Open bets

Not long now till the Open! Who does everyone fancy to win it this year? Can Rory do the double ? I do fancy him on the form he is in, but it isn't very often you get a back to back major winner (Tiger excluded). Westwood could contend as well, this event could be suited to his game, as could Sergio.

Your views please.

I too quite like Rory's chances. Not playing in between will mean he's coming off that huge win and I dare say he'll repeat the kind of preparation he did at Congressional, practising the week before rather than in Open week itself. That'll leave the others guessing as to his form rather than concentrating on their own games (even if only subconsciously). If he's going to challenge Tiger's major record, he'll have to win back to back sometime so why not now?

Open can be a hard one to predict - who would have gone for Oosthuizen last year? Not me that's for sure. And who could possibly have thought Tom Watson would be narrowly beaten by Kitchen the previous year? Defo worth an outside bet I reckon, a long shot; poss someone at 50/1. All most recent major winners are guys in their twenties, so might be worth considering that option; or do you buck the trend a put your spondos on a more mature seasoned pro? A veteran like Westwood perhaps, or maybe time for a Septic to win one?

Ben Curtis, obviously...

Perhaps not, but clearly there's been a winner coming from nowhere on this course before.

I understand that Billy Foster was on Bjorn's bag that fateful year, when a ditch filled with sand brutally destroyed his chances. The game owes nothing to anyone, as the saying goes (or at least that's what I frequently tell myself to control club-throwing urges etc), but perhaps Billy deserves closure.

Oh, and I'm sure lots of people supporting his current boss (some chap from Worksop) might say the same about him and his multiple close calls in majors too...

Still, may the best [and not necessarily the luckiest] man win, whomever he is that week.

I don't think Lee Westwood will ever win a major

I think Francesco Molinari at 66/1 with pp is not a bad e/w bet

baboo:
That seems half decent. Do you get the first 6 on an e/w with PP?

PP seem to be getting a bid niggardly with their odds on outright winners in golf lately, there is not the value there used to be unless you go right down the field to the no hopers.

Stenson at 50/1 is interesting though and Sergio has drifted out to 20's which makes it a little bit more attractive for an each way.
Fowler at 50/1 though is stupid, it could be 5000/1 and still barely worth 10 new pence.

McIlroy has played a blinder having the time off between the US Open and Open Champs, although he seem to be popping up about the place so i don't know how much rest he's getting... He'll be getting plenty of links practice at home and he's been in the SE this week so maybe he'll get a look at the course? He'll go in as the deserved favourite.

I think Westwood and Donald will be up there challenging as their rankings would suggest.

I would back Kaymer and Casey to find some form, both decent recent record on the links (Casey at 2010 Open, Kaymer at Dunhill Links).

Garcia and Stenson showing some ominous form as well in the past month or so...

Wildcard - Robert Rock, recent winner, decent US Open perfomance with no practice rounds - not phased by a major championship set up, good links pedigree (lost to Lowry in the Irish Open a few years back, top 10 last year the St Andrews).

In short i think we'll have a humdinger with the european heavyweights slogging it out (maybe with Kuchar/Stricker thrown in from the US).
Outsider Rob Rock

I'm at work... anyne know what Rock's price is?

Rock 125/1 at PP.

Some e/w value there me thinks.

Peter Hanson also available at 100/1. He's been playing well lately.
Yang at 80/1, Snedeker also at 100/1, his eyes are too close together but he can play.

Yep s_r they all look like a decent bet.

Rossa, I tend to bet around the 50-100/1 bracket as the returns are pretty good on an each way bet. Good fun too, especially when someone like Schwartzel storms home at 90/1.

Golf majors are probably the most difficult sporting events to predict the outcome of now that you know who (I fart in his general direction) is not competing at a level above the rest and you tend to get a lot of players with long odds finishing high up the field. Once got Kjeldsen at 200/1 EW when he finished top 6 at the Open.

I though Rock would have been in that bracket to be honest... Not a big better but may be tempted by that price.

I think there is a good chance that this is the year Rorys dad (and pals) collect on their bet from back when he was a teenager.

I still think Rory's best chance of winning anotehr major is at an Open; we will never see another US Open course like we did a few weeks ago, so my picks would be as follows!

McIllroy
Garcia
Harrington
Rock
E Molinari
Mannaserro