Englishman, world number one of course, just has not been quite on top of his game at the moment. He was the most consistent player in the world, landing in the top ten in ten consecutive events on Tour, but has been slipping back in his results lately. He never showed up at the US Open, nor the British Open, but prior to The Open, he did win in Scotland, so is a bit hit and miss. He will be looking for the form he produced back in 2005 at Firestone, where he fired three sub 60 rounds, but could only finish T6 with Tiger Woods storming ahead to victory. Donald blew the last round there and doesn’t look his confident best to challenge strongly here. Doesn’t have the distance and the strengths of his game may not work to an advantage here.

Phil Mickelson: 21/1 at BetFair
Not sure what happened to Mickelson at the Greenbrier Classic last week, a tournament in which he should have been the strong front runner right from the start. It was a different Mickelson which finished tied in second at the British Open, and was his worst finish in a tournament this year. We are pretty certain that he will shake it out of his system, and has five top ten finishes at Firestone, out of12 attempts. Has never won the Bridgestone Classic, but has won on the course before, back in 1996 in the World Series of Golf. Expecting a better showing from him than last week, but he will want the USPGA prize more than this, and should be a warm up for him as opposed to going hell for leather.

Tiger Woods: 22/1 at Totesport
What has he got left to offer? Supporters say that he has hit the ball well this year, like at The Masters, but for most of his appearances, he has looked a spent force. How fit will he be after his injury? The Bridgestone Invitational is Woods’ tournament. He has won it seven times before and will be looking for four impressive rounds to get him into the swing of things for the USPGA Championships next week. Even if he is fully fit and driving solidly enough off the tee, the short iron work takes a lot to get back into, getting those fine touches back is not easy after lay offs, and so he probably won’t be a big threat. Only started hitting the ball again last Friday in practice and there are kinks in his game to work out. Not sure how relaxed he will be either as all eyes will be on him, looking for a big game or for flaws to tear him apart. For all of his affinity with the course and tournament, Woods is going to need baby steps to get back to the top, he is not going to come back all guns a blazing here.

Dustin Johnson: 22/1 at Bet365
Our tip here to do something big. He has decent form at Firestone with a couple of top 25 finishes in his two attempts at the event. DJ just keeps doing everything so very well and he keeps firing himself close to Major glory. He really has gotten to grips with his game and ahead of the US PGA Championship, in which he should be making a charge as well, would expect him to shine here. He has the game, he has the momentum and just keeps landing those greens in regulation with remarkable frequency. He is hungry, will want to get back to the PGA Championships, the scene where he took a two stroke penalty on the last hole, and this will be superb preparation. Momentum is key here for Johnson and he looks ready to win something. Would fancy him taking this one, and if not, well worth backing for the USPGA Championship next week. He can go long and go accurate. Our 2011 Bridgestone Invitational golf betting tip.

Nick Watney: 25/1 at SkyBet
One of the Tour’s most consistent players has been suffering a bit of inconsistency of late. He looked on top of the world in winning the AT&T National, but then missed the cut at the British Open. Hasn’t done as well as projected in the big events of the year though, but definitely potential is there. He is the FedExCup points leader and superb with the putter. He should be in some kind of top ten contention on Sunday.

Other Notable Prices:
Martin Kaymer: 29/1 at Unibet
Hunter Mahan: 33/1 at Stan James (defending champion)
Matt Kuchar: 33/1 at Boylesports
Charl Schwartzel: 35/1 at Bet365

Luke Donald will be looking to fulfil his world number one status, and follow up on his great bogey free performance in winning the Scottish Open. The win in Scotland last week was the first time that Donald had tasted victory as the number one player in the world, and yet he will still go into the 2011 British Open golf betting under the shadow of Rory McIlroy. But that may be a good thing for Donald, who will be happy with the attention being deflected away from him. It will take the pressure of Donald as he looks for his first major, so that is a good reason to back him in 2011 British Open golf betting. There is no great flash in Donald’s game, he simply does everything very well. He wants a Major to add to his credentials, and the power is definitely with the European players at the moment. The conditions at Royal St George is likely to be windy, so having to deal with those conditions have to be to crucial in landing success here. Donald is not a particularly long driver, but the game which he has in his bag with his iron work, is what keeps him at the peak of his game. You can look at Donald and Phil Mickelson as two of the biggest inspirations when it comes to approach work with the iron. Donald is just very, very steady and consistent and although he just didn’t get going at the recent US Open at Congressional, his win on the Scottish links last week will put him in good stead here. He fired off a bogey free performance to win by four shots. Nothing breeds success more than winning, and Donald, keeping his driving straight and low which , has to be heading into this with great confidence.
Luke Donald to win 2011 British Open: 12/1 at 888Sport

