in Golf Articles

The third major tournament of the season gets underway next Thursday morning, with the best golfers in the world traveling to Carnoustie Golf Links in eastern Scotland for the 2007 edition of the British Open (or, if you hail from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, the 2007 Open Championship). But will the ancient golf course be able to tame Tiger?

Tiger Woods has won the British Open in each of the last two years, picking up the trophy at both Royal Liverpool in 2006 and St. Andrews (for the second time) in 2005. The last time this event was played at Carnoustie (back in 1999), though, Woods ‘only’ managed to tie for seventh place. Paul Lawrie was the winner that year, as he beat Justin Leonard and the infamous Jean Van De Velde in a four-hole playoff for the title.

Woods, though, is still the favorite this time around.

Here’s a look at the top contenders:

Tiger Woods

Odds to win: +200

World ranking: 1st

Woods has managed to finish in the Top 10 in each of the past four British Open tournaments, and he hasn’t ended up lower than second place in a major since missing the cut at last year’s U.S. Open. In fact, in his last 10 major tournaments Woods has four victories, three second-place results, a third-place finish, and a fourth-place finish.

Ernie Els

Odds to win: +800

World ranking: 5th

Els hasn’t been much of a factor in major tournaments over the past few years – outside of a third-place result at the British Open in 2006. Els missed the cut at The Masters earlier this year, and finished tied for 51st place at the U.S. Open. Els did manage to win the British Open back in 2002 (at Muirfield), and finished tied for 24th place in 1999.

Phil Mickelson

Odds to win: +1200

World ranking: 3rd

Mickelson finished third at the British Open in 2004 at Royal Troon, but since then he’s ended up 60th and 22nd in that event. Lefty has also had a rough time at major tournaments in 2007, as he was tied for 24th at The Masters and he missed the cut at the U.S. Open. Mickelson missed the cut in this tournament at Carnoustie back in 1999.

Retief Goosen

Odds to win: +1600

World ranking: 11th

Goosen has ended up in the Top 10 at the British Open six times since 1997, but his best result has been a fifth-place finish at St. Andrews in 2005. Goosen ended up tied for second place at The Masters earlier this year, but he missed the cut at the U.S. Open last month. At Carnoustie back in 1999, Goosen ended up in a tie for 10th place.

Padraig Harrington

Odds to win: +2000

World ranking: 10th

Harrington hasn’t had a strong finish at the British Open since 2002, when he ended up tied for fifth place at Muirfield. Harrington also ended up tied for fifth at Royal Troon back in 1997, but those are his only two Top-10 results. The native of Ireland was seventh at The Masters, missed the U.S. Open cut, and was 29th at Carnoustie in 1999.

Vijay Singh

Odds to win: +2000

World ranking: 6th

The British Open is a major tournament that Singh has never won – his best results were a second-place finish at Royal St. George’s in 2003 and fifth at St. Andrews in 2005; Singh missed the cut at Royal Liverpool last year, and at Carnoustie back in 1999. In the two major tourneys this year Singh has finished 13th (The Masters) and 20th (U.S. Open).

Henrik Stenson

Odds to win: +2000

World ranking: 7th

Stenson has played the British Open only three times in his career – he missed the cut in 2001 at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, was tied for 34th at St. Andrews in 2005, and was tied for 48th in 2006 at Royal Liverpool. In the two major tournaments so far this year Stenson has finished in 17th place (The Masters) and missed the cut (the U.S. Open).

Jim Furyk

Odds to win: +2200

World ranking: 2nd

Furyk followed up two fourth-place British Open results by ending up tied for 10th at Carnoustie in 1999 – but he then missed the cut in five of six British Opens tourneys before finishing fourth at Royal Liverpool in 2006. Furyk finished tied for second at the U.S. Open last month, and ended up back in 13th place at The Masters earlier this year.

Luke Donald

Odds to win: +2500

World ranking: 9th

Donald’s best British Open result came at Royal Liverpool last year – but that was a tie for 35th place. The Englishman missed the cut at Carnoustie in his first British Open appearance in 1999, and he didn’t actually advance to the weekend in the event until 2005 (he was 52nd). Donald was 10th at The Masters and he missed the U.S. Open cut.

Sergio Garcia

Odds to win: +2500

World ranking: 12th

Garcia has ended up in the Top 10 at five of the past six British Open tournaments (he missed the cut at Royal Troon in 2004), and he is coming off back-to-back fifth-place showings at the event. Garcia missed the cut at Carnoustie back in 1999, and he also missed the cut at both The Masters and the U.S. Open in a forgettable launch to 2007.

Adam Scott, who is fourth in the World Rankings, is currently listed at +3000 to win the British Open next week, the same odds given to World No. 8 Geoff Ogilvy. Trevor Immelman is also pegged at +3000 to pick up a major victory next Sunday. U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera is listed at +4000 odds, while Masters champion Zach Johnson is farther down the chart at +5000 odds.

Here are the other notables to win:

• Paul Casey +3500
• Stuart Appleby +5000
• David Howell +5000
• Colin Montgomerie +5000
• Chris DiMarco +5500
• Thomas Bjorn +6000
• Michael Campbell +6000
• Tim Clark +6000
• Darren Clarke +6000
• Davis Love III +6000
• Jose Maria Olazabal +6000
• Ian Poulter +6600
• Lee Westwood +6600
• David Toms +7000
• Mike Weir +7000
• Stewart Cink +7500

The golfers of the PGA Tour will head back over the Atlantic for the following week’s event, the 2007 PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club (August 9-12).

Federer might be winning everything except clay these days, but with online sports betting in the tennis lines, odds and props to earn cold, hard cash!