PREVIEW: It is off to the links of Royal St George’s, Sandwich for 2011 British Open golf betting over July 14th to July 17th, 2011. There is a lot of talk this year about the drought which the American golfers are going through when it comes to Major golf. Phil Mickelson was the last American to lift a Major title when winning the 2010 Masters, but since then, it has been five Majors without an American winner. This could all be down to the demise of Tiger Woods of course, and with Woods withdrawing from the 2011 British Open due to a leg injury, the wait for another American Major winner may have to wait. Phil Mickelson, who punters automatically look towards does not have a great record at The Open, and while is the most experienced in terms of winning Majors out of the American challengers this year, many are not seeing him as a likely winner. Fellow American’s Steve Stricker and Nick Watney, both multiple winners on the PGA Tour this year, look like more genuine threats on the links for the Americans. But what of the European challengers? Well, you have to follow the golf trail of hype surrounding US Open winner Rory McIlroy. The young Northern Irishman is being touted as the next great thing in world golf, and has been a big threat in the Majors this year. But is McIlroy’s game suited to the windy conditions on the links? Will he be able to stand up to the new spotlight pressures of being a Major winner? He has taken a three week break from his game after landing the biggest honour of his career, and winning back to back Majors is not an easy thing to do. The strong European challenge should see Lee Westwood place himself in contention, and although he had a bad first round at the US Open, he came back so very well to make the top three. Four solid rounds will put Westwood in line for his first Major, and so too will world number one Luke Donald. After winning the Scottish Open by four strokes last week, Donald is in red hot form, ready to tame the links again.
CUT WATCH: Lee Westwood and Luke Donald, the top two players in the world were the biggest casualties at the halfway stage. Other big names falling were Graeme McDowell, Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington and Ian Poulter.
The last time that Royal St George’s hosted the British Open, it was American Ben Curtis who surprisingly took the honour. The defending Champion is South Africa’s Louis Ooshthuizen who does make up for a strong South African contingent including Charl Schwartzel. There is not a lot of rough around the links course this year, and conditions really should see the ball roll far and fast on the firm surfaces. One of the big factor of links golf courses, is of course, the wind. The coastal settings means that the wind usually is a major factor in scoring on links courses, and it is a tough challenge for players not used to it, especially for players coming over across The Pond. The course is a little longer than it was since the last time it hosted The Open back in 2003, with two par 5’s and four par 3’s totalling up 7,211 yards on a par 70 score. There is a lot of blind shots to play on the front nine, and with imposing bunkers which need a lot of respect, Royal St George’s is a tough and tricky course to navigate. So don’t expect high scoring. When Ben Curtis won here in 2003, he was the only player to finish under par. Watch out for the par 4 15th hole, which is probably one of the toughest to play in Open Championship golf. The race for the Claret Jug is on!
Online bookmaker Unibet are running a 2011 British Open golf betting promotion. Take a pre tournament outright winner bet with the popular bookie, and if Rory McIlroy wins, then they will refund all losing bets placed on that market. This is a good coverage to take, because the McIlroy sensation really looks one of the strongest form golfers in the world at the moment. No reason why he couldn’t tame Royal St George’s especially if the wind is favourable. Unibet offer a £20 risk free bet for new customers who open an account. Simply deposit £20 and then receive a £20 risk free bet, meaning that if your first bet on a new account loses, you will get your lost stake refunded up to the value of £20.
Round 4 – Leaderboard and Outright Odds
Darren Clarke -5 Under
11/4 at Bet365
Keeps going along very well. Put in a third round of 69 to sit top of the leader board by one shot. The veteran just looks pretty comfortable out there on the links of Royal St George’s and produced his best round in terms of fewest dropped shots. His only picked up three bogeys in the third round, showing a lot of control, especially down the back nine. There was just two birdies on the front nine to keep him in contention, and now he looks a very solid option in your 2011 Open Championship golf betting. Pressure will be on him now in the final round, but starting off on the first tee on Saturday, he looked really relaxed.
