HI All.

Anybody playing? My site has a lot more options on this tourney.

I am not sure yet what I am playing. Anyone got some good info, hunches etc. whatever... lets talk some golf.

GL

I'll be looking at this during the day tomorrow hard. Got some hunches and will be making some plays. I'll post my picks here in your thread.

I'm sure our buddy Bear will chime in too (hope so, anyway).

Can't remember who else follows the golf.

Looking forward to watching it, that's for sure. I've been fortunate enough to play the Old Course and that always makes it fun to watch too :)

Good luck!

Uga

B1, Kent, etc.

Love this tourney. ESPN is covering from 4 AM -3 PM this year. A good event for insomniacs. I will take these two for sure:

Tiger: +650: Any reason needed? He needs this more than anyone right now. Greatness is still inside.

Davis Love III: +15000: Value bet here. Small, Small play here because of the value for a great ball striker.

I will also pick one of these two.

Sean O'Hair: +6000: I thought I would get better value here, but oh well. He is one of the best ball strikers out there and the greens are slow which will help him with the flat stick.

Bo Van Pelt: +14000: Great value for a guy having a great season. The type of unheralded player that is good enough to win.

I have one matchup:

Lee Westwood -120 over Rory McIlroy. 3 units. The young Irishman is one of my favorite players, but he has not shown well in the majors yet and Westwood should be there come Sunday.

I was thinking tiger.. my odds at +450.

Lee westwood I like ,but someone told me he is hurt. Calf muscle? Anyone know for sure on this? I will be looking thruout today for more info on that.

Cool you played there Uga. what are the par 3's like? Short? Will there be likely a hole in one. or NO hole in one.. This play keeps haunting me . I wanna say NO again. Gotta see what wind conditions likely good or bad..

back later..

I really think that this tournament is going to be won by a really long driver off the tee. I think there is a great long shot in Dustin Johnson +5500.

Props:
John Daly to miss the cut -110
Winning Margin 1 stroke +250
Top Asian player Ryo Ishikawa +475
Tiger Woods to make an eagle +115

I do not know about you guys, but everytime I watch the British Open I always want to plan that trip one day to play there.

I kind of disagree with your Dustin Johnson play. Distance isn't necessarily a key in Open golf...it's much more geared towards accuracy. There are some nasty pot bunkers that must be avoided. If you'll remember from the Open in 2000, Tiger didn't hit it in one single bunker during his 72 holes. Not one.

I've been in Hell bunker when my 3 wood didn't carry on my 2nd shot. So there I am. Lying 2, 80 yards from the green up against an 8 foot high wall. Impossible. It's ugly.

I'm still looking through some stuff, but found this website. Very helpful for the weather: http://www.fifeweather.co.uk/

As for Westwood's injury - it's his plantar. It's extremely painful, but he says it only affects his follow through. Don't know how that affects him if at all??? He hasn't been playing much to rest it, I do know that.

BBL

Here's what I'm looking at. Here are their results at the B.O. over the last 5 years. The fifth year being 2005 at the old course.

- = did not play

Ernie +1200 - T8, T7, T4, 3, T34

Goosen +3000 - T5, T32, T23, T14, T5

Paddy +1500 - T65, 1, 1, cut, -

Poulter +2000 - cut, 2, T27, cut, T11

Rose +1000 - T13, T70, T12, - , -

Woods +500 - cut, - , T12, 1, 1

Tiger may love this course but I just don't see him getting everything straightened out in a week. Sure he has the talent, somewhere, but I wouldn't bet him. They seem to be begging for money on him. He wasn't even +500 for the AT&T and look what happened there. Been wrong many time before though. I'm leaning to one of the South Africans at the moment. You can't really argue with Ernie's track record in this tournament, regardless of where it is. The Goose is coming off a T5 at the Traveler's but did miss the cut at the Barclays last week in Scotland along with Ernie.

the last 3 Open Championships at St. Andrews ('95, '00, '05) have had NO holes in one. The last two are:

Ben Crenshaw, 1984, 8th hole, 4th round

Tim Simpson, 1990, 11th hole, 4th round

FWIW....I have never bet on a golf tournament but follow closely. I actually worked the AT&T at Aronimink CC in Ardmore, PA 2 weeks ago. Justin Rose won and he is playing well. I like his chances at +1600. Tiger was at the AT&T but was busy with his foundation fund raisers and could care less about playing well. He has won the last 2 Opens at the Old Course. It's hard to bet against Tiger in any major. I am not a fan but at +500, looks like great odds to me. Obviously, the weather will play a big factor. Tiger & Justin Rose are going off early Thursday.

At +10,000, my dark horses are Tom Watson, Ryan Moore, and Jeff Overton. All great ball strikers and Watson still has game on the links style courses.

All bets will be very small, just to have a little action b/c I'm a degenerate.

My BB would be Rose vs. Harrington at -110. And NO hole in one.

UGA, I'm envious and hope to get to Scotland one of these years. I heard the courses in Ireland are much better than Scotland. May have to make 2 trips across the pond.

