Tiger Woods Favored at 2006 British Open
When the 135th British Open returns to Royal Liverpool for the first time since 1967 this weekend, all eyes will be on Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson as they try to rebound from their disastrous showings at last month’s U.S. Open.
Although he missed the cut at a major for the first time as a professional, PinnacleSports.com lists Woods as the favorite to defend his British Open title, while Mickelson has been installed with the second best odds despite his monumental collapse on the final hole at Winged Foot.
The largest sports betting site on the Internet, PinnacleSports.com has
calculated odds on over 100 golfers participating in The Open Championship
with Woods listed as an overwhelming 5/1 favorite to win his third Claret
Jug. Reigning Masters champion Phil Mickelson is 11/1 to capture his first
British Open title at Hoylake, followed by Vijay Singh at 15/1.
PinnacleSports.com lists 2002 Open winner Ernie Els at 16/1 to win his
second Claret Jug, while Padraig Harrington (20/1), Retief Goosen (20/1),
Luke Donald (25/1), and Jim Furyk (30/1) should also be in the hunt at
Royal Liverpool.
Last year’s runner-up at St. Andrews, Colin Montgomerie (33/1) heads the
list of Europeans hoping to win the Open Championship which also includes:
Darren Clarke (35/1), Sergio Garcia (40/1), Paul Casey (45/1) and Thomas
Bjorn (45/1). Aussie Adam Scott (40/1) and South African Trevor Immelman
should be in contention, while U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy stands at
45/1 to win his second consecutive major championship. Meanwhile, 1995
Open champ John Daly (200/1), 2001 winner David Duval (250/1) and
three-time champion Nick Faldo (400/1) are all long shots to add another
Claret Jug to their resumes.
“The nine week layoff before the U.S. Open definitely took its toll on
Tiger, so we fully expect him to rebound from his worst performance in a
major as a professional,” said Simon Noble of PinnacleSports.com. “Woods
may be the overwhelming favorite, but he’s never won The Open outside of St. Andrews, which should leave the door open for the field.
After his Van de Velde-like collapse on the 18th at Winged Foot, Phil
Mickelson’s mental toughness will surely be tested at the links at Hoylake
this weekend.”
