Paul Casey

It’s easy to look at the line up for current golf tournaments and pick Phil Mickelson out as a winner, but this time, you have to go with the big left hander. Mickelson is the pick of the bunch in Southern California this week, as a fair chunk of the world’s top 50 players are out for the Northern Trust Open at the Riviera Country Club. This is one of the tough, classically designed courses, and it would take something very special from a first timer at the course to pick up a victory. It hasn’t happened very often here, and so would immediately discount that. Should be a rainy affair, and that will make conditions difficult and will add to the experience needed to pick up the title here. That is why you have to look at Mickelson, who is a two time winner at the course, which is one of the oldest in use on the PGA. Mickelson has the driving range and accuracy to make an impact here, and he is playing well at the moment, in what could be a massive year for him. He is the top money earner at the Northern Trust Open and should therefore be backed to do it again for a third time. He has the class to take this all of the way, and is current firing so very well in accuracy in approaching the greens. He should be able to deal with the conditions and track, and his greens in regulation stats should firmly put him at the top of the leader board.

The PGA has had some surprise winners so far this year, so the law of averages would kind of suggest that someone like Mickelson, one of the game’s top performers, is going to hit the mark sooner rather than later. This is the ideal course for a master to step up and lead the way, and Mickelson has done that twice before, and why he makes the strongest bet here. Well worth looking at for your betting. Mickelson has two top ten finishes this year already, and is surely building up stream for a big win. There really is not much room for outsiders here. Steve Stricker is another previous winner here and should be expected to go well again. Stricker starts the tournament as the defending champion, breaking Mickelson’s stranglehold on the competition. He actually represents much better value in terms of golf betting odds than what Mickelson does, but Striker is also a runner up in the tournament, and therefore makes for a great bet. But the list of opportunities doesn’t end there for the Northern Trust Open, as England’s Luke Donald has the right type of game to excel again here. The Southern Californian course is not one of the longest in terms of average to the green, so there is a prerequisite for a player to have a fantastic short game. That is what Luke Donald has in spades, and why he has been a consistently good performer that the tournament. Should be well within the top six when it comes to the end of the tournament, and has the short skill game set to beat the weather as well. Finished as runner up here last year, and he has one of the strongest records at the tournament. Hasn’t played since December though, but such a solid and consistent performer, he has to be in the running.

But, with the rain on the way, it could help the big hitters. That swings some advantage to some obvious names on the PGA at the moment. Mickelson is finally driving as well as his short game is going, but there are still better players off the tee than him. First name when thinking of distance, is recent Tour winner Bubba Watson, who has phenomenal length on him, and has shown good form early in 2011. Bubba Watson really should be a contender here, as there is a massive opportunity to attack the prestigious old course, and not get punished so much because of softer fairways. Has done pretty well around the course before, and will draw a lot of attention to follow up his amazing controlled success at Torrey Pines over Phil Mickelson. Watson is one of the best drivers around, and that should put him in contention. Is ranked third in greens hit on the Tour this year, top stats at the moment, top form and has to be in with a chance. Watson is fourth in the FedExCup standings at the moment, while Mickelson is down in 8th. Fellow American Dustin Johnson, an ever popular pick at PGA Tour events (and drawing a lot of interest here in the betting), is another of the strong big hitters. Is a decent price to look at, and has a best finish of third at the tournament during the past couple of years. More of an outsider than Watson, as Johnson can’t match the current form. The other name in the mix has to be Matt Kuchar, who has had an incredibly solid start to the new year. Kuchar, known for his consistency, has had three starts this year, and hasn’t finished outside of the top seven in any them. Hasn’t really shown up at the Riviera before in his previous five attempts, but he is a much better equipped prospect this time around. Certainly has the tools to get the job done here, and makes for a pretty strong pack to chase down Mickelson.

However, Mickelson looks to be the strongest bet, but if you want more value, don’t be afraid to look at Luke Donald or Bubba Watson. There is a tightly packed field of class acts and the PGA Tour tournaments have been wide open affairs so far this year. A big name should win the Northern Trust Open though, and that should dictate your golf betting. If someone comes to the fore outside of the main pack here, then it will be something of a surprise. In that field you would be looking at the young maverick Rickie Fowler to explode, or either the more steadying hand of Paul Casey, or perhaps the slightly wayward driving of Anthony Kim, who will be a popular figure around the course this week. Expect a wet and wild weekend in South California for your golf betting this week. Remember, experience on this course will count for a lot and all of these players have what is needed to make an impact. For a total outside bet though, look at Rory Sabbatini, another massive hitter, who won the tournament back in 2006 when Mickelson threw it away.

Phil Mickelson: 8/1 at Totesport
Steve Stricker: 14/1 at BetFred
Dustin Johnson: 22/1 at Bet365
Luke Donald: 22/1 at Boylesports
Hunter Mahan: 25/1 at Extrabet
Matt Kuchar: 25/1 at SportingBet
JB Holmes: 29/1 at Unibet
Paul Casey: 29/1 at Unibet
Rickie Fowler: 35/1 at Bet365
Bubba Watson: 40/1 at Bet365

Check out Victor Chandler’s Hole in Won golf betting promotion. Think Holes in One don’t happen, well Alvaro Quiros hit one on the weekend to help fire him to victory! This great golf promotion gives you a super bonus if your player does hit a hole in one, but fails to win the tournament. If that happens, then Victor Chandler will pay you out as a winner anyway. The Riviera course is fully attackable for the Northern Trust Open. Get your golf bets down at Victor Chandler on the outright winner and you will be covered by this extra bit of insurance. The popular online bookmaker also offers a free £25 bet for new customers opening an account with them!