Lee Westwood is still gunning for his first career Major and again will be a good focal point for 2011 British Open golf betting. While his driving has been a little hit and miss this season, he is still one of the top performers when it comes to the Majors. Only a terrible first round at the US Open this year really prevented him from making a serious challenge, because he played well on the following three days to get himself near the top of the leader board, but it was not enough. You would expect him to be there or thereabouts again here, and should be a good contender. Lee Westwood has to attack from the outset, and being a fearless golfer that he is, that is what we will probably get. Westwood has all the experience needed behind him to be able to get a Major under his belt. He has PGA winning experience, he understands and handles the high profile pressure moments in the game. He has put so much work into his career, for him to walk away without ever winning a Major would be a surprise. Whether or not Sandwich is really suited to his game is another matter completely, as the conditions at Royal St George’s will be tricky as opposed to Westwood being able to cut lose and drive and play fearlessly. He keeps coming close, will the world number two, be able to get over the line? In this Major tournament which has been largely dominated by American wins in the modern age, it would be a welcome and hugely popular victory for the Englishman on home turf.
Lee Westwood to win 2011 British Open: 12/1 at Totesport

Rory McIlroy is the man of the moment, after the 23 year old landed his first career Major in spectacular fashion at Congressional. The US Open was the biggest title of the Northern Irishman’s career, and it came as just his third title win in his career. He has had a long break since his achievement at the US Open, so many people will look at that and wonder how ready he will be. Out of all the rounds of Major golf played during 2011, McIlroy has led in all but one of them. He has saved his best for the big occasions this year, but also some of his worst. After people were wondering about him being a choker in the Majors, the young man shone in exemplary style in the US Open, crushing the rest of the field. Now there is a new expectancy about him, a new pressure on him to deliver. He has been tipped as a career, multiple Major winner and that is easy to see why. But can he deliver back to back Majors? Well, if anyone in the game is going to do at the moment, then it is him, so Rory McIlroy 2011 British Open golf betting is worth looking at. Look at most sports betting and you will see that winning back to back events is a tough thing to do. But McIlroy is pretty fearless as well, and will take on the aggressive shots when needed. The temperament he showed in the final round at Congressional was great. He did hold back and take the conservative option when needed. Remember, before getting too carried away in your Rory McIlroy betting, that he has only won that one Major, the same as fellow European stars Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell and now the time will come for him to prove himself. His style of play may also not suit the links, as he does drive the ball higher than most and the wind on the links will be a major factor for his chances. The others have not relived those heady moments of Major success yet, so will McIlroy eclipse them and confirm his place as golf’s next biggest thing after Tiger Woods, or will the reality of hard and sometimes cruel work in Major golf events peg him back?
Rory McIlroy to win 2011 British Open: 17/2 at Boylesports

Lee Westwood 2011 US Open golf betting has the former world number one as joint favourite in the ante post betting, alongside fellow countryman Luke Donald. Westwood is in a group along with Luke Donald and Martin Kaymer, all of which have had their share of recent World Number One status. It was Luke Donald who overtook Westwood at the top of the rankings, so there is big motivation for Westwood to show himself. Westwood really has been the nearly man of the Majors, and in this year’s first event, he finished T11 at The Masters. Last year Westwood finished second at both The Masters and The Open Championship, with a T3 at the Open then PGA Championship the year before that. His best finish at the US Open so far in his career was a third place finish in 2008. Other than that he really hasn’t shown up that well in the event, landing a T23 and a T16 in his last two attempts since. You would think that Westwood would be destined to win a Major in his career, given the calibre of his game. He has not had the greatest of years so far but he has picked up the pace over the last month or so. After landing the Ballantine’s Championship out in Korea, he followed up with a second place at the BMW PGA Championship, losing out in a play off to Luke Donald there. That totals up to six of his last eight rounds being sub-70, although at the FedEx St Jude’s Classic at Southwind, Memphis he looked particularly lack lustre (but did pick up towards the end when it was too late). It could just be that he has one eye on the bigger prize of course, and you can expect a focused Lee Westwood to turn up at Congressional. Can Lee Westwood win the 2011 US Open? Naturally he has the game but his driving has been pretty erratic this year. It really is below the standard at which you would expect from the former world number one, he is not driving quite as long as you would expect either, so that suggests that there has been something off. His improved performances suggest that he is getting on top of it though and the distance won’t hurt too much at Congressional.

