The newly crowned US Open champion, Webb Simpson, could miss the Open Championship in July in order to be at home for the birth of his second child, according to his wife (Simpson 40/1 Open outright).
The 26-year-old became the 15th different winner of a major championship in a row when he came from the chasing pack to claim the title at Olympic Club on Sunday.
The American shot back-to-back 68s in the third and final rounds to win in San Francisco at the weekend, celebrating in the locker room with his wife Dowd as overnight leaders Graeme McDowell and Jim Furyk fluffed their chance to force a play-off.
The next major will take the world’s top players to Royal Lytham in Lancashire but the new US Open champion might not be amongst them.
The tournament starts four weeks on Thursday but Simpson’s wife is due to give birth in six weeks, the American’s partner claiming her husband may miss the competition to stay at home in order to make sure he doesn’t miss the birth.
“I don’t think he is going to play the British Open just in case I go into labour,” she told reporters following Simpson’s victory in San Francisco. “It would make Webb too nervous to hop over the pond and then have to try to get back.”
Simpson impressed on his debut at the Open last year, finishing 16th in tricky conditions at Sandwich and shooting a first-round 66.
The current favourite for the Open is Tiger Woods at 11/2, despite the 14-time major winner finishing seven over at the US Open at the weekend following a poor couple of final rounds.
Tags: 1st round leader, european tour, match bets, Open championship, outright winner, tiger woods, US Open, USPGA Tour, webb simpson
Golf, US Open | Golf Betting News | June 18, 2012 12:11 |
Rory McIlroy insists he will not look to change the way he plays over the weekend at Congressional despite holding a six-shot lead at the halfway stage of the US Open (McIlroy 1/3 with bet365 to win US Open).
The Northern Irishman began his second round with a three-shot lead after a sensational opening 65 on Thursday and things got even better on Friday as he continued to pepper the flag and pick up shots with regularity to finish on 11-under par after 36 holes.
He reserved his best for the eighth hole when he holed his second shot for an eagle and it was another sensational display by the 22-year-old.
His only blemish came at his final hole when he found the water and made a double bogey and that saw him slip back from 13-under par – a score that had never before been achieved in the history of the US Open.
It would appear as though the rest of the field are now playing for second place, with Korean YE Yang currently next in the standings at -5, but McIlroy will have his final-round meltdown at the Masters in the back of his mind, where he blew a four-shot lead to slip way down the field after a woeful round of 80 on the Sunday (Yang 4/1 to win outright without McIlroy with bet365).
But the Holywood-born star is adamant that he will not look to just defend his lead on Saturday and Sunday even though it is unlikely that anyone else will be able to get near him if he manages to keep bogeys off his card.
“I still have to be aggressive and go for my targets like I have over the first couple of days, but really par golf from here in could be good enough,” he said.
“I’ve got to go out there and play the way I have been playing, be aggressive to the targets I pick and make very committed swings.”
The Masters champions Charl Schwartzel (55/1 to win outright with bet365) is looking forward to the US Open as he feels capable of winning the tournament.
The South African won the Masters earlier this year thanks to a run of four consecutive birdies in his final four holes and he is now hoping to emulate compatriot Ernie Els, who was the last man to win the US Open at Congressional (Els 75/1 to win 2011 tournament with bet365).
Schwartzel is hoping to play a practice round with Els in order to get some valuable tips ahead of teeing off for the first round.
He claims he feels “comfortable” playing at Congressional and feels like a contender for the title.
He said: “Coming to this golf course this week, it’s another one that feels good to me. It’s all in front of me, and I’m actually quite excited about this week.
“This actually is a ball-striking contest. I think I’d describe myself as a pretty good ball-striker, and I like that. Scoring is not low, and playing good golf you always stand a chance,” added Schwartzel (11/4 to be top South African in US Open).
Ernie Els has been one of the top competitors in his sport since the mid-nineties, and will this week be looking to end a barren patch of majors that now stretches back to 2002. In the nine years that has passed since he won his last – the British Open at Muirfield – he has remained on the periphery of the game that he once helped to dominate, but he will be looking to formally announce his comeback to the world when the 2011 US Open commences on Thursday.
