in Golf Articles

They’ve played just two rounds at Oakmont – but it probably feels more like 20.

Angel Cabrera, known as El Pato (“The Duck”) in his native Argentina, was atop the 2007 U.S. Open leaderboard at even par after Friday’s action. But Cabrera was still clearly growing more and more frustrated with Oakmont as the second round wore on. Oakmont is playing tough, as was expected heading into the Open. The cut was +10, which means Phil Mickelson (+11) and Paddy Harrington (+13) are among the unfortunates not playing this weekend.

Should Cabrera go on to win the U.S. Open, it will be his first-ever major after 18 years playing pro golf in Central America and on the European Tour. It will also be a fantastic payday for those bettors who went fishing for value on the futures market. Cabrera is the kind of golfer many handicappers look for when they’re not going to bet on Tiger Woods or Mickelson. He’s played some very good golf at the majors, finishing in the Top 10 on six occasions. And Cabrera’s form on the European Tour has been very good of late: 305.35 yards per drive and a career-best 84 percent rate on finding the green in regulation.

That happens to be the kind of form that will come in very handy at the British Open. You may recall the last time that event was held at Carnoustie Golf Links (hint: Jean Van de Velde). Whether or not Cabrera actually comes through in the end at Oakmont, he merited some serious consideration Friday as a +6000 long shot to win the Claret Jug. Other British Open “value” picks who finished Round 2 within three strokes of Cabrera were Paul Casey (+3500), Carl Pettersson (+10000), David Toms (+7000) and Scott Verplank (+8000).

And then there’s Tiger, lurking in the weeds (literally this time) at +5. His second round was a little shakier than Thursday’s opener, which he finished at one over par. Woods only found six of the 14 fairways on the course; however, Oakmont is using a graduated cut for its rough, ranging from “intermediate” at 1.75 inches to “deep” at five inches. Landing in the intermediate rough is no reason to panic; you can still swing for the pin, at least if you’re Tiger Woods.

If you’re among the many bettors who will support Woods at the British Open, there won’t be the same rush to grab him at +200 as there will be to take a flyer on Cabrera before his odds shorten. Don’t forget to keep those Angel eyes on the futures market to see how it fluctuates over the weekend.

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