Woods ready for Royal Lytham
Read our full Open Championship betting guide here and take a look at our course guide for Royal Lytham & St Annes.
Driving accuracy key to Lytham success
Tiger Woods flew into Blackpool early on Sunday morning and by 9am was out on the course for the 2012 Open Championship, as he seeks to end his four year major drought. With three PGA Tour wins this season Woods once again finds himself ranked favourite to lift the Claret Jug, at +900, but he will be hoping he fairs better then at this year’s two previous major tournaments.
The 2005 and 2006 Open Championship winner, could only manage a tied for 40th at Augusta and a tied for 21st at the US Open, despite starting both tournaments as favourite and the cynic would suggest that Tiger is due for a 10th place finish this weekend. But Tiger Woods is beginning to show glimpses that he is back to his best, a sight few golf fans would begrudge, and he has a heavy affinity for the British Open, admitting that it is his favourite of the majors last week.
Woods has competed at Royal Lytham on two occasions. Despite making the cut in 2001 he never really got going but in 1996 he impressed en route to picking up the silver medal for amateurs, shooting an aggregate round of 281, a joint record for an amateur.
That he was one of only a handful of players on course on Sunday indicates the esteem Woods has for the Lancashire course, although the all time 2nd PGA Tour winner did have some reservations about this year’s course. “In some places it is almost unplayable” he added when asked about the rough, and with more heavy rain forecast Woods was keen to familiarise himself with how the course was playing.
He also confirmed that the set-up at Royal Lytham & St Annes allows for heavier scoring on the front nine holes before a series of longer par fours make the home stretch notoriously difficult for golfers. “You have a nice little start,” Woods said. “On the front nine there is a reachable par-five and a couple of other easy holes. Once you turn for home the wind is usually off the left and you’ve got some really long par-fours. Wind off the left, long par-fours. It’s a tough combo.”
Betting fans will no doubt be aware that the last nine majors have been won by first-timers, but Woods knows how to handle a links course and away from the intense spotlight of the USA he could break his major drought this weekend.
Tiger Woods is best priced to win the Open Championship at +900 with BetOnline
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UK bettors – Paddy Power are paying 1/4 odds over 7 places at The Open