Dustin Johnson -4 Under
11/4 at SkyBet
We had a good look at the American yesterday, and suggest that at -2 under after the second round, he was in a position to make an impact, and boy did he. DJ fired in a superb round of 68, the best score of the day along with Rickie Fowler. That’s two back to back rounds of 68 now for Johnson, with six birdies in his third round. It could have been a lot better but for his four dropped shots, which was a bit of a slip from just his one dropped shot in the second round. Still, this is a guy who is driving so very well, and his putting has been fantastic, taking a couple of putts less per round than the field average. We genuinely think that he is primed to charge on and win this one. Well worth backing, as he is right in contention. Has been close in Majors before, and this could be the big one.
Rickie Fowler -2 Under
7/1 at Victor Chandler
The young American, much in the mould of Rory McIlroy, fired in his best round of 68 to move up in contention. There is undoubted talent in his bag, and with a very strong back nine, where he picked up three birdies in four holes, he suddenly looked as if he is ready to challenge for the Major title. Not sure if he is quite consistent enough to make up the ground on the leaders if those two hold steady, but he is pretty dynamic and will have a very good crack at it nonetheless. Could either go big or go home.
Thomas Bjorn -2 Under
14/1 at SkyBet
The Dane, after such an impressive and emotional first round, looks to be falling off the pace. His second round 72 and third round 71 isn’t bad reading, but it is his superb five under par in the first which is keeping him up there on the leader board. Hasn’t exerted the same kind of control on the links as he did in his first round, and unless he pulls something special out of the bag again, can’t seem him making up the ground here. Losing momentum while others around him are going in the right direction.
Miguel Angel Jimenez -1 Under
20/1 at Bet365
The Spaniard is falling away as well, just like Bjorn. Didn’t look fully settled on the windy, rainy day on the coast and put in his worst round of 72. That leaves him four shots off the lead. Will need to reproduce the magic of his first round to play his way back into contention, but once you see him fading a little bit like this, it is hard to see him turning it around under pressure.
Lucas Glover -1 Under
22/1 at Boylesports
The American is just hanging in there under par at one under, sitting T5. It certainly was not the round which he wanted on Saturday, firing a three over par to drop him down the leader board. Three bogeys and no birdies for him out on the links. Certainly not out of it, but that must have really dented his confidence. Now don’t see him having quite enough in the tank to pull it around. Still, if he is around here at the end of Sunday, this will have been somewhat successful for him.
Phil Mickelson – Even Par
20/1 at BetFred
In the end, the third round for Mickelson was about damage limitation in the end. He just got off to a poor start and then was playing catch up with his own score card instead of trying to catch the leaders. He was three under for the round after six holes, and then had to work very hard to stay in contention. He did so, finishing one over for the round, leaving him on even par. If someone will pull the magic out of the bag, then Mickelson will do it. A lot of ground to make up, and just not driving consistently enough to make it. Could come close, maybe worth an outside punt.
Martin Kaymer – Even Par
16/1 at Bet365
The German, much like Mickelson, just did not get off to the start which he would have wanted. After two sub par round, he was 2011 The Open golf betting favourite at the start of round three. Not so much now, after dropping five shots in the wind and rain. Only a couple of birdies kept his overall standing respectable, and probably lost just too much here to realistically aim for his second Major title.
Round 3 – Leaderboard and Outright Odds
Martin Kaymer – 3 Under
6/1 at Bet365
The German, who hasn’t really showed up in the Majors this year, followed up his opening steady round of 68 with a round of 69 on Friday to put him one back off the lead. Kaymer has only dropped two shots in two rounds now, and he is going very well. No great surprise that he is at the top of the betting list here. He is a proven win, has a Major under his belt already, and the former world number one could be gunning for more. Very good bet at the moment, because others around him are dropping shots while he is not. It’s a fine line, but one which could count big in the end.