GL

Some good looks on your picks boys. UGA is a guest of the world apparently. He has played Augusta, he has witnessed two no hitters in the last 3 years and I think he kicked a field goal at half time for Dr. Pepper's $100k contest. OK some of those might be lies (except for the no-no's) but the man lives a charmed life. Invite is still open for a day of golf and fenway park with us massholes UGA.

Good luck and Enjoy.

Thanks Bear. Yes, I've been fortunate enough to take 2 trips to Scotland and play some amazing courses. Here's what I got so far:

Don't have much time for write-ups, but here goes:

1. Tiger to win +450
I think he hoists the Claret jug on Sunday afternoon. Guy owns this golf course, has a new putter in the bag.

2. Darren Clarke to win +8550
Sentimental pick.

3. Ernie Els to win +1615
I wish I could find odds on him to finish in the top 10. Definitely a play. This guy loves the Open Championship and has something to prove after his poor play in the 4th round of the US Open

4. Graeme McDowell to win +3050
Obviously playing well and being from this side of the pond, looks good at 30.5:1

5. Goosen +115 1st round vs Mickelson
Love this play. Traditionally, Retief plays well in the opening round and has several top 10s in the Open. Phil does not. Retief fired a 67 at Turnberry last year in his opening round as well as a 68 in the opening round at St. Andrews in 2005. Retief has 7 top 20s in the past 10 Opens. Phil has 3.

6. Goosen -115 over Tim Clark whole tournament
Riding the Goose again

7. Ernie Els -110 over Lee Westwood whole tournament
Like Goosen, Ernie loves the Open. Always plays well. Westwood nursing a plantar injury and has been resting. He could come out rusty and no telling out the hard fairways of St. Andrews will impact his injury.

May add 1 or 2 more tonight.
GL!

Uga

You can get that top 10 Els play on Bodog (+150). Just a heads up for you

but thanks. Wish I could, but no big deal.

Add....

8. Will Tom Watson make the cut? No +103
Love Tom and it's been a hell of a run, but I don't think he's got it in him this week. The weather is going to be bad and I just don't foresee him being able to hang in there.

Still looking for maybe one or two more....

Hi all,

here goes.
Justin Rose +1000
Lee westwood +1200
Zac johnson. +5000

NO hole in one -185


ernie Els...Top 20 -110
thinking of adding more on ernie..


GL all

What am I missing..Why is Eldrick +110 to make an eagle f/ entire tourney??

Time's a tickin' fellas..

Short Favorite: Ernie Els (18 to 1 odds to win)
Tiger hasnt been a sexy pick all season and Phil is so often a non-factor at the Open that Els brings great value and could be considered the outright favorite depending on how you look at things. Ernie has two PGA victories in 2010 and the 2002 Open Champ is on a run that has seen him in the top-10 at the British on five occasions since 2004. Els leads the Tour in money and on the FedEx list so his season has been consistent overall and his game has been good enough to produce the best scoring average on Tour. The Open requires so much imagination and experience, that it’s hard not to favor a veteran, especially one that is having a career renaissance.

Middle of the Road: Justin Rose (20 to 1 odds to win)
Rose is a very trendy pick by a lot of experts and rightfully so. Justin’s two victories on the year and his recent success at the Open (T13 in ’09 and T12 in ’07) make it too hard to ignore him with this pick. Rose is 13th in total driving and while St. Andrews isn’t the most demanding course from the tee, it does help to have a well rounded driving game in order to win. Justin also ranks in the top-33 in greens hit and putting average on the way to the 2nd best scoring mark and 7th best all around rank.

Longshot: Martin Kaymer (33 to 1 odds to win)
Most Americans may not know his name but the Euro PGA fans know exactly how talented this young German is. While not quite breaking through on the PGA Tour yet, his limited play has resulted in top-10 finishes in last year’s PGA Championship and this year’s U.S. Open. Kaymer enters the week in the 9th spot in the EPGA race to Dubai and is currently 13th in the Official World Rankings. His stats on the PGA Tour don’t tell the story, but his EPGA stats of 70% greens hit and 1.7 putts per green would have him in the top-10 in both categories on Tour in the states. The British has a way of letting accelerating the awareness of relative unknowns, so lookout for Herr Kaymer this weekend.

GL Gents!!!

added to my Els bet..top 20/

Thanks for all the info & Responses...Good luck All.

5. Goosen +115 1st round vs Mickelson
Love this play. Traditionally, Retief plays well in the opening round and has several top 10s in the Open. Phil does not. Retief fired a 67 at Turnberry last year in his opening round as well as a 68 in the opening round at St. Andrews in 2005. Retief has 7 top 20s in the past 10 Opens. Phil has 3.

Goosen 69
Mickelson 73

Winner!

GL!

NICe winner UGA on Goosen over Phil Rnd 1. Looks like Phil will make cut ..

But Ernie Top 20 is DEAD> He's gonna miss cut with a +7 today. +4 for tourney & projected cut +2. Bummer.. i'm set up for BAD if a hole in one happens..

rooting for Westwood now .. 6 back..

GLuck

I can bet to win after each round at VIP which is nice
Taking Oosty at 3-1 and his 5 shot lead
Took Westwood and Tiger after Round 1 8-1 and 7-2
respectively
Thinking about Casey at 5-1