The European PGA Tour continues to make waves in the golf world, as two of the World’s top three go head to head in Doha, Qatar this week. England’s Lee Westwood and Germany’s Martin Kaymer lead the field for the Commericalbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy. There is a big $2,500,000 purse on the line, and is the sixth event on the European Tour schedule so far this year. The European Tour has already thrown up some great action, with Martin Kaymer picking up the title at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship against the likes of Mickelson and Westwood in a thrilling event. Then you had Paul Casey in storming form last weekend, taking the Volvo Golf Champions in Bahrain. The action is coming thick and fast as the European PGA Tour heads to Qatar for the 14th time in its history. The 16th hole on the course is by far the easiest one which the players will face, as the par four has historically given up plenty of birdies there. If you are looking for the hole on which the players will struggle the most, then that will probably be early on in the round, with the par three third hole making players struggle a lot.

Lee Westwood: 9/1 at Bet365
This is the seventh time that Westwood, the world number one at the moment, will have put in an appearance in Qatar. Really didn’t get going last week, but this course is suited to him. He will enjoy the opportunities for driving here and won’t want to get caught up in the rough. He is good enough to avoid most of the problems here, and with the greens being firm, it allows that extra quality of accuracy to pay off, because the players will be able to get just that little bit closer to the pin. There is a lot of tactical planning in Doha to do, and that will also suit Westwood, who is a very calculated player, playing the percentages. His incredible control with driver and approach work will serve him well. Don’t be too surprised to see him surge in this one, and send a message back to Kaymer who beat him in Abu Dhabi. Westwood seems more confident here, and looks to be in a good frame of mind.

Robert Karlsson: 5/1 at BetFair
The defending champion in Qatar, will be looking to go big in the defence of his title. The Commercialbank Qatar Masters encourages the big hitters and that will suit the Swede. It is what helped to project him to the title last year, and the course has a history of giving up the title to a big hitter. What also will make punters draw towards Karlsson, is that it is always worth looking at a previous winner of an event. By the same token though, it is hard to defend a title in such a strong, big field, but Karlsson should show well again. The Swede is a former European Number One, and if he nails his accuracy to the greens, then he will be a threat again, but no player has won the event in back to back years. That will probably mean that Karlsson will leave empty handed this year. Solid performer in Qatar though, making nine cuts out of the ten appearances he has put in there. Great thinker, great tactical player and in with a shout after a solid first round.

Paul Casey: 13/1 at SkyBet
Performed brilliantly last weekend to pick up the Volvo Golf Champions title. This is another course which will suit his game, as the Englishman will have a great crack at things from off the tee. He will attack, and will his all round impressive game, he will challenge. He has great control and consistency, and when he gets fully into the groove of things, he is very hard to stop. Big momentum player when he gets going, and so therefore, a strong start will put him in great contention. Really like his all round game, and has to be full of confidence and form at the moment. Look for another strong performance from him, as his often understated, consistent game is more than enough to pick up titles.

Steve Stricker: 23/1 at SkyBet
The world number seven has taken a trip across the world to compete in this European Tour event, and therefore, having gone so far out of his way, he must be feeling confident. Stricker is always a threat in tournaments, and is able to build up a lot of pressure. He has seen this as a big chance to pick up Tour points, and therefore, that alone warrants looking at him for your golf betting this week. He wanted to come and take on the new world order in golf, and will be a challenger. Stricker has a great all round game, and it will be enough to push on for the top of the leader board. This is the first European Tour event in the Desert for Steve Stricker, so it will be very interesting to see how he goes. He doesn’t travel much outside of the US, but will be a good outside bet to watch here. It depends on how well he will deal with the conditions, and the new level of competition on the Euro Tour. Never short on confidence though, and will be ballsy. Like Kaymer, found the going tough in the first round, finishing four over.

Martin Kaymer: 28/1 at BetFred
One of the strongest players in the world at the moment, and is looking better and better all the time. The German simply shows no signs of slowing up, and is really putting the pressure on Lee Westwood for the position of world number one. He would certainly be a deserving winner of it, and has to be looked at as one of the strongest bets here. The strength of the European PGA is simply improving, and now split’s the number of players in the world top 20 with the PGA Tour, both having 10 players each. Kaymer isn’t focusing on being world number one, he just wants to win tournaments and then the rest will fall into place. If Kaymer wins again out in the desert, he will match Ernie Els’ record of most wins on the Desert swing of the European PGA, picking up his fourth title. Kaymer, the world number two, is an offensive kind of player, and he will attack the tee. His massive eight shot victory a couple of weeks ago at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship showed him in impressive form. Sadly had a horrid +5 in the first round, so if he is going to do anything, it is going to be momentous.

Honestly, the field is packed full of opportunities. Robert Karlsson’s fellow countryman Alvaro Quiros will enjoy a good tournament, as he is another of the big hitters on the Euro Tour. Priced at 16/1 at Extrabet, will be worth keeping an eye out for him to make a challenge. You also have the colorful Ian Poulter out there challenging, priced at around 25/1 at BetFair. Poulter is of course one of those players who make unexpected challenges out of the blue. Controversy usually follows him around, but when he gets going, and he is a huge confidence player, he can challenge well. Should be just on the outside of things here though in a tough field. Louis Oosthuizen is back in action again, and is going at 25/1 with Extrabet. Oosthuizen is one of the best drivers on the European PGA Tour, and has already won this season, looking in good form. Could well put up a challenge here, and is a pack of players from which, anyone could seriously step forth and threaten the top of the leader board in Doha. Miguel Angel Jiminez is another guy in good shape at the moment, and is decently priced out at 25/1 with Bet365. But, for your golf betting, you really have to look at the World Number One and Two to begin with. As for the rest, take stock of things at the end of the first round, and see who is looking in form, and has gotten off to a solid start.