Rory McIlroy – Even par
9/1 at Victor Chandler
The US Open champion is still trading pretty well at the moment, and he is just four shots back sitting on Even par. He made up ground after his one over par in the first round, with a two under par second round. Is going well and looking comfortable enough on the links. Played some wonderfully creative and brave shots, but things still got away from him a little bit with four bogeys on the round. Could get better and if he makes a couple of shots up in the third round, it will be game on. Could carry big momentum forward.
Charl Schwartzel -2 Under
12/1 at Bet365
Enjoy watching the South African , who had an eventful first round, with six bogeys and four birdies in the first round. He bolted out of the gates in the second round, going three under after five holes in his second round. That was three of five birdies in the second round for the Masters champion, and after cutting his errors down to just two bogeys in the second round, he should make a big challenge. Much improved second round, looking far more comfortable with the conditions out on the links. Would not count him out.
Darren Clarke -4 Under
14/1 at SkyBet
The veteran Northern Ireland player has held himself together now so very well for two rounds of 68 to put him at the top of the leader board after round two. What perhaps is most notable about Darren Clarke’s performances is that he is showing great mental strengths here. Make no mistakes, but Clarke has not put fully convincing rounds together. He has dropped a lot of shots including a double bogey on the fourth hole in round two. He redeemed himself from that with an eagle on the seventh and fired in a mixed bag again of birdies and bogeys. That is why he showing good mental strength because it all could have fallen apart. If he cuts out the errors, could be a strong contender.
Miguel Angel Jimenez -3 Under
20/1 at Bet365
The Spaniard did put in a flawless round of four under in his first round, but it looked as if it might start falling apart at the start of the second. He lost a couple of strokes after four holes, but back to back birdies on the third and the fifth negated that. Was just about holding it together on the back nine, where he picked up a birdie and two bogeys. Very characteristic and is not going to get down on himself. His unmistakable figure out on the links would be great to see him at the top of the leader board. Does he have the consistency under the pressure of the weekend?
Dustin Johnson -2 Under
20/1 at William Hill
Johnson has been having a very steady season, and with his round of two under in the second round, he could start charging up the leader board. He is just two strokes back off the lead and has shown confidence in Majors before. There have also been hiccups, but looking back at his first round where he was four below par after 12 holes to end up on even par must have given him confidence. There was also that sweet hole in one on the 16th for DJ. Is one of the elite among the crop of the new generation of players in the world at the moment. Could go stronger and makes for a great tip. Great driver, great control, worth a punt.
Round 2 – Leaderboard and Outright Odds
Tom Lewis -5 Under 35/1 at Bet365
The young 20 year old amateur, who was named after the great Tom Watson didn’t put in flawless round, but it was a brilliant one nonetheless. He just didn’t break his stride of confidence when he did hit a bad shot, but his putting through the front nine was immaculate. Lewis took just one putt on each of the first eight. It is the first time since 1976 that an amateur has led a golf Major. It was an impressive performance, but you have to ask yourself if he can maintain it under pressure over another three rounds? The longer the tournament goes on, the more the pressure will build. For the youngster, who is going to turn pro later in the year, it has been quite an entry at Royal St George’s. Too unproven though to get carried away with in your 2011 British Open golf betting though. He did win the Boys’ Championship in 2009 at Royal St George’s so knows his way around.
Thomas Bjorn -5 Under 20/1 at Bet365
The Dane put in one of the most majestic performances out on the links. He didn’t do anything spectacular, just steady as his accuracy to the pin was remarkable. The 40 year old turned around his recent indifferent form to put in a very good round, dealing with the wind and course. People will remember him from the 2003 Open when he was in command with a two shot lead with three holes to play. He blew that lead at Royal St George’s but he is back with great aplomb. If he produces another three rounds like that, then he will be hard to stuff. Is not running on any kind of form though, the only thing you can look at, is that he did play himself into contention in 2003 and with this start, he clearly enjoys the links at Sandwich. He’s only here because Vijay Singh pulled out and he was first replacement. What a way to take advantage of that fortune.