Westwood’s erratic driving may hurt him though and if comes down to a battle of putting, then you would lean towards Luke Donald in that head to head. However, that is not to write off Westwood before a bal is struck in anger. If Westwood nails the fairways, then he will be near the top of the leader board. That is the big factor in Lee Westwood US Open betting tips, whether or not he can keep himself on the fairway. There is really not an issue of him getting the ball on to the green with his solid iron work, it is just his work off the tee which will determine whether or not he is going to win his first Major or not. Lee Westwood 2011 US Open golf betting has the Englishman priced at 14/1 with Unibet at the moment, and that is a decent ante post price to take on him. He really may not have posted as much success as your would have expected him to do this season, but he is a class act and usually pulls out a strong performance when it comes to the Majors. Even though there is no Tiger Woods this season, Westwood would have been a favourite over the American. But Westwood faces a stiff challenge from Luke Donald for glory at Congressional, in what looks to be a wide open field. That is why there is some good prices to be had at the moment, so it’s well worth getting your Lee Westwood 2011 US Open golf betting odds snapped up. Westwood is 3/5 at Bwin to finish in the Top Ten, while he is 6/4 at Bwin to place, so there is good value all round on him.

2011 US Open Outright Betting Market

Luke Donald: 14/1 at SportingBet
Lee Westwood: 14/1 at Unibet
Phil Mickelson: 15/1 at Totesport
Rory McIlroy: 22/1 at Totesport
Hunter Mahan: 25/1 at SkyBet
Steve Stricker: 25/1 at SportingBet
Matt Kuchar: 29/1 at Unibet
Martin Kaymer: 29/1 at Unibet

2010 has nearly finished and I hope it’s been a great punting year for everyone. It’s now time to start looking ahead to 2011 and seeing where we can make some money, especially on some of the antepost markets where some value prices are available.

1)    Barcelona to win the Champions League

Many people don’t like to back favourites on antepost markets. If you’re going to lay out a decent amount of money for several months, people argue that they should at least have a big potential return if their selection wins.

Nevertheless, it is hard to ignore the 5/2 with Stan James that Barcelona win the Champions League this season. They recently proved to be head and shoulders above arch-rivals Real Madrid and the Spanish champions were recently described by Arsene Wenger as ‘super favourites’ to win the tournament.

The addition of David Villa to the squad makes them outstanding in attack, with Javier Mascherano also being added to provide cover if Sergio Busquets or Xavi get injured. With so many talented youngsters coming through and Lionel Messi the best player in the world, it looks like a great way of more than doubling your money.

Real Madrid are next in the betting at 4/1 (Boylesports), with Chelsea out to 5/1 (bet365) and Manchester United at 8/1 (bet365). However, it must be said that the English teams all have major faults this season.

2)    Back Lee Westwood to win every major tournament

Lee Westwood has never won a golfing major, although this is set to change in 2011. The player recently became the world number one and that is because he’s quite simply the most talented golfer on the planet right now.

The Englishman has been knocking on the door to win a major tournament for the past couple of seasons and is currently on offer at 14/1 (Paddy Power) to win the 2011 Open, 14/1 (bet365) to win the US Masters and 16/1 (Betfred) to win the US Open.

Colin Montgomerie recently commented that it was likely that Westwood would lift at least one major next year and it’s amazing to see him available at such a bigger price than Tiger Woods.

3)    Arsenal to win the Premier League

This is being written ahead of Arsenal’s trip to Old Trafford, although I am pretty confident that the Gunners have what it takes to beat Chelsea and Manchester United to the title. Arsene Wenger’s team are currently available at 4/1 (Ladbrokes) and this is surely an each-way bet to nothing considering that the north London side have so many form players at the moment.

Their lofty position at the top of the Premier League has been achieved despite injuries to Robin van Persie, Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott, not to mention defensive problems considering that Thomas Vermaelen is injured.