Players to watch at the Open
Players to watch at the Open
Golfers are not created equal, Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood, and Luke Donald are mentioned frequently with regard to victory at the British Open, while others, ranking in the high teens and low twenties, could pose little to no threat to Oosthuizen's title defence. However, as the last two British Open winners, the South African and Stewart Cink, were first-time champions, it may be hard to pick a winner.The likelihood is that this year's Open will not be dominated by a single golfer and the unpredictable nature of the British weather and the unusual features of the Royal St George's course will lead to a very open contest. Ross Fisher, Nick Watney, Thomas Aiken, and Sergio Garcia, among others, could all challenge for the top ten in the 2011 British Open. Anyone looking at the Open 2011 golf betting shouldn't rule them out.
Notably, Aiken, described as the "best putter in the world", has accrued seven wins on the Sunshine Tour and a victory on the European Tour in 2011. His Open record, one tie for eighth in four attempts, is nothing to write home about, but at 27 the South African could become a fixture at the British Open in the coming years.
Watney and Garcia require no introduction, but the Englishman Fisher may not be as well known despite turning pro in 2004. Fisher finished fifth at the US Open in 2009, but his performance waned the following year. However, after a respectable finish at the Masters in 2011, the 30-year-old could engineer a surprise return to form at the British Open this week. The Betfair golf betting makes him an outsider, but he won't mind that.
Jeff Overton, Webb Simpson, Henrik Stenson, and Brian Davis are also worth watching at the Royal St. George's Golf Course, later this week.