Rory McIlroy +1 11/1 at William Hill
Have heard the word “rugged” tossed around about the US Open champion’s round at Royal St George’s. That is pretty fair, but he was nowhere near his wonderful round of 63 which he shot in the first round of last year’s Open Championship. There have been a couple of struggles in his Open Championship record before, but he is not totally out of the running just yet. His round of 71 doesn’t put him too far back, as it is just one over par and it looks as if high scoring is not going to come the way off too many players over four rounds based on the first day. He has been on a break since his first Major win at Congressional, but did show good recovery after a tough start to The Open. Could be more to come from he and the Northern Irishman was not downbeat on his chances.
Graeme McDowell -2 Under 12/1 at Bet365
Enjoyed the former US Open champion’s first round here. Like many of the other supposed big guns, McDowell struggled through the early part of the course. He double bogeyed the first hold, and then found himself three over on the fifth. Back to back birdies then pulled things back before he dropped another shot on the par 4 eighth. The back nine however was a much different story when McDowell showed the kind of form which we all know he is capable of. He nailed three birdies after the turn around to finish with a 68. McDowell is one of the best in the world at putting into the wind, and could go well again. Not been in great form for a long time now. If he can build on this for a second round, then he could well be worth a bet in 2011 British Open golf betting.
Martin Kaymer -2 Under 12/1 at William Hill
The German former world number one went along very steadily. After dropping a bogey on the sixth hole, he responded immediately on the seventh to get back even. He then carried himself down the back nine where he landed two birdies to put himself in contention. Kaymer has not quite been on top of his game over the past couple of the months, and hasn’t shown up great in the Majors this year. But there was more of a controlled, monotonous feel about his first round performance. He will be happy with his T6 finish after the first round, and his 68 was definitely something to build upon
Lee Westwood +1 Over 14/1 at Totesport
He must have been thinking of his first round at the US Open where he just could not get himself going. He was always playing catch up golf and you could see that did not allow him to relax. However, he played some sublime approach work shots in a day of mixed fortunes, and his one over score could have been better. Not out of the running yet, and can turn this around, but you want to see him get off to a strong start.
Luke Donald +1 Over 20/1 at Stan James
The world number one really struggled with his putting. The rest of his game was working ok, but he just could not finish things off. Even then, his putting on many occasions was not far away, and on any other day he could have been a good -3 under. Still his solid round of 71, in windy conditions that he did not cope too greatly with, keeps him in the pack and in the hunt, but needs to start strongly on Friday.
Steve Stricker -1 Under 25/1 at BetFred
Flew under the radar just a little bit, and that will be a great thing for him. Sticker is the master at coming from behind, and sitting at -1 under he is well positioned to have a strong three days. In top form at the moment, and will have been happy to get a solid first round under his belt. Should still go well.
Kyle Stanley -2 Under 80/1 at SkyBet
Not sure where it is going to go for Stanley, who played some maverick kind of golf against the wind. Really took his chances well, creating a lot after bogeying the opening hole. It could have been a lot better if he hadn’t slipped up and dropped another shot on the last hole. Could float along very well, pulled out some great shot selections on day one.
Round 1 – Leader board and Outright Odds
Rory McIlroy: 17/2 at Boylesports
Luke Donald: 12/1 at 888Sport
Lee Westwood: 12/1 at Totesport
Martin Kaymer: 28/1 at Boylesports
Sergio Garcia: 33/1 at William Hill
Graeme McDowell: 35/1 at Totesport
Nick Watney: 35/1 at Bet365
Steve Stricker: 35/1 at SkyBet
Jason Day: 40/1 at Totesport
Padraig Harrington: 45/1 at Totesport
Phil Mickelson: 45/1 at Bet365
Charl Schwartzel: 50/1 at Boylesports
