Open Championship Betting Preview

All eyes in the golfing world will be turned towards Royal St Georges and the Open Championship which gets underway on Thursday.

The world’s elite descend on the Kent coast with dreams of snatching the much-prized Claret Jug away from its current custodian, South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen, who won at St. Andrews in 2010.

Since it last held the Open in 2003, Royal St Georges has been lengthened some 100yards while seeing its par cut to 70. Tiered plateau-style greens are guarded by caveronous bunkers, while thick rough adorns the fairways. The course tends to suit long-hitters who can scramble and putt well.

While Louis Oosthuizen is the defending champion, Ben Curtis is the course champion having won the Open Championship when it was last played here as a 300/1 rank outsider. But I think this week’s winner is going to be a lot shorter.

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Guide to Royal St George’s – where the Open will be won and lost

Revered by many as one of the toughest courses on the Open rota, Royal St George’s Golf Club or Sandwich as it is known by many provides a stern test for all who are fortunate enough to walk on its fast running fairways.

As the venue of the Open Championship on 13 previous occasions, the 2011 event will see the world’s top golfers do battle in the Garden of England to try and claim golf’s oldest Major championship. We take a look at the course and where we see the Open being won and lost over the coming days. Read more

Monty finishes last in Open Qualifying event at Sunningdale

Colin Montgomerie’s run of 21 successive appearances in the British Open championship looks in jeopardy of making it to 22 after the big Scot finished last in his qualifying event at Sunningdale on Monday.

Montgomerie, who recently finished in the top-10 at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, struggled for form last week at The Celtic Manor and that bad run seemed to carry on into yesterday with Montgomerie carding a 36-hole total of 6-over par 145 to leave him well outside the 10 places up for grabs.

Montgomerie finished a full 18 shots behind winner Graeme Storm, who shot rounds of 65 and 62 on the Old and New courses respectively to finish three shots ahead of the Saab Wales Open winner Alex Noren.

Also booking their place for Sandwich next month were Scot Peter Whiteford, England’s Gary Boyd and 2002 Open runner-up Thomas Levet; the trio finishing a further shot behind.

The five remaining places went to English pair Kenneth Ferrie and Richard McEvoy, Frenchman Gregory Bourdy, Spaniard Alejandro Canizares and South African George Coetzee, who claimed the final spot through a five-man playoff. Coetzee finally booked his place with a 20-foot birdie putt on the sixth extra hole to see off Pablo Larrazabal for the final slot in the Open field.

Scot Marc Warren and Spain’s Ignacio Garrido were both disqualified after playing the wrong ball.

All is not lost for Montgomerie, however, and he could still yet qualify should he card a top-5 finish at either the French or Scottish Opens. Alternatively, he could qualify via one of the two spots available through a mini-money list on the European Tour that continuew with this week’s Italian Open.

Sandwich changes to make for tough Open Championship Test

The R&A yesterday announced a raft of changes that are being made to Royal St. George’s – the venue for the 2011 Open Championship.

The world’s top golfers will descend on the Kent course in July in a bid to wrest the famous Claret Jug from the grasp of its current custodian, South African Louis Oosthuizen. But to do so, they will have to contend with a course that will play considerably tougher than in past years.

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Royal St.Georges Golf Tours

Wending its way through the sand-dunes of the Kent coast, Royal St. Georges is perhaps one of the UKs premier links golf courses, and as one of the golf courses which feature on the Open Championship rotation golfers are assured an excellent test.

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