Betting Update; Australian Open with the bookmakers making Ogilvy their 13/2 favourite

Added: (Wed Dec 10 2008)

Pressbox (Press Release) - Australian OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

WHERE: The Royal Sydney Golf Club, Rose Bay, Sydney.

COURSE CHARACTERISTICS: The par-72 layout is situated close to a harbour to the north, while the open sea is just a one-iron shot away to the east. The prevailing winds can cause plenty of problems to players at all levels of skill as it can come from the north-east and swing to the south-east. There are just two par four holes. Legendary Australian golfer Peter Thomson’s company relaid the greens in the 1980s and made them more undulating, which gives the organisers plenty of opportunities for tricky pin placement. It’s a tough start with the first hole approached from an elevated tee and although it is easily driveable for the long hitters the raised green is surrounded by deep bunkering.

THE MAIN MEN

GEOFF OGILVY: The 31-year-old Victorian may be a major winner but up until last week he had yet to break his duck on home soil. Finally rectified that anomaly last week when posting a flawless bogey-free final round to land the Australian PGA Championship. He’s played in this tournament twice in the last two years and very nearly took home the first prize in 2006 when a shot second to John Senden. Clearly the form horse the way he kept his nerve last week at Coolum and likely to play a prominent part once again. BEST PRICE: 7-1

ROBERT ALLENBY: He landed this title three years ago at Moonah Links when a final round of 77 in appalling conditions was enough to pick up the Stonehaven Cup. He was slightly disappointing when defending his crown in 2006 when a never-in-contention 21st, however, he did close with a 67 which was only equalled or bettered by four other golfers. He had been in decent form prior to last week’s PGA Championship so it was a little disheartening to see him finish 21st behind Ogilvy, but once again he saved his best to last finishing with an excellent 69 which saw him climb nine places. His mother’s grave illness, naturally enough, is no doubt weighing heavily on his mind at present. BEST PRICE: 11-1

ROD PAMPLING: The Queenslander has struck form with a vengeance lately following up his victory in the Sportsbet Masters with a third in the PGA Championship last Sunday. His record in this tournament is pretty useful as he has posted three top-10s in his last four starts. He was particularly impressive at Huntingdale a couple of weeks ago as he started the final round three strokes behind the overnight leaders but showed battling qualities to force a play-off with Marcus Fraser which he won at the third extra hole. In his present frame of mind he must be one to keep on the right side of. BEST PRICE: 14-1

STUART APPLEBY: His form figures for this event are pretty consistent (11-2-8-3-5 2007) over the last five years He posted a career-high seven top-10 finishes on the USPGA tour on his way to finishing 17th in the FedEx Cup standings. He surpassed the $2m mark for the fifth time in his career and finished among the top 55 on the Money List for the 12th consecutive season, missing just two cuts in 23 starts. Rounded off his season Stateside with his fourth top-10 in the Tour Championship. However, he needs to bounce back from a missed cut in the Sportsbet Masters and a disappointing 24th last week when he was never really at the races, although this week‘s venue clearly suits his style of play better. BEST PRICE: 16-1

JOHN SENDEN: Missed the cut 12 months ago when defending champion, so he should be keen to prove that his 2006 victory was no fluke. The positive for the Brisbane-born golfer is that the event returns to the scene of that success at Royal Sydney where his sensational finish snatched victory from under Ogilvy‘s nose. He started well enough last week and remained in contention most of the way without quite being able to get among the leaders. However, he finished with a nice round of 69 to claim sixth place. His season in the US was a bit patchy but he did record his second successive runner-up finish at the PODS Championship. He had a recent run-out at Royal Sydney a couple of weeks ago just to familiarise himself once again with the track. BEST PRICE: 18-1

TIM CLARK: This will be the South African’s first appearance in the tournament but he has plenty of experience of playing in Australia. He led for two rounds of the Sportsbet Masters a couple of weeks ago before a poor round on the Saturday left him with too much to do come the final day. Still, he rounded off with a 67 to come home in fourth place. That performance gave his supporters some hope that he was running into form for the PGA Championship, but he was only really able to produce steady if unspectacular golf on his way to an 11th place finish. BEST PRICE: 18-1

MATTHEW GOGGIN: Best of his four most recent starts in the Open was a fifth three years ago at Moonah Links. Finished the season Stateside with a flourish when posting three top fours from his final seven tournaments. So it was no surprise to see him go so close in the PGA last week at Coolum. However, he needs to recover from having thrown that tournament away as he led the field by a stroke overnight going into the final round and was three shots clear at one point on the last day before capitulating to Ogilvy. If he has got that out of system he could contend once again. BEST PRICE: 20-1

RICHARD GREEN: He has a 50 per cent strike-rate in the Open in the last six years having finished in the top-10 on three occasions, the most recent being at this week’s venue two years ago. He was never in with a shout last week but there was some promise of better things to come from his final round of 67 which helped him jump up 22 places on the leaderboard. If back to the level of form that saw him post a top-10 in the season-ending Volvo Masters last month, he could make it into the top half of the leaderboard come Sunday. BEST PRICE: 28-1

MARCUS FRASER: It was at Royal Sydney in 2006 that he produced his best finish in the Open this century and that along with his near miss in the Masters a couple of weeks ago makes him one for the short-list. The 30-year-old produced some devastating golf on the front nine at Huntingdale as he holed out for six birdies and went into the clubhouse as the leader. Unfortunately, 40 minutes later Rod Pampling came through to tie with him and force a play-off. Although he lost at the third extra hole, once again that should have given him plenty of confidence. BEST PRICE: 40-1

DANNY LEE: The 18-year-old New Zealander is the top-ranked amateur and has a big future in the game if he continues to maintain his progress. He became the youngest winner of the US Amateur title in August, seven months younger than Tiger Woods when he achieved the feat in 1994, while in four pro events he has made the cut three times and was a highly promising 11th in the Masters a couple of weeks ago. Although it might seem a big ask for an amateur to win a prestigious title like the Open, it’s worth remembering that Aaron Baddeley was still among the unpaid ranks when he captured the crown in 1999. So it might be worth taking a chance with a small each-way investment on one of the brightest stars in the golfing universe. BEST PRICE: 100-1


SELECTIONS: Stuart Appleby, Marcus Fraser, Matthew Goggin and Danny Lee

• All prices correct at time of writing.

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