Tiger Woods sets out to tame Turnberry
Tiger Woods sets out to tame Turnberry
The Open Championship returns to the tough Ailsa Courst at Turnberry this year for the first time since 1994. To the surprise of nobody, Tiger Woods is the prohibitive favorite to take home his fourth Claret Jug at 2-1. Missing from the challenge this season are Phil Mickelson and last year's European Tour leader Robert Karlsson. Among those hoping to give Tiger a run for his money is Paul Casey, No. 3 in the World Rankings.
The last time we saw Tiger Woods he was cashing in at 3-2 betting odds by winning the AT&T National in Bethesda, Md. So he must be an absolute bargain this week at 2-1 to win the 138th British Open Championship.
And perhaps he is. The field at the National was less than stellar; this week, Woods once again won’t have to deal with arch-nemesis and World’s No. 2 golfer Phil Mickelson. As expected, Mickelson is off the PGA Tour while his wife Amy recovers from breast cancer surgery. His mother Mary was also diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this month and was due for surgery last week in Houston.
Among the other golfers Woods won’t have to contend with at Turnberry (specifically, the demanding Ailsa Course) in South Ayrshire, Scotland: Trevor Immelman, Jose Maria Olazabal, Robert Karlsson, Brett Quigley and Jeev Milkha Singh. This might not read like a list of golfing greats to the betting public, but there’s plenty of European Tour experience in this group – especially Karlsson, last year’s No. 1-ranked player on the Tour. The Swedish veteran finished tied for seventh at the 2008 Open at Royal Birkdale; he’ll miss out this year because of a blister behind one of his retinas.
Sharp handicappers are usually keen on the European players when it comes to the Open – and they were rewarded handsomely in 2007 and 2008 when Ireland’s Padraig Harrington took home the Claret Jug. He’s the third favorite this year at 22-1, but Harrington is also in the middle of a serious meltdown that has dropped the Dubliner to a very kind No. 14 in the World Golf Rankings. He missed the cut at his last three European Tour events and four of his last five on the PGA Tour. That includes his 76-76 at last month’s U.S. Open.
Doubly damaging for Harrington’s chances this week at Turnberry is the trouble he’s been having with his swing. He’s been making adjustments with coach Bob Torrance during the practice rounds, and he’s also changed drivers. “It is never great going into a tournament changing something, because it’s not going to be automatic,” Harrington told the Daily Express. “It does leave a lot of doubt in my performance this week.”
Speaking of doubt, between Harrington and Woods on the odds list is Sergio Garcia (20-1), who famously has never won a major and experienced a meltdown of his own at the 2007 British Open before losing to Harrington in a playoff. At least Garcia is playing well this year at No. 5 in the World Rankings and No. 8 on the European Tour money list. But he hasn’t won any tournaments this year in nine attempts.
You’ll find more non-Tiger betting value in Rory McIlroy (22-1), Paul Casey (25-1) and Martin Kaymer (28-1), all of whom have made more money this year on the European Tour. You might remember Casey from his PGA Tour win earlier this year at the Shell Houston Open; with two more victories on the Euro circuit, he’s risen to No. 3 in the World Golf Rankings behind Woods and Mickelson.
Casey can also knock the dimples off a golf ball at 294.6 yards per drive. This is a very important skill at the Ailsa Course, which has been lengthened by nearly 250 yards since Nick Price won the last Open there in 1994.
“The guy who drives it well this week has an advantage,” Harrington told the Express, “much more than at any Open course I have seen for a long time.”
It just so happens that Woods is even better with the stick at 295.4 yards per drive, and he has the championship pedigree with three Open victories to his name, most recently at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in 2006. Casey might be a better value at 7-2 to finish as the top Englishman at the British Open, ahead of Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter at 4-1.
Television coverage starts at 6:30 a.m. Eastern on TNT. They’ll be on hand early in the morning for all four rounds, with ABC coming in for work a little later during the weekend.
The Open Championship returns to the tough Ailsa Courst at Turnberry this year for the first time since 1994. To the surprise of nobody, Tiger Woods is the prohibitive favorite to take home his fourth Claret Jug at 2-1. Missing from the challenge this season are Phil Mickelson and last year's European Tour leader Robert Karlsson. Among those hoping to give Tiger a run for his money is Paul Casey, No. 3 in the World Rankings.
The last time we saw Tiger Woods he was cashing in at 3-2 betting odds by winning the AT&T National in Bethesda, Md. So he must be an absolute bargain this week at 2-1 to win the 138th British Open Championship.
And perhaps he is. The field at the National was less than stellar; this week, Woods once again won’t have to deal with arch-nemesis and World’s No. 2 golfer Phil Mickelson. As expected, Mickelson is off the PGA Tour while his wife Amy recovers from breast cancer surgery. His mother Mary was also diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this month and was due for surgery last week in Houston.
Among the other golfers Woods won’t have to contend with at Turnberry (specifically, the demanding Ailsa Course) in South Ayrshire, Scotland: Trevor Immelman, Jose Maria Olazabal, Robert Karlsson, Brett Quigley and Jeev Milkha Singh. This might not read like a list of golfing greats to the betting public, but there’s plenty of European Tour experience in this group – especially Karlsson, last year’s No. 1-ranked player on the Tour. The Swedish veteran finished tied for seventh at the 2008 Open at Royal Birkdale; he’ll miss out this year because of a blister behind one of his retinas.
Sharp handicappers are usually keen on the European players when it comes to the Open – and they were rewarded handsomely in 2007 and 2008 when Ireland’s Padraig Harrington took home the Claret Jug. He’s the third favorite this year at 22-1, but Harrington is also in the middle of a serious meltdown that has dropped the Dubliner to a very kind No. 14 in the World Golf Rankings. He missed the cut at his last three European Tour events and four of his last five on the PGA Tour. That includes his 76-76 at last month’s U.S. Open.
Doubly damaging for Harrington’s chances this week at Turnberry is the trouble he’s been having with his swing. He’s been making adjustments with coach Bob Torrance during the practice rounds, and he’s also changed drivers. “It is never great going into a tournament changing something, because it’s not going to be automatic,” Harrington told the Daily Express. “It does leave a lot of doubt in my performance this week.”
Speaking of doubt, between Harrington and Woods on the odds list is Sergio Garcia (20-1), who famously has never won a major and experienced a meltdown of his own at the 2007 British Open before losing to Harrington in a playoff. At least Garcia is playing well this year at No. 5 in the World Rankings and No. 8 on the European Tour money list. But he hasn’t won any tournaments this year in nine attempts.
You’ll find more non-Tiger betting value in Rory McIlroy (22-1), Paul Casey (25-1) and Martin Kaymer (28-1), all of whom have made more money this year on the European Tour. You might remember Casey from his PGA Tour win earlier this year at the Shell Houston Open; with two more victories on the Euro circuit, he’s risen to No. 3 in the World Golf Rankings behind Woods and Mickelson.
Casey can also knock the dimples off a golf ball at 294.6 yards per drive. This is a very important skill at the Ailsa Course, which has been lengthened by nearly 250 yards since Nick Price won the last Open there in 1994.
“The guy who drives it well this week has an advantage,” Harrington told the Express, “much more than at any Open course I have seen for a long time.”
It just so happens that Woods is even better with the stick at 295.4 yards per drive, and he has the championship pedigree with three Open victories to his name, most recently at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in 2006. Casey might be a better value at 7-2 to finish as the top Englishman at the British Open, ahead of Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter at 4-1.
Television coverage starts at 6:30 a.m. Eastern on TNT. They’ll be on hand early in the morning for all four rounds, with ABC coming in for work a little later during the weekend.
