Outright plays (1.5 units):
Jim Furyk to win 25/1 e.w. available generally
Only one player (Tiger Woods, 2000) has won both the U.S. and British Opens in the same year since Tom Watson in 1982. However, it had been done once in every ten years before then, so maybe it is not so preposterous. Royal St. George's is a very quirky course with blind shots and drives that land in the middle of the fairway and bounce into the rough. The patience of a U.S. Open champion will be required this week. Winner of the last major or not, he is in the form of his life with 11 top-10 finishes from 16 starts this year, plus he did finish 4th, 4th, 10th from 1997 to 1999 so he can plays links golf.
Darren Clarke to win 33/1 e.w. @ Easybets and BetInternet
Clarke was brought on links golf, so this does represent his best chance of securing a major. He has finished 2nd (1997) and 3rd (2001) already and could go better this year now that he has improved his putting. He had been "putting like a blind man" according to his manager, Andrew Chandler, so after the U.S. Open he spent a few days with the putting guru, Harold Swash. Now he has a new putter and a new technique and he has been rewarded with top-5 finishes in his last two events. This course threw up a British winner in 1985 and Clarke looks the best-placed to be one this time around.
Davis Love to win 40/1 e.w. @ Tote (6 places)
Large price, plus the extra place, for one of the favourites for the two previous majors this year. He has been faced with a family crisis following the suicide of his brother-in-law and manager, Jeff Knight, in May who was under investigation from the FBI for stealing as much as $1 million from accounts that he managed for Love. But this family crisis has been reflected in his odds for this event which have been steadily rising since May. But this price is too high. One of the things that his late father taught him was calmness in the eye of the storm. He displayed such a strength en route to winning three times this season and it was just as evident when he finished 7th in his first event after the family tragedy. In a new country and in an event in which he has prospered in recent years ? no worse than 21st in the last six Opens ? Love could be making new headlines next week.
Jim Furyk to win 25/1 e.w. available generally
Only one player (Tiger Woods, 2000) has won both the U.S. and British Opens in the same year since Tom Watson in 1982. However, it had been done once in every ten years before then, so maybe it is not so preposterous. Royal St. George's is a very quirky course with blind shots and drives that land in the middle of the fairway and bounce into the rough. The patience of a U.S. Open champion will be required this week. Winner of the last major or not, he is in the form of his life with 11 top-10 finishes from 16 starts this year, plus he did finish 4th, 4th, 10th from 1997 to 1999 so he can plays links golf.
Darren Clarke to win 33/1 e.w. @ Easybets and BetInternet
Clarke was brought on links golf, so this does represent his best chance of securing a major. He has finished 2nd (1997) and 3rd (2001) already and could go better this year now that he has improved his putting. He had been "putting like a blind man" according to his manager, Andrew Chandler, so after the U.S. Open he spent a few days with the putting guru, Harold Swash. Now he has a new putter and a new technique and he has been rewarded with top-5 finishes in his last two events. This course threw up a British winner in 1985 and Clarke looks the best-placed to be one this time around.
Davis Love to win 40/1 e.w. @ Tote (6 places)
Large price, plus the extra place, for one of the favourites for the two previous majors this year. He has been faced with a family crisis following the suicide of his brother-in-law and manager, Jeff Knight, in May who was under investigation from the FBI for stealing as much as $1 million from accounts that he managed for Love. But this family crisis has been reflected in his odds for this event which have been steadily rising since May. But this price is too high. One of the things that his late father taught him was calmness in the eye of the storm. He displayed such a strength en route to winning three times this season and it was just as evident when he finished 7th in his first event after the family tragedy. In a new country and in an event in which he has prospered in recent years ? no worse than 21st in the last six Opens ? Love could be making new headlines next week.
