We’re counting down to the final golf Major of the year - the PGA Championship - where several players are heading to Oakland Hills in great confidence.

And with totesport unveiling what surely has to be the greatest array of markets for a Major ever seen there’s a decent helping of cracking bets to be unearthed.

One of the 72 hole match bets sees Darren Clarke, who performed so well at last week’s WGC Invitational, go up against Davis Love.

Clarke has superb memories of Oakland Hills having forged a formidable partnership with good mate Lee Westwood to fire Europe to Ryder Cup glory in 2004.

With the exception of the odd good round here and there, Love has looked a shadow of the player he once was and that makes in-form Irishman Clarke a great punt at 9/10.

The rough is reported to be very severe this week and that will place a huge importance on hitting fairways from the tee. If you are as wayward as Freddie Jacobson can often be then you’re in for a testing time.

The Swedish player is up against neat and tidy Graeme McDowell who has experienced a wonderful summer with the Loch Lomond Invitational trophy on his mantlepiece. Back “G Mac” at 9/10.

Not many move the ball better from tee-to-green than Robert Allenby and at 9/10 he looks value to see off compatriot Stuart Appleby. Apples brought home the each-way bacon at 66/1 for readers of this blog last week at Firestone but his blunderbuss-like approach from the tee will be punished round here.

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With the Olympics just around the corner we’ve highlighted three competitors who look almost certain to claim gold in Beijing.

Given her outstanding recent form it will be a huge surprise if Sanya Richards doesn’t hit the jackpot in the women’s 400m.

The 23-yr-old American who won gold in the 4×400m relay at the Athens Games and a silver at the 2005 World Championships.

She hit the headlines in 2006 with a Golden League “full house” claiming six out of six events in the same season.

At the end of that season Richards was named IAAF 2006 Female World Athlete of the Year.

With an excellent Beijing preparation under her belt, the fastest woman in American history is the one to beat.

Australian stunner Leisel Jones is sure to be a very warm order this summer for the women’s breaststroke and will have a price to match.

Her elegant, old fashioned style makes her something of a throwback compared to the majority of today’s competitors.

She made her Olympic bow at the 2000 games aged just 15 but had to wait until Athens in 2004 before she won her first gold which came in the 4×100m medley.

Her current form is excellent - in Canberra at the Telstra GP she eclipsed her own 100m breaststroke world record with a time of 1.03.72.

24-yr-old Jeremy Wariner won a brace of Olympic golds in Athens (400m and 400m relay) and the bookies will be anticipating more heavy punishment at odds-on about this amazing athlete.

The flying Texan won all six Golden League events in 2006 and at last year´s World Championships in Osaka he clocked the third-fastest 400m of all time - 43.45.

Only Butch Reynolds and the great Michael Johnson have run faster.

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Stoke City were four Championship points better than Hull last season and with a summer of shrewd recruitment already behind them they look a steal to topple Phil Brown’s men in totesport’s Premiership match-betting.

Potters’ boss Tony Pulis has done some decent business in recent weeks with the signings of proven Premiership scorer Dave Kitson, Danish No1 Thomas Sorensen and Nigerian international Seyi Olofinjana.

All three will improve the Staffordshire side and with concrete rumours that Pulis has bid 8 million GBP for Valencia’s Serbian striker Nikola Zigic it is clear that the club has plenty more money to spend.

Meanwhile Tigers boss has experienced frustration in the transfer market with recent bids Bolton’s Kevin Davies rejected. Brown has signed Spurs’ classy but injury-plagued defender Anthony Gardner, Hungary winger Peter Halmosi and George Boateng from Middlesbrough.

But Hull’s biggest concern will be the scorching pre-season form of last year’s Manchester United loan star Frazier Campbell. Sir Alex Ferguson has hinted that Campbell is on the verge of a Red Devils breakthrough and that will probably scupper any hopes the Tigers had of re-signing him on loan again.