For your European PGA Tour golf betting this weekend, head on over to Victor Chandler, who are, once again, offering punters a great promotion. The Victor Chandler Hole in Won offer, covers your golf betting on outright winners. So, simply back any player in the field at Doha, and if that player lands a hole in one at any time during the tournament, then the bookie will generously pay you out as a winner, even if your player doesn’t  win the event itself. So this Victor Chandler offer provides some nice coverage on your golf betting for this week, and sort of doubles your chances of landing a winner. With some great prices on offer on the Doha field, as you can see above, then it’s worth doing your betting at the highly recommended online bookmaker. Victor Chandler offer a free £25 bet for new customers when they open an account, and this comes in the form of a matched first bet, so you can get some free cash to play with in their great sports book!

The European PGA Tour has firmly laid down a marker in terms of status over the US Tour. Thursday sees the tee off at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, and all four current Major holders are there. Over in the US PGA Tour, there is the Bob Hope Classic, which has a host of celebrities playing in it, but out in Dubai, on their new look course, all four of the Major winners from last season are competing. Graeme McDowell, winner of the US Open, Phil Mickelson, winner of the US Masters, Martin Kaymer, winner of the US PGA Championship and Louis Oosthuizen, winner of The Open Championship are all battling it out in this fiercely contested tournament. Will the stars out in force, including world number one Lee Westwood as well, it is no wonder that the tournament is upstaging the Bob Hope Classic. So what is in store out in Abu Dhabi? A feast of golf, that is for sure, with three of the world’s top four all participating, this almost feels like it is a major. It is certainly going to be a major deal. The course has been tweaked a little, with some pins being pushed back deeper, meaning that only the really big hitters may be able to reach some greens in two, but the fairways are narrow with heavy rough, so it will take some bravery. This tournament is going to be all about accuracy off the tee. But, with the star studded line up, here are the front runners for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

Martin Kaymer: 8/1 at Unibet

Germany’s golf star is out at the front of the pack in the outright winner odds, and that is because he is a two time champion at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship. Raced home with a -21 under par last season, and although the course has been revamped a little bit, the defending champion should take some beating. It is hard to back against a player who has a won the same tournament twice in four attempts, as it is that old sporting thing of certain players liking certain sporting arena’s more than others. Had a chance to finish as world number one in 2010, but couldn’t and while he is generally understated when the big names like Mickelson and Westwood roll into town, Kaymer is a class act. It is his good consistency which has made him one of the best in the business, but just on occasion, has blown it when the pressure has been on. Still, the German will be good around the course in Abu Dhabi, and has to be worth a punt. He is a proven winner here.

Lee Westwood: 9/1 at BetFred

The world number one, thanks to his incredible consistency. He just never looks flustered or bothered, and somehow has that amazing knack of making everything look easy. Finished second at the WGC-HSBC Champions in November, and then 3^rd at the Dubai World Championship. You would expect a winner this year to be close to finishing -20 under par, and if that is the case, then you expect Westwood to easily be around the top of the leader board. He has had a good month and half away from the golf courses though, so will need to get off to a good start so that he doesn’t have to play catch up to the likes of McDowell who is well into the swing of things. There is pressure on him, having never won a Major of course, but he is officially best in the world, and you will see many reasons why in Abu Dhabi.

Rory McIlroy: 11/1 at Boylesports

Still one of the most exciting and adventurous players around. Pretty solid run of form though November last year, with two fifth place finishes and a six. He really should always be worth a look at a top ten finish at least, and this year will be a big one for him. He really needs to push on and turn his incredible potential into victories. Has just one European Tour win to his career, and is gutsy enough to push here. The course is a little tight at Abu Dhabi though, and if he pushes the boat out a little too far, he will get hurt with the deep rough. Growing in experience and stature all the time, and has every ability to produce.

Paul Casey: 14/1 at Unibet

Well worth a look here as Casey has won the Abu Dhabi Championship twice before, picking up the title for the second time in 2009, with a great finish of -21 under par. Another player for whom consistency really maketh the man. He always looks solid and dependable, and when he gets his game going, he just seems to simply roll along on momentum. Was hitting balls a bit longer with less accuracy last year, and needs to up his greens in regulation to stay the course here. Good with the putter though, and rescuing apparently lost situations from the bunkers.

Graeme McDowell: 16/1 at Unibet

Well worth a bet, as he always looks good and comfortable out on the course. McDowell really made his mark on Tour when holding onto his lead to win the US Open last year. He almost came from nowhere, but it is hard to look at the Tour now and imagine him not there. He started his season off in Hawaii, where his fourth round was a remarkable -11 under par, 62. It wasn’t enough to take the title by that stage, but it almost squeezed him into the playoffs there. He has changed his club and ball sponsor, but it shouldn’t do him any harm, and he is going to take a break after this one, so you should expect him to really step up up to the market. Incredibly positive about everything, and the World Number Four is one of the most in form players really, and with the fairways being a lot narrow and the rough thick, accuracy will be key.

