The British Open Golf Championship By Centaur Academy SO WHO ARE THE LIKELY CONTENDERS THIS YEAR? The game of golf worldwide has never been more competitive and the last 9 majors have gone to 9 different players from 6 countries. So what lies in store for those players tackling the 140th British Open Golf Championship? This year’s Open takes place at Royal St Georges, Sandwich in Kent and like all British Open venues, this is a tough links course. This will be the 14th time the course has hosted the Open and the last winner here was American Ben Curtis in 2003.
The British Open Golf Championship By Centaur Academy SO WHO ARE THE LIKELY CONTENDERS THIS YEAR? The game of golf worldwide has never been more competitive and the last 9 majors have gone to 9 different players from 6 countries. So what lies in store for those players tackling the 140th British Open Golf Championship? This year’s Open takes place at Royal St Georges, Sandwich in Kent and like all British Open venues, this is a tough links course. This will be the 14th time the course has hosted the Open and the last winner here was American Ben Curtis in 2003. The course is regarded by some as one of the most difficult in golf as the hazards are not always clearly visible from the tees. Add to that the undulating and sloped fairways, meaning that the second shot is more than likely to be from an uneven lie, and this year’s champion will need to be at the top of his game. How do we find the winner? Let’s look for a thinking golfer, used to links courses with strong winds, one who can putt well, and we may have someone in contention come Sunday afternoon. So who are the likely contenders this year? The favourite with the bookmakers is Tiger Woods at around 5/1, and whilst he is a three time winner of the claret jug and a great links player, he offers no value until he has proved he can win again. Phil Mickelson has never looked entirely comfortable in this tournament and it is hard to be confident about any of the Americans without seeing their form leading into the tournament. Dustin Johnson, Nick Watney, Steve Stricker and Hunter Mahan would be worth checking out at the time. It seems sensible to concentrate on British and Rest of The World players but check on their form leading into the event. Lee Westwood can never be discounted as he looks sure to win a major sooner rather than later but at 14/1 he is a solid each-way bet but not top value. More value lies in the Northern Irish pair, Graeme McDowell (25/1) and Rory McIllroy (16/1) as they both grew up playing on some of the windiest links courses around. McIllroy will surely have learnt from his two recent disappointments in majors whilst McDowell is a major winner already having secured the US Open last year. Two time winner Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald and Martin Kaymer are all capable of going close but two interesting outsiders to consider are the Aussie pair, Adam Scott and Geoff Ogilvy both available at 50/1. They both play well in the wind, Ogilvy is a past major winner and Scott has new found confidence in his “belly putter” so they will both be a danger to all if they arrive in Kent in good form. For Centaur’s in depth British Open analysis checkout our Daily Trader message on Tuesday, 12th July at www.centauracademy.com/traderclub . We are also hosting a FREE Online Seminar on the 12th July and for those who cannot attend a downloadable link will be sent to everyone the next day. To register on our seminar please visit www.centauracademy.com/golf . Contact: Tel: 020 7877 5040