Without Campbell Hull would not have reached the Premiership and his absence from the Premiership side means it will be an uphill struggle to avoid the wooden spoon.

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The Jack Nicklaus-designed Montreux golf club plays host to this week’s PGA Tour event - the Reno-Tahoe Open.

Like most Nicklaus courses the Arizona lay-out offers generous fairways and large undulating greens. The venue is also at altitude and that means club selection can be tricky as the ball travels 10-15% further than at sea level.

Therefore players who have experience of Montreux are at an instant advantage to first-timers. Another factor to consider this week is the Arizona sierra winds that are usually at their most severe in the afternoons.

2007 winner Steve Flesch romped home by five strokes by taking advantage of a calm first morning to shoot a stunning 63.

With that in mind we are narrowing down our staking plan to players with an early Thursday tee-time who have an ability to hack it the wind.

With all of the big guns up in Ohio it is pleasing to see ultra-talented Nick Watney up for grabs at 28/1. Watney, who claimed the 2007 Zurich Championship, is a class above 95% of this field and his big hitting will be suited by this spacious course.

He finished 5th in Hawaii’s Mercedes-Benz earlier this season when it was blowing a gale.

Local resident Kevin Stadler was runner up here last year and clearly knows his way around Montreux. There is a lot more to come from the son of former Masters winner Craig, as his 15th at this year’s Players Championship suggests.

Have a nibble at the 50s on offer.

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Saturday’s cavalry charge poses its usual puzzle. If we could take the Gp1 July Cup form at face value we could back Prime Defender (beaten 2l in 7th place) and just go and collect at about 4pm.

Life is rarely quite so simple however as the July Cup was a muddling race - with the best horse (Marchand D´Or) nearly managing to lose and the field finishing in a heap behind. The form is therefore suspect.

The three we like are Mac Gille Eoin, Balthazaar’s Gift and Borderlescott. Given fast ground Mac Gille Eoin should run well. Twice a course and distance winner the 4-y-o colt by Bertolini ran a great race at Epsom on June 7 where he beat the subsequent Group 3 winner Our Faye by a length and a half conceding 11lbs.He was unsuited by the softer ground at Ascot last time.

Balthazaar’s Gift trained by Luca Cumani is another for the short list. The 5-y-o entire ran a fine race in this last year from a poor draw carrying the welter burden of 9st 13lbs into a close 6th place.

He ran a solid race when 3rd to Intrepid Jack at Newbury last time and set to carry 9st 10lbs he must have a good chance.

Borderlescott is a real course specialist. He won this in 2006 and went very close to following up 12 months ago. His form this year has been encouraging particularly his 2l second to Fleeting Spirit in the Temple Stakes at Haydock in May and he is the each-way selection.

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With 150k guaranteed this is an extremely competitive affair. The two we like against the field are the Mark Johnston-trained Laa Rayb and the Luca Cumani-trained Military Cross.

In the Tote International Handicap at Ascot on Saturday over 7f Johnston’s Storm Cat gelding was most impressive. Poorly drawn he was niggled along in the rear until forcing his way through until 2f out when he flew home to win easily with ears pricked.

He will be very well suited by the return to 1m here. He has won 5 of his 15 starts which is pretty good but his Ascot performance off a mark of 104 marked him out as an improved performer.

He was a course winner at this meeting over 7f last year so there are no concerns about his ability to handle the track. Given a reasonable draw (nothing lower than 8 has won in the last 10 years) off a mark of 107 he must have an outstanding chance.

Cumani’s Military Cross is greatly respected. The trainer has targeted this meeting with considerable success (Cumani horses were 1st and 2nd in the 4.40 on Tuesday) and the Cape Cross 5-y-o gelding looks as if he has been campaigned with this race in mind.

Having his first race since November 2007 racing off a mark of 98 and carrying the steadier of 10st he held on well to beat Orchard Supreme 3/4l in a Salisbury handicap on June 25. That should have blown away any cobwebs and now racing off 101 he has to be fancied to go very well.

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