Ian Poulter: 16/1 at BetFred

Last year’s runner up, and always colourful and always confident. Looked pretty good during practice, and after posting one of his best seasons last year, he should be in a good mood for this one. The colourful dresser won the UBS Hong Kong Open at the end of November, and then ran in second at the Dubai World Championship. He is going to be in good form here, and has real potential to mix it up well at the top of the leader board. Perhaps a win here is asking just a little too much with the likes of Westwood and Kaymer around, but he will make himself noticed for one reason or another. He did beat the field including Westwood in November, and makes for a great outside tip.

Phil Mickelson: 22/1 at Boylesports

Has been out of action pretty much since the end of last November, but this is the first of six consecutive outings which he is entering. This is all start with his tee off at the Abu Dhabi Championships, where he makes his debut, as he looks to pick up the pieces of a tough second half of 2010. After winning The Masters, he really just never looked himself for the rest of the year. Last August he announced that he was suffering from arthritis and admits that it did affect him, and that is he is still working on his game, and hoping to get back to the kind of form that made him on the most dangerous players on Tour. The big leftie will probably take a while to get back into the swing of things, hence the price on him. This course isn’t going to be about the big hitters (well, maybe on a few of the adjusted holes), and Mickelson has a big chance to work some magic back into his game.

Louis Oosthuizen: 16/1 at Boylesports

Experience and accurate driving. That’s what he will bring to the table. Well, Louis Oosthuizen has started well this season, winning the Africa Open, with four pretty solid rounds, finishing -16 under. That will have been a big boost to him after winning The Open last year in such spectacular style. Struggled over the rest of the season really, and an injury didn’t help him either. However, he looks as if he is back, full of confidence and in good nick. Has one of the best driving techniques on the Tour, and his accuracy really should put him in contention again here. It is what is need here, and he clearly has the early season form with him. Solid performer here, and has to really be worth a look.

Great online bookmaker promotion for this one at BetFred. If any player you back comes in second to either Martin Kaymer, Phil Mickelson, Graeme McDowell or Louis Oozthuizen this week, then BetFred will refund all lost stakes up to £250. This is some pretty good coverage really with such a strong field going on. It makes having a punt on the likes of Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter quite nice really, as they are front runners too, and this golf promotion at BetFred gives some good insurance. Popular online bookie BetFred also offer a free £50 on new accounts!

PGA Tour Championship, September 23rd-26th at East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Georiga

The culmination of the PGA Golf FedEx Cup will arise next week, as the last thirty players left in the completion make for the final shoot out at East Lake CC in Atlanta for The Tour Championship. Some of the top names in golf have fallen by the wayside already during the playoffs including current champion Tiger Woods.  You can add to that list Rory McIlroy, Ian Poulter and Vijay Singh (who is the only other winner of the title along with Woods) as well, and they fell at the culmination of the third play off tournament, the Deutsche Open. The FedEx Cup is the grand finale of the PGA Tour for the year. All through the golf calendar, players earn points for performances on the Tour throughout the year, and the Top 125 ranked players go forth into the Play Offs. The FedEx Cup play offs are held over four tournaments, The Barclays, the Deutsche Bank Championship, the BMW Championship and the big season ender, The Tour Championship. After the Barclays, twenty five players are cut, after the Deutsche Bank Championship, another thirty players are cut from the play offs, and after the BMW Championship only the top thirty players left in the FedEx rankings will go forward to win the chance of golf glory and a mammoth pay out. That bonus? A cool $10 million, and the winner of each of the play off tournaments will earn $1,350,000.

Online Bookmaker Golf Betting Promotion:  ExtraBet are the only online bookmaker to pay out in full if a player you have backed finishes in a tied position. All you have to do, is back any player to finished in the Top 5, the Top 10 or Top 20 in their sports book, and if your player finishes in a tie for a place within your selected market, then ExtraBet will pay out in full. ExtraBet are really worth stopping by, as new customers can also earn up to £100 in free bets with the online bookmaker. With the PGA Tour season finale starting on Thursday, now would be a great time to take advantage. 

With the points accumulated over the season, the Top 125 ranked players go into the FedEx Cup play-offs. Typically, around 500 points can be earned for a win on Tour, but points varied from tournament to tournament depending on things like the class of field. Ernie Els was the leader at the end of the Regular Season points standing, his two Tour wins and six top ten finishes just enough to hold on to top spot ahead of Steve Stricker. Jim Furyk came in third, big Phil Mickelson fourth, and England’s Justin Rose 5th.  Any points won in the FedEx Cup play off, are then added to the total points earned from the regular season, and players are cut from the play offs if they fall outside the cut line in the rankings after each play off. Points in the FedEx Cup play off are worth five times as much as regular tournament points, which means that players back down the rankings really can catch up if they have a good play off. However, at the end of the third play off tournament, all points are reset for the final thirty heading into the Tour Championship. This is so that all thirty players will stand a chance of winning the FedExCup in the final event. Basically what happens, is the top ranked player going into the Tour Championship is given 2500 points, the second ranked player has 2250 and so on, right down to the thirtieth ranked player, who starts the tournament with 210 points.

What all this means, is that the 30th player, with the 2500 Play Off win points available in the final event, can win the tournament. While this makes things exciting, realistically, the top five ranked players going into the final event of the FedEx Cup has the best opportunity of winning the title. This is because if any of the top five win the Tour Championship, they will be guaranteed to win the FedEx Cup, as no one behind them will be able to  catch them. For the thirtieth ranked player to win it, they could win the Tournament, but because of points distribution throughout the rest of the field, they would need the top five for example to all finish right at the back of the field. So when it comes to golf betting on the FedEx Cup, you really should be looking at the top five players going into the tournament. Anyone outside of that needs other results to go their way, even if they win the tournament. Who are those players? Well, lets take a look at the top five, and their reset points going into the Tour Championship.

