This Thursday, St Andrews plays host to the 139 th Open Championship -the 28th time it has been held at the home of golf. With a £4.8m prize fund is offer to the field of 156 players -the winner will be taking home a mightily impressive £850,000.
Historical symmetry would suggest that Tiger Woods, winner here in 2000 and 2005, should triumph again in 2010 -but the three-time winner is not yet back to his best after his self-enforced lay off earlier this year. So it is a wide-open contest, and here is where we start separating the wheat from the golfing chaff...
We scoured the vast number of markets that always accompany the Open and these caught our eye:
a) Top Challengers Player 50/30/20/10 Index (Extrabet)
Ian Poulter (8-11) He has been knocking on the door at the Open for a while now and is ready to produce another top performance. His skill with the putter will be needed this week, as the duble greens at the Old Course can offer putts of well over 200 feet! Buy @ 11
b) Top 50 US Index 50/30/20/10 (Extrabet)
Tom Watson (7-9) Last year's performance by Watson was one of the greatest sporting achievements of the last fifty years -regardless of which sport it was. So it should be no surprise if the old boy comes good on one of his favourite courses -especially as there is no outstanding player to beat in this market. Buy @ 9
c) Top South African 50/30/20/10 (Extrabet)
Louis Oosthuizen (7-9) This young Springbok has already won on the European Tour this season and has six top twenty finishes. He is excellent value in this market, with just Goosen and Schwartzel to beat -we see him coming in the top three South Africans. Buy @ 9
d) Top Australian 50/30/20/10 (Extrabet)
Jason Day (11-14) Another young player who has been making a splash this season -Day has been making waves on the US Tour
, where he won the Byron Nelson tournament. He has two top tens and six top 25 finishes this term. With many of the Aussie lads struggling to find form he is a good choice. Buy @ 14
e) 72 Hole Match Bet, Max Make Up 25 (Extrabet)
Garcia / Jimenez (0 - 1.5) When did you last see Sergio Garcia play well? No, we can't remember either. Jimenez on the other hand won two weeks ago in France. Extrabet make them evens, but we would make 'The Mechanic' at least three shots better than El Nino, who won't be relishing all those shaky four footers that he will have to make for par this week. Sell Garcia @ 0
f) Tiger 72 Hole Match Bet, Max Make Up 25 (Extrabet)
Woods / McDowell (4 - 5.5)
There are so many reasons to oppose Tiger this week -he has just changed his ball and his putter, he hasn't yet won this season and then there's all the personal things that we don't have room for on this page. So why back McDowell against him? Well the man from Portrush finished 11th when the Open was last played here and he has finished 2nd in Dunhill Links Trophy played here. He grew up playing Links golf and of course he will be buoyant after his US Open win. Sell Woods @ 4
g) 72 Hole Match Bet, Max Make Up 25 (Sporting Index)
Goosen / Kaymer (-0.5 - 1) Retief Goosen is one of those players who flatters to deceive -he is very steady and has seven top ten finishes in the Open. Then why oppose him? Well he hasn't performed well in the majors this year and Martin Kaymer has three top twenty finishes in the last month -including eighth at the US Open. Add to this his second place in the Dunhill Links back in 2008 and we can see the German gliding serenely past 'The Goose'. Sell Goosen @-0.5
h) Wire To Wire Leaderboard -Various Points Allotted Over 4 Rounds (Sporting Index)
We have picked out five players who are out early on Thursday morning because we fell that they may get the best of the conditions -before the wind gets up in the afternoon and before the greens get spiked by the 156 man field. Our five to watch are:
Noren 0.1 - 1
Rock 0.5 - 2
Bjorn 1 - 3
Poulter 8 - 11
McDowell 9 - 12
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