in Golf Articles

For those of you who are new to British Open.

The first thing prospective bettors should know about wagering in golf is that it can be very lucrative. With golf, bettors can either wager on any single individual to win a tournament (Betting To Win) or take part in what is called "Matchup Betting."

Matchup betting involves wagers where bettors can bet on matchups that have been created by oddsmakers specifically for betting purposes.

"Betting to Win" an event like The British Open is the most popular way to bet on golf and, with numerous tournaments each year, "Betting to Win" offers golf bettors ample opportunities to win serious cash.

Remember, not all of the competitors in a golf tournament may be individually listed to win the event. In this case, bettors have another option to wager on and that would be to bet the “field,” which includes all other competitors not listed.

One other thing prospective bettors should keep in mind is the fact that major upsets occur in golf far more often that in other sports. A “field” wager gives the bettor more than one golfer that could possibly win the event for them.

Finally, bettors can make “futures” wagers on golf, which can be very advantageous as the odds on “futures” bets are often much more appealing than betting on an event just prior to the start.

Bettors could theoretically get better odds on a golfer three to six months before a tournament actually begins than as the tournament draws closer.

For instance, a bettor making a “futures” bet on Tiger Woods winning the 2008 PGA Championship would undeniably get better odds now than just prior to the tournament in 2008.

Here are some important reminders when it comes to wagering on golf.

If you have time, research some of the golfers’ history - particularly how they perform on a particular course - since most tournaments are held on the same course each year. Remember, some courses will play to your golfer’s weaknesses while others will play to their strengths.

If you are already a knowledgeable golf bettor who generally has a good feel for whom to wager on, trust your instincts, as they will generally be correct far more often than not.

Let’s take a look at the odds for the 2007 British Open, followed by some vital information on some of the “favorites” to win.

To Win 2007 British Open:

• Tiger Woods +200
• Ernie Els +800
• Phil Mikelson +1200
• Retief Goosen +1600
• Vijay Singh +2000
• Sergio Garcia +2500
• Luke Donald +2500
• Jim Furyk +2200
• Padraig Harrington +2000
• Adam Scott +3000
• Darren Clarke +6000
• Trevor Immelman +3000
• Colin Montgomerie +5000
• Geoff Ogilvy +3000
• Stuart Appleby +5000
• Mike Weir +7000
• Tim Clark +6000
• Paul Casey +3500
• Chris DiMarco +5500
• David Toms +7000

Here is a look at last year’s top 10 finishers in the 2006 British Open.

1. Tiger Woods -18

2. Chris DiMarco -16

3. Ernie Els -13

4. Jim Furyk -12

5. Sergio Garcia -11

6. Hideto Tanihara -11

7. Angel Cabrera -10

8. Andres Romero -9

9. Adam Scott -9

10. Carl Petterson -9

Tiger Woods

This year’s field is headed by World No. 1 Tiger Woods, who offers bettors decent odds at +200, particularly for a player that may stand the best chance of actually winning the tournament.

Ernie Els

Next in line is Ernie Els and, as bettors can see from Els’ third-place finish last season, he should definitely be in the hunt this year as well and offers bettors the opportunity to win $800 on a $100 wager.

Phil Mickelson

Though Mickelson has struggled over the course of his career when playing In Europe, “Lefty” generally raises the level of his play in majors and is one of the few players on the planet actually capable of challenging Woods week in and week out.

Retief Goosen

Goosen has an outstanding British Open record, finishing no worse than 14th the last six times he has competed in the event. Though Goosen can be maddeningly inconsistent in other tournaments, something about the British Open brings out the best in Goosen. At +1600, every golf bettor should think about laying some money on him to win.

Vijay Singh

Singh has played well in majors this year, finishing in a tie for 13th at the Masters and tied for 20th at the U.S. Open. Singh wants to win the British Open in the worst way and should be a factor at Carnoustie because of his nearly impeccable driving. With the opportunity to win $200 for a $100 bet, Singh is definitely a player worth taking a shot on.

Sergio Garcia

Garcia closed strong over the final two rounds in last year’s British Open to finish in fifth. Though he has yet to win a major, Garcia is still a player that is capable of upsetting any of the aforementioned players. At +2500, the odds certainly couldn’t get much better.

The rest of the top 10 picks on odds are Luke Donald (+2500), Jim Furyk (+2200), Padraig Harrington (+2000), Adam Scott (+3000) and Darren Clarke at +6000.

Other notables include DiMarco (+5500), Angel Cabrera (+4000), Carl Petterson (+10000) and Henrik Stenson (+2000).

Analysis: Bettors will want to look at laying some money, even if it isn’t much, on Woods to win this tournament for a third consecutive year.

Woods just missed winning his first major of 2007 last month with his second place finish at the U.S. Open and should be fully focused after becoming a new father shortly after the Open.

My other top picks for bettors to focus on in the 2007 British Open would have to be some of the longer hitters on tour who also have solid short games.

In addition to Woods (295.3 yards per drive), those golfers would be, Charles Howell III (299.9), Kenny Perry (296.5), Els (295.5), Adam Scott (295.5), and Mickelson (294.3).

Dark horses: I hate to put such accomplished golfers in the “dark horse” category, but there are two veteran golfers I believe stand an excellent chance of walking away with the 2007 British Open hardware.

Angel Cabrera

Cabrera finished tied for 37th at the Masters this year before following that up by winning the U.S. Open.

Cabrera may be the hottest golfer on the planet right now and, at +4000, a player I encourage every golf bettor to wager on in this year’s British Open. Cabrera finished just one shot out of a playoff at Carnoustie in 1999.

Colin Montgomerie

Montgomerie may have missed the cut in both majors this year, but after winning for the first time in two years in Europe at The K Club last week, Montgomerie should be brimming with confidence entering this tournament. Though Montgomerie hasn’t faired well at many majors throughout his illustrious career, he wants to win a British Open in the worst way and could contend if he doesn’t get a case of the “nerves.” At +500, he is certainly worth a shot.

Take a swing at online sports betting in the BetUS.com today to make betting on golf earn you cash.