1st Matt Kuchar 2,5000
2nd Dustin Johnson 2,250
3rd Charley Hoffman 2,000
4th Steve Stricker 1,800
5th Paul Casey 1,600

Next, let’s take a look at the FedEx Cup Play Off winners for 2010 and you will see the huge importance of picking up a win in the play offs.

The Barclays: Matt Kuchar
BMW Championships: Dustin Johnson
Deutsche Bank Championship: Charley Hoffman

Hoffman, for example, with his surprise win, moved up from the ranking of 77th at the end of the regular season to put himself in with an enormous chance of winning the FedEx Cup from nowhere. He will be the outsider though of the top five, as that was his first victory on Tour all season, and when you stand him up against the other four, you really wouldn’t look to back him too strongly. Let’s take a quick golf betting preview of the top five players going into the Tour Championship, plus a couple more of the players on the outside fringes, who will need some help, but are in with a great chance of winning the Tour Championship. Odds in brackets are for FedExCup winner outright odds.

Matt Kuchar (2/1 at ExtraBet)
Has been playing really well all season, and has been greatly consistent. That consistency has carried over into the Play Offs where he has a win, a third place and an 11th place finish to keep him at the head of the FedEx Cup rankings. The win at the Barclays was his first win of the season, but he is a worthy challenger after coming close a few times this season. Well worth a punt as he is in the driving seat an should be strongly confident on what could be considered his home course.

Dustin Johnson (7/2 at BetFair)
Was one of the first players to really shine at the start of the season and his win at the BMW Championship was his second tour win of the season. Winning tournaments on the PGA Tour takes a lot with such huge fields, so consistency is all important throughout the long season. Lost his way in the middle part of the season, but recovered strongly with some good finishes to put himself back into contention. Slipped badly to finish down in 57th at the Deutsche Bank Championship though. Johnson has made some big mistakes at crucial times during the season. Will the pressure of the occasion get to him again?

Charley Hoffman (21/1 at BetFair)
Has actually been gaining some good momentum going through to the FedExCup play offs. With his surprise win at the Deutsche Bank Championship, that secured his fourth top ten finish out of his previous six starts. Up until then, he really had not threatened that much during the season. That was indicative of his performance at the BMW Championship where he lost a lot of his momentum and had a very poor tournament. An outside chance at best.

Steve Stricker (6/1 at ExtraBet)
More than capable of picking up a win at the Tour Championship. Has two wins under his belt for the PGA Tour season, and three top ten finishes in the play offs, including a third place finish, shows just how strong he can be. In good form, and could well end up as the player of the year and deservedly so. Another very consistent player and that is why he is where he is here in the position which he is. Makes for a strong bet sitting in one of the top five positions.

Paul Casey (10/1 at ExtraBet)
Hasn’t won a tournament on the Tour this year, but has looked pretty good at times. There have just been small glitches which have upset his tournament runs, like the three consecutive bogeys he picked up when in a strong position at the BMW Championship. He should have won really, but his final back nine was a huge disappointment and left him in second. Casey was left out of the Ryder Cup team by Colin Montgomerie, but if he wins here, the World Number eight would prove a big point that he should have been considered a little more. Again, there are signs that he just finding the consistency needed to pick up what would be his first and most important win of the season so far.

Ernie Els (26/1 at BetFair)
Had been leading the FedEx Cup rankings for most of the season. Looks to have lost his way a little bit after a good run at the US Open where he finished third. Top quality player of course, but once momentum is gone, it is hard  to get it back. He has finished in the top take at East Lake for the past two years, and with a little push could be in the reckoning. Two wins on the Tour this year, but finishes of 71, 30th and 13th in the play offs have left him lingering down in eighth.

Phil Mickelson (12/1 at ExtraBet)
One of the top players in the world and winner of the Masters this year, who has had several chances to knock Tiger Woods off the top of the Official World Golf Ranking charts, and has missed them all. Has been struggling a bit with health, but the big leftie could round off a great season if things go his way here. A shocking missed cut at the Barclays, the first play off tournament has really cost him dearly though, picking up no points. His subsequent finishes of 25th and the 8th showed a big more perhaps to come from Mickelson, but has maybe left things just a little to late to grab the FedEx Cup title.

Luke Donald (20/1 at ExtraBet)
Unlucky not to win the Deutsche Bank Championship really, as Hoffman’s amazing performance there was all that stood between Donald and him pushing for a win. Donald came in second then and a 15th finish at The Barclays has kept him in the hunt, as he starts from the rank of seven for the Tour Championship. Has had a decent year but is without a win, but has five top ten finishes to his name. Still has a chance at the FedEx Cup but needs his most clinical performance of the season.