The event is to be played at the Congressional Country Golf Club in Maryland, Virginia – a course that Els will surely have some fond memories of being as though he won this event on the very same course back in 1997. He went into that tournament fourteen years ago on the back of having missed the cut for the competition which immediately preceded the tournament – and it would appear that once again he will be entering the competition on the back of some indifferent form. The Golf US Open odds suggest he will need to pull something out of the bag to get in contention this time around.
Winning his second US Open title acted as a springboard for the South African, who that season went on to win two PGA Tour events as well as four other titles, and will be hoping that another strong showing at Congressional this year will again pave the way for further success, although those planning to bet on 2011 US Open may have their doubts about his ability to cut it at the highest level.
This year, he has somewhat struggled on the PGA Tour and is without a top-10 finish in his last eleven attempts – not that “The Big Easy” will be letting that statistic get under his skin. Speaking of his triumph at Congressional in 1997, he was in upbeat form regarding his chances this time around.
“I didn’t come in here [in 1997] with a lot of form so I was a little bit on shaky ground, but the weekend before the U.S. Open started, I did a lot of work here at the course. I didn’t screw up too bad in the first round and then it started happening for me,” he said.
Last year at Pebble Beach, Els came within touching distance of winning his third US Open title having led the field for a time on the final day, only to finish two strokes behind eventual winner Graeme McDowell.
Ernie Els says English duo Luke Donald and Lee Westwood (both 12/1 – US Open 2011 Outright with bet365) are the most likely to end Britain’s long wait for a US Open winner this week at the Congressional in Maryland.
The South African star, who was the last winner of the US Open when it was played at Congressional in 1997, believes they have the patience to plot their way around the tree-lined, 7,574-yard course safely.
Defending champion Graeme McDowell, who won at Pebble Beach last year, warned no-one will break par after playing a practice round near Washington last month.
But Els believes the top two players in the world have the steady games to emulate Tony Jacklin’s 1970 victory – the last time a player from these shores triumphed at the major.
He said: “The guys who played well at Wentworth will do well at the US Open.
“And Westwood and Donald played great there because they understand how to play Majors where the cream rises to the top.
“You don’t see Major championships won at 17-under anymore.
“You have to play with your head – if you go at every flag you will get burnt.”
Australia’s Adam Scott has linked up with Steve Williams for this week’s US Open at the Congressional, following the caddie’s usual employer Tiger Woods’ withdrawal from the tournament with injury. Scott has been without a permanent caddie since splitting with his long-term bag-man Tony Navarro, linking up with potential suitors on a tournament by tournament basis.
Although Williams’ decision to take the job with Scott has fuelled all sorts of rumours regarding Tiger’s long-term future, the Aussie has added a winning formula to his team ahead of the second major of the year. Scott has maintained the partnership will be just a short-term deal, claiming he is just happy the experienced Williams accepted the role.
“With Tiger injured this was a great opportunity to have a caddie like Steve fill in. It is just a temporary thing till Tiger returns. I am grateful that he wanted to do it,” he said.
After a stunning display at Augusta in April which resulted in Scott finishing just behind winner Charl Schwartzel in a tie for second with fellow Aussie Jason Day, the pressure will now be on the world number 28 to see if he can once again be in contention come Sunday. The Masters showed that the sometimes erratic Scott can, when fully focused, put together a performance in the big tournaments. The problem for the 30-year-old has been lack of consistency, something he will need to achieve if he is to challenge the top players on a regular basis and those following the US Open golf betting will know this.
The US Open hasn’t been a particularly successful major for Scott since making his debut in 2002. A tie for 21st in 2006, stands as Scott’s best finish in this tournament, something he will be looking to improve this week. Last year at Pebble Beach and Scott had a disappointing week which resulted in him missing his fifth cut in nine appearances at the event. The golf betting indicates he needs to improve.
Clearly Scott has the talent, it is just a question as to whether or not he has what it takes to be a major force in the sport. Another impressive showing at a major this year though and some of those doubts would subside.
Tiger Woods appears to be philosophical over the fact he will not feature at next week’s US Open because of ongoing injury problems (Luke Donald and Lee Westwood – 10/1 joint favourites – US Open Outright with bet365).
The world number 15 is on his way back from knee and Achilles trouble but the US Open in Maryland comes too soon for the 14-time major winner.
