At 16/1 with Paddy Power, who along with Boylesports, go six places, he's top value.
This annual Open Championship aperitif has attracted such a strong field that bookmakers are at odds over the favourite, with Ian Poulter, Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood and Geoff Ogilvy all vying for that honour.
The Course: Loch Lomond G.C., Glasgow, Scotland (par-71, 7,149 yards)
This is a picturesque American-style target course with generously wide fairways, giving the players the chance to set up birdie / eagle chances with accurate iron play. The greens are bent/poa and are always in immaculate condition. The courses only defence is the wind. If it blows, it is a difficult course. However, in calm conditions, it is a birdie-fest. There are only three par-5’s - 3rd, 6th (at 625 yards) and 13th – and two driveable par-4’s, the 9th and 14th.
Ross' Top Tip: Ian Poulter @ 16/1 Paddy Power (1/4 odds, SIX places)
If you backed the Englishman to win last week's French Open you can count yourself a bit unlucky as he was set to challenge the leaders when a novice cameraman clicked just as he was swinging on the 15th. The result: a pushed shot in the water, chance gone. Still, that third-placed effort, along with his recent stateside performances of three top-eight finishes plus a top-20 finish in the US Open, show he's ready to win, and he clearly likes Loch Lomond as four top-10 finishes in his last six starts testify. At 16/1 with Paddy Power, who along with Boylesports, go six places, he's top value.
Next Best: Ross Fisher @ 25/1 Ladbrokes
A couple more putts holed in the final round at Bethpage and Fisher would be lining up as the US Open champ. Still, he would have been buoyed by that performance - his best finish in a Major - and you can be sure he has been working on that part of his game in his two week break since. Certainly, there's not much wrong with the rest of his game and with two solid efforts here in the last two years under his belt, he looks sure to contend on Sunday.
Outsider: David Drysdale @ 125/1 bet365 (14/1 Top 10 Finish)
With the field dripping in quality, a shock result looks unlikely, but the Scot could give us a good run for our money in his national open. He's twice finished in the top-30 here in 2005 and 2006 (opened with a 65), but is a much more accomplished player these days and went close to winning the Open de Andalucia earlier in the season. He'll be delighted with a top-10 finish and, at odds of 14/1, so will I.
Tournament Lays (Betfair): Lee Westwood & Geoff Ogilvy
It will be interesting to see how the man from Worksop plays after last week's play-off defeat in the French Open. While he will have been pleased with his play overall, he's bound to be feeling deflated and his winless spell now stretches back to September 2007. Ogilvy is quite simply not playing well enough to justify his position at the head of the market.
Ross' 72-Hole Match Bet: Rory McIlroy to beat Geoff Ogilvy @ 10/11 Blue Square
Recommended Bets:
Ian Poulter 2pts each-way @ 16/1 Paddy Power (1/4 odds, six places)
Ross Fisher 1pt each-way @ 25/1 Ladbrokes
David Drysdale 1pt each-way 125/1 bet365
David Drysdale (Top-10 Finish) 1pt @ 14/1 bet365