The Tour Championship Winner Outright Odds
Phil Mickelson: 15/2 at SportingBet
Steve Stricker: 9/1 at Bwin
Dustin Johnson: 10/1 at SkyBet
Matt Kuchar: 11/1 at Stan James
Paul Casey: 16/1 at Totesport
Adam Scott: 18/1 at Bwin
Ernie Els: 20/1 at Bet365
Luke Donald: 25/1 at Victor Chandler

South African strong crop of bets in a dominant field of Americans

After all the thrills and gusty spills of The Open last weekend, which actually petered out into a bit of a disappointing finish in terms of excitement, most of the week’s golfing attention will turn towards the Great White North, where the RBC Canadian Open should be a closely ran thing. First of all, we may as well look at the Canadians on their home turf at the St George’s Golf and Country Club, who have not traditionally done very well at this tournament. It’s been a very long 56 years since Canada had a home grown champion to cheer about at the tournament. They aren’t exactly producing players who are standing high up on the rankings again this year either with Stephen Ames the pick of the bunch, but who is listed at 67th on the FedExCup standings. He played a decent round of -3 Under in the first round, to finish the day T22 along with England’s Paul Casey and South African Retief Goosen. Ames is unlikely to go all of the way in quite a strong field though, and with their neighbouring Americans dominating proceedings on Thursday, the Canadians will probably again be left to dream of better things to come. But Ames did not hit a bogey in his round of 67 (3 under par) and at 28/1 at SkyBet is worth keeping an eye on during Friday to see if he consolidates or makes a move.

Day One
American Vance Veazey was probably thinking that he would be top of the leader board at the end of day one, after putting in one of the best performance of the RBC Canadian Open, shooting a six under. It wasn’t to be though, as fellow American Brent Delahoussayne was still finishing, and put three birdies on the back nine to take him two shots clear of Veazey. Neither were exactly front runners when it came to golf betting on the tournament, but they have set themselves up for a nice run at making the cut after Friday. Friday will, more likely than not, see a big turn around in fortunes for the top twenty. Players who performed well in the first round may not go quite as well in the second, and that is what separates the best golfers from the rest of the field, consistency. That is why, even with a bunch of unfamiliar names at the top of the leader board, you won’t see online bookmakers falling over themselves in drastically shortening their odds. There are much stronger names to take a look at in golf betting for the RBC Canadian Open, and that is what we will do here, and scour the field for the best looking bets.

Sean O’Hair – 40/1 at Stan James
Consistency is the name of the golf game for American O’Hair and he is rightly one of the best players to back here in Canada. Has four top 12 finishes in his last four outings, and came home seventh at The Open at St Andrews on the weekend. He is being heavily backed and tipped to pick up a win here, and has a decent record at St George, even if it is as a nearly man. Out of his last four appearances at the tournament, he has finished third on two occasions. He may be a little disappointed with his round of 70 Even Par on Thursday, but there are signs that there is more to come. Got off to a terrible start, hitting a bogey on three of the first five holes. Recovered very well though to get himself one under, but bogeyed on the 18th to leave him even. Driving accuracy was a little off, but with a big day on Friday, he could seriously play his way into contention, and should. His average first round will only serve to provide better odds on him at the moment.

Paul Casey – 16/1 at Stan James
It was all so near for Casey at The Open at one point, but going into the final round with eventual winner Louis Oosthuizen, the Englishman just could not put any pressure on the South African. Casey played some wonderfully consistent golf through the terrible weather at St Andrews, and he must be commended for that, even if he did fade on the last day a bit when it counted. He realistically should be carrying a lot of momentum going into this tournament, but he could be just a little bit tired physically and mentally after his exertions. Probably worth a punt in the golf betting, and had another good round on Thursday, but his first round was all undone by a double bogey on the 18th, else he would be in much better standing. Casey should still be very hungry and that will make him strong to back, as he is still hoping for a wild card entry into the Ryder Cup team for this year. There is another six weeks or so before Colin Montgomerie actually names the squad of twelve, to compete against the USA starting on October 1. Casey, who has been bothered by injury over the last year, has still not made his way into one of the nine automatic qualification spots for the team which currently stands as Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy, Francesco Molinari, Luke Donald, Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter, Martin Kaymer, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Ross McGowan.

Retief Goosen – 14/1 at Paddy Power
Another solid performer and can be please with his work at St Andrews, just like Casey. He has had plenty of top five finishes this year, and came oh so close to winning this one last year. It was within his grasp, but he lost in a play-off, but it could be a good week for South African golf after Louis Oosthuizen won the Open and is going well again in Sweden at the moment. Can Goosen cap a fine week or so by winning here. Well worth a bet to do so and had one of those solid, quiet rounds in the first, which saw him get into the swing of things without being spectacular. Finished the day on three under and just couldn’t quite push on from the great start he made after making birdies on the first two holes. Only one bogey in the round on the 8th, so looking in good shape. Driving very well and putting well, so will be in with a chance at the end of the day.

Tim Clark – 12/1 at Boylesports
The highest ranked player on the list of FedEx Cup points for the year, taking part in the RBC Canadian Open this year. What are FedEx Cup points? Golfers can earn points on the PGA Tour from the first tournament of the year in January, to the shut off date in mid August. The more points you get for finishing higher in PGA Tour events, the more points you will accrue. The top 125 players then go into the Play-Offs which are four tournaments, ending with the Tour Championship. Whoever has the most wins the title, and a nice bonus pay check. Ernie Els is leading that at the moment, and Clark is ranked 6th. That equates to consistency. Another South African who could rise to the top here. Finished four under on his first round, and “The Penguin” is ideally suited to St George, where it is a relatively tight and short par 70 course. Didn’t make a bogey all day in the first round, and hit his four birdies on the front nine. Held even par all the way to the clubhouse then. Good performance.

Trevor Immelman – 40/1 at Stan James
Let’s ride the South African train while it is hot. Immelman kind of let a good round get away from him on Thursday, after hitting a bogey on the 13th and 14th holes when he was three under. Those back to back bogeys spoilt his round, but showed good mettle in picking up birdies on the 15th and 17th to redress the balance a little bit. Six birdies in the day was a good result. If he can pick up his greens in regulation percentage, then he could be a fantastic sleeper bet at the tournament.