Woods is now focusing on the AT & T National at the end of the month for his comeback having not been seen on a course since pulling out of the Players Championship last month in Sawgrass after just nine holes.
“It’s been a frustrating and difficult year, but I’m committed to my long-term health,” Woods said. “I want to thank the fans for their encouragement and support. I am truly grateful and will be back playing when I can.”
Defending champion Graeme McDowell (40/1 – US Open – Outright) admits the US Open will be poorer for the absence of Woods as “he has been golf for the last 15 years”.
After Westwood and Donald, Phil Mickelson is expected to challenge and can be backed at 11/1.
Rory McIlroy believes his display at the Memorial Tournament will stand him in good stead for next week’s US Open (McIlroy 18/1 to win US Open with bet365).
The Northern Irishman finished fifth in Ohio with an 11-under par total of 277, as US veteran Steve Stricker took the title by one shot from Matt Kuchar and Brandt Jobe.
He looked on course to make a real challenge for the title after a first-round 66 at Muirfield Village but failed to build on his opening 18 holes until the final day, leaving himself too much to do to catch the leaders.
The 22-year-old’s last outing in a major ended in disaster, as he blew a four-shot lead at the Masters to card a final-round 80 and slip way down the field.
But far from wallowing in misery, the Ryder Cup star has been competing around the world and looked to be back to somewhere near his best last week stateside.
With the year’s second major set to begin on June 16 at the Congressional, the players are all looking to fine-tune their games for another tilt at glory, and McIlroy feels that if he can avoid making too many errors then he will be in good shape in Maryland.
“It was a great way to finish the tournament,” he said. “I played really good this week. I just made a few too many mistakes, which really cost me.
“We’ll have to try and cut those out before the US Open in a couple of weeks’ time. But there are definitely a lot of positives to take from how I’ve played.”
Tags: 72 hole betting, Brandt Jobe, golf coupon, hole by hole, Matt Kuchar, memorial tournament, outright winner, rory mcilroy, Ryder Cup, Steve Stricker, US Open
US Open | Golf Betting News | June 6, 2011 17:30 |
Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell says he is excited about the prospect of defending his US Open title despite his disappointing weekend at the recent Wales Open held at Celtic Manor (McDowell 33/1 to defend his title successfully).
McDowell appeared to be at the top of his game after shooting two superb opening rounds of 64 and 63 but stuttered to a disappointing third round of 81 and then followed it up with a level-par final round to finish in 30th place.
McDowell, who won his first major at the US Open at Pebble Beach last year, will now take a week off to recharge his batteries before heading to Florida for a weekend of intense practice. He’ll then travel up to Washington early next week and try to rebuild his form before the start of the tournament that takes place between 16th-19th June at Congressional.
Despite his difficult weekend, the Ulsterman insists that he is remaining calm and will not be pushing the panic button as he believes he still has the game to win the sport’s top prizes (McDowell 25/1 to win the Open).
“I am not disturbed about my game in any shape or form,” he said. “My game is in good shape, it’s firing on all cylinders.
“Of course, I have work to do between now and Congressional, but Saturday was just a bit of an anomaly. I lost the feel of my swing a little bit,” McDowell added.
Jack Nicklaus feels Luke Donald has the game to be successful at this month’s US Open (Donald 10/1 Outright Winner with bet365), but the golfing legend still sees Tiger Woods as the world number one.
Donald secured top spot in the world rankings with victory in last week’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and now the Englishman has his sights set on a major title.
The 32-year-old (11/2 to win a major this year) has been on an amazing run in 2011, with eight top-10 finishes including two victories, as all eyes focus on Congressional.
Nicklaus has been full of praise for Donald’s hard work on the practice ground and feels he “should do well” in the US Open which starts on June 16.
The 18-time major winner though still feels Woods, who has slipped to 13th in the standings, is the player the others measure themselves against.
The 35-year-old has not won a tournament since November 2009 and is currently in a race against time to be fit this month’s major, having been sidelined by knee and Achilles problems.
Nicklaus admits that he would not like to see Woods break his record of 18 major titles, but wants to see him fit enough to have the “opportunity to play to break records”.
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The newly crowned US Open champion, Webb Simpson, could miss the Open Championship in July in order to be at home for the birth of his second child, according to his wife (Simpson 40/1 Open outright).