St Andrews ready for thrilling final day of Golf at 2010 British Open

Open golf betting odds was not expected to be looking the way they are come the final day of the 2010 British Open. Another windy day at St Andrews, produced another impressive day for overnight leader Louis Oosthuizen. He was probably expecting a lot more pressure to be creeping up behind him, but the fact of the matter is that no-one apart from Paul Casey has really stepped up to the plate in posting a serious challenge for the Claret Jug. Those two players have pretty much dominated things, while the major players like Westwood, Woods, McIlroy and Mickelson have not quite hit their peaks. Now the status of the 2010 British Open comes down to a simple game of “catch me if you can”, and St Andrews once again could see a fascinating conclusion. The two leaders tee off on the final round together, and now is when the pressure will either make or break the players on the leader board. The Open 2010 betting prices are listed below, targeting the players who are expected to have the biggest impact on the final day on the Old Course at St Andrews.

Louis Oosthuizen – 10/11 at Bet365
-15 Under
The Louis Oosthuizen show showed no signs of slowing on Saturday, after he gathered himself together after bogeying the first hole of the day. The overnight leader pulled things back his way though, as he picked up four birdies on the round, giving him exactly the sort of solid round that he needed to consolidate his position at the top. As said yesterday, the tournament is his to lose from this position. Not only do players have to take risks to catch him, they also have to find the wind, whereas Oosthuizen now is in a position to nurse the ball around the Old Course. Now he is just one round, 18 holes away from the biggest day of his golfing life, winning a Major. It may now need a round like Rory McIlroy produced in the first in order to go and catch him, but the closest player to him, England’s Paul Casey, will be starting four shots back. The South African will not have felt this much pressure in his career before, after never before making any kind of impact at the Majors. This will be his special Sunday if he can hit another round in the 60’s. Only he and Casey have gone below 70 in each of their three rounds so far.  Hence why they are out in front.

Paul Casey - 5/2 at Totesport
-11 Under
Along with Oosthuizen has produced the most consistent golf over the past three days. He is ready to win a Major, and to be honest, he could be a lot closer to the leader, if not having his nose in front. He has really been that good over the past few days, and the vociferous Englishman literally talks his ball into position as soon as it leaves his club head. He has been working very hard in preparation for this one, and made a smart adjustment to his driver in order to deal with the weather beaten fairways a little better. Casey injured himself in getting ready for the 2009 British Open, and this is some return to action for him. He hit a round of 67 in the third round to close the gap on Oosthuizen, and would become the first Englishman to win The Open since Nick Faldo back in 1992. He will be pairing up with Oosthuizen as the last pair to go out on Sunday, as the Old Course at St Andrews will be awaiting a stellar finish to a complicated weekend of golf. The winds were still there on Saturday, although conditions were a little easier for the players. He is a great golf betting tip to take the title, if he can hold everything together. He was only hampered on an otherwise immaculate second round, by his approach on the 17th finding extraordinarily long rough, which forced him to drop two shots. Has hit 87% of greens, and 81% of fairway shots. If he starts putting pressure on Oosthuizen going around as the last pair, he really could win this one, and is my tip.

Martin Kaymer – 14/1 at SportingBet
-8 Under
Germany’s Kaymer hit his best round of the three days so far at St Andrews, hitting a nice round of 68 to leave himself 8 under, and seven shots off the lead. He has been making steady progress, although his 71 on should have been a good marker that he had potential for the tournament. It was one of the better rounds on an awkward day for the players. He had one of the more eventful rounds of day two, hitting six birdies and two bogeys. Only turned pro in 2005, and finished T34 in last year’s British Open. Hit did fight his way up to T8 at the 2010 US Open and is in pretty good shape. Well worth a look, as has been pretty consistent going round, if flying under the radar a bit. He’s not driving anywhere near as long as Oosthuizen, Casey or Westwood around him, but playing some very tidy, economical golf.

Lee Westwood – 16/1 at William Hill
-7 Under
Can he pull back eight shots to win his first major? It looks as if someone will win their first Major on Sunday evening, as the leader board is dominated by players looking for their first success. As much as bad weather has been frustrating him at The Open, he has been one of the players who has handled the wind very well. He will be hoping that another windy day may finally put pressure on Oosthuizen, so that he can make some ground up on the South African. Westwood is always in the mix at the Majors, but again it looks as if there is just a little too much to do. Hit another round of 71, matching his score in the second, and will again be frustrated a further chances having gone begging. He was expecting himself to be closer to the top of the leader board, and he has had the opportunities to do so. Not that he has played badly or anything, he hasn’t, but there have just been little moments where putts have gone close and the run of the ball just hasn’t quite dropped his way. Has a lot of shots to pull back, but realistically, Oosthuizen may drop a couple, and if Westwood goes on a charge, there is still a chance. Just how tired he will be with the injury he is carrying, may take its toll on the final day though.

Alejandro Canizares – 55/1 at SkyBet
-7 Under
Another one who has not attracted much attention. Will be happy with his days work after having to finish off his second round early this morning. He was in contention with shots to play on a lot of the players above him who had finished their second rounds. He managed to consolidate well, and then hit another round of 71, like Westwood matching his second round score, to leave himself tied for fourth. His rounds of 67-71-71 is exactly the same as Westwood. This is his Majors debut, and so really is carrying himself well. Probably not carrying the kind of averages in his approach work to seriously challenge at the top, but he can be very happy with his work. His fairway work has been better than his approach to the greens.

Henrik Stenson – 28/1 at Skybet
-7 Under
The Swede hit one of the best scores of the third day, knocking off the 18 holes in 67 to match Paul Casey’s impressive round. Has good all round stats in his game over the three rounds, above the field average for greens and fairways hit. His driving is just a little short of average, but that hasn’t stopped him. Went out on the front nine very well, and it could have been a lot better for him, but he bogeyed the 16th and 17th. Held his nerve to birdie the 18th to make amends a little bit. Has a little bit of a spark about him, and is swinging the club very well, and appears to be in quite a chipper rhythm. After hitting 68 in the first round, only the bad weather day on Friday really hampered him, where he struggled to come in at 74. Otherwise, has performed very well, and a bit of a sleeper bet to watch out for. Has four top ten finishes in last 8 Majors.

Dustin Johnson – 80/1 at ExtraBet
-6 Under
The top American on the leader board, and no-one will have expected that. Hit 69 in his third round, thanks to some big drives. Fairly average on his accuracy in hitting the fairway though, but has played his way into contention. Although asking someone to make up nine shots on the final day of The Open is probably a bit of a stretch.

Retief Goosen – 100/1 at Bet365
-5 Under
Tied down in eighth, and looking down the list, his is the first name you will come across in looking for a player who has won a Major before. He has won the US Open twice, and his third round of 72 was a step backwards for him, after posting 69 and 70 in his first two rounds. Five under is still a long way to go to the top, but he is a strong challenger, at least for a top four finish.

Sergio Garcia – 125/1 at Bwin
-4 Under
One of the other honourable mentions of the day after playing some wonderful golf in his round of 70, leaving him on four under. He seems to have discovered a bit of his old magic, and was one of the better performers all round on day three, even though he is realistically out of contention.

Rory McIlroy – 100/1 at SkyBet
-4 Under
A topsy turvy tournament for the youngster. He was expected to be one of the main challengers, and realistically he should have been. His horrid, weather effected round of 80 on day two really has blown his chances, which is a shame after such as fantastic record breaking round of 63 to lead at the end of day one. He is still confident, as that is what McIlroy is about, confidence. Showed a lot of resilience, determination, mettle and skill to hit a 69 on day three, and he’ll probably move up the leader board again on Sunday, but probably won’t be able to get close enough.

Tiger Woods – 100/1 at Boylesports
-3 Under
There are signs that his getting back to his best. He simply could not make an impression on the round, as he was just unable to get anything out of day three. There was no build up of momentum for him, as he hit three birdies, three bogeys and one double bogey. His putting let him down a little bit, but equally there were flashes of brilliance from him. Looked a little subdued and will be a little frustrated that he could not close the gap on the leaders. Rounds of 73 in the second and third will ultimately have hurt his chances in the 2010 British Open, but he is driving well, and clear signals that he will probably win another Major at some point. Just not here this year, missing out on his third straight title at St Andrews. Finished fourth in both of the Majors in 2010 so far, but unless he fires out of the blocks, that’s looking unlikely as well.

Mathematically. Wow, that’s a big word with which to start an article. I suspect it’s a personal best. Sorry, where was I? Oh,yes! Mathematically, only three men can prevent Rory McIlroy from winning the European Order Of Merit on the new Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai this week. The 20-year-old is in pole position to win the Race To Dubai, as the Order Of Merit has been re-branded, following a second to Frenchman Gregory Bourdy at the Hong Kong Open in Fanling, overtaking Lee Westwood, who had a bit of a nightmare in the former colony. Also suffering disappointment last week was Geoff Ogilvy, who failed to make an impact at the JBWere Masters in his native Australia so, with Paul Casey ruled out with injury, that leaves only Westwood, Germany’s Martin Kaymer and Ross Fisher (who did us a massive favour in the World Matchplay) as potential challengers to McIlroy‘s claims to be European number one. The young Ulsterman, in only his second season on the European Tour, is a general 1-2 to collect enough prize money to ensure he finishes ahead of the bunch and a general 9-1 to end the year on a high by winning the Dubai World Championship itself. But nerves are surely going to play a part here. Westwood (a general 16-1) is vastly more experienced and, though his form has tailed off a little in recent weeks, he’ll be trying to exert maximum pressure on McIlroy with the big four, in the opening rounds at least, set to be out on the course at the same time. Kaymer must be cursing the fact (I nearly wrote kicking himself) that he missed two months of the season having broken toes in a karting accident but a win in Dubai, for which he is a general 14-1 chance, would still guarantee him top spot and his fate is still in his own hands, unlike Fisher (a general 20-1) who could still miss out if McIlroy or Westwood were to finish in the frame. And of course, there are almost 60 of the world’s best players out to spoil the party. Ernie Els has a fantastic record in Dubai and is back in form. At a general 16-1 he might be worth a saver, while Padraig Harrington is reported to have been thoroughly refreshed by a family holiday and will have some takers at a general 18-1. Trying to end the year with a bang, though, this columnist will be relying on Justin Rose. The Englishman has had a bit of an up and down season, dividing his time between Europe and America, but has been in a rich vein of form over the last eight weeks, recording under par 72-hole scores in every tournament he’s contested in that time, including a 17 under to tie for fourth place in last week’s Children’s Miracle Network Classic in Florida. Rose is another who likes the desert (he was second in the Dubai Desert Classic back in February) so I’ll be having an interest at 30-1 with boylesports.