With no course form to go on this week’s Barclays tournament at Ridgewood Country Club provides punters with a real conundrum.

But after successfully tipping Padraig Harrington for consecutive Majors at The Open and the USPGA we feel confident we can eke out another winner.

Designed by AW Tillinghast in 1929 the New York course is tree lined, is framed by penal rough and has small greens that will be tough to find.

With that in mind only the purest ball strikers make it into this week’s punting portfolio.
First up is Jim Furyk who has yet to win this season but has managed to trouser a colossal $2.5 million in prize money. Totesport have a massive array of golf odds.
Furyk’s heat seeking accuracy has seen him finish in the place positions on no less than five occasions this year and he may well have claimed the Open Championship had it not been for a shocking 77 on Saturday.

At odds of 28/1 he looks an each-way steal on course that really suits. The sports betting you’ll be able to do with those odds might not be that difficult.

At much bigger odds we feel Stephen Ames has the attributes to go well on the par 71 lay out. Ames’s best effort this season arguably came at Royal Birkdale when finishing 7th but he has also recorded great finishes at the Players, Colonial and the Mercedes.
Like Furyk his shot-making ability will be a real advantage on a course that most of the field will be playing for the first time in a competitive capacity. Have an each-way nibble at 100/1.

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Nick Faldo’s Europeans look a blinding bet at totesport’s 10/11 to defend their Ryder Cup crown on US soil in September.

US skipper Paul Azinger’s preparations took a massive blow when Tiger Woods pulled out for the rest of the season following knee surgery and some recent comments from potential team members haven’t been doing him any favours either.

Hunter Mahan’s well publicised “slaves” quote suggests that morale is not high among the US players.

Speaking about the Ryder Cup the talented American commented: “You’ve got dinners every night, not little dinners, massive ones.

“As players, that’s the last thing we want. We want to prepare ourselves. You’re just a slave that week.”

Mahan hasn’t even played in a Ryder Cup so we’d have to assume that he’s picked those thoughts up from a previous team member.

With a mind set like that is it is no surprise that the Americans appear beaten before they reach the first tee?

Europe have of course won the last three renewals (the last two by humiliating nine point margins) and at just a shade of odds-on they must be supported to make it four-in-a-row.

It promises to be an interesting few weeks as we count down to the Valhalla show down.

Germany’s Martin Kaymer finished 14th at the recent SAS Masters in Sweden to move to within just 272 points of Denmark’s Soren Hansen who currently occupies the 10th and last automatic Ryder Cup place.

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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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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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The continued absence of Tiger Woods again gives golf punters the chance of landing some big priced booty at this week’s WGC Invitational at Firestone.

The Ohio course is an uncomplicated par 70 lay out that generally favours long drivers who find a hot week with the putter.

Last year’s top five - Woods, Justin Rose, Rory Sabbatini, Peter Lonard and Chris Di Marco all averaged over 300 yards off the tee and less that 1.78 putts per GIR that week.

Due to its mid summer location in the calendar the course generally plays bone hard and fast which could well explain the presence of three players in the top five (Rose, Sabbatini and Lonard) who learnt their trade in the southern hemisphere.

An Aussie well used to dry and fast conditions we like this week is Stuart Appleby. Apples’s wife’s family actually hail from Akron and if our man doesn’t cop too much grief from the mother-in-law we fancy him to go close at nice odds of 66/1.

He finished 14th last year (4th after three rounds) and has a handful of top 10s to his name here.

Par 4 performance is often a key stat at Firestone with 12 par 4s. The player who tops that list this year is in-form Kenny Perry who has already won three times this season.

Perry was vilified for shunning the Open Championship but at odds of 18/1 the Kentucky home boy could well have the last laugh.

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Having successfully tipped Padraig Harrington for Open glory we are delighted to see a sporting 20/1 on offer for the Dubliner to win the 2008 USPGA Golf Championship.

Oakland Hills, Michigan, is the venue for the season’s final Major, a course that a now supremely confident Harrington will have fond memories of having won the Ryder Cup with Europe there in 2004.

For those who took our advice and backed the Irishman at Royal Birkdale, go back to the well and have another drink.

With Tiger Woods absent it is possible to make a reasonable case for most of the top 10 in the betting.

But on a par 70 that measures a beastly 7,400 yards it is clear that length will be a factor.

Englishman Lee Westwood has never struggled for distance off the tee and his accurate driving will give him an edge on what is predicted to be a tough set up. Like Harrington, “Westy” has course experience from the 2004 Ryder Cup.

His American Major form this year has been fantastic with 3rd at the US Open and 11th at the Masters. At 40/1 he is a massive each-way prospect.

Our final selection is exciting young Colombian Camilo Villegas. The long hitting yoga expert shot an astonishing 65 at Royal Birkdale and will relish the length of the Michigan track.

9th place at this year’s US Open demonstrates how well he performs on Major lay outs and a 23rd at last year’s USPGA augurs well. Take some of that 50/1.

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An early tee-time in golf can be a tremendous advantage in any tournament, but none more so than in a Major.

Those teeing off early at Royal Birkdale on day one will play the course at its very best condition with smooth clean cut and un-trampled putting surfaces.

The first players tee off at 6.30 in the morning, the last ones go off at 4.21 in the afternoon, that’s a staggering 10 hour swing.

Just imagine all the hoof prints and heavy traffic that will have treaded around those holes by the time the afternoon starters tee off.

For punters trying to eke out the “First Round Leader” it makes perfect sense to bear that in mind.

A man who really stands out in the betting at a whopping 200/1 is maverick American Mark Calcavecchia who has a solid Open record having won at Royal Troon back in 1989.

Now in his late 40s, Calc, isn’t the player he was back then but the old gunslinger is still very capable of shooting the lights out.

The Nebraska born player tees off at 7.25am and if he gets off to a fast start could well shoot a mid 60s score which will almost certainly be enough to either win or claim those each-way places 1-5 that totesport are paying.

Another player worth noting is Colin Montgomerie at 66/1.

A tight driving Birkdale is a course that plays to Monty’s strengths. He’s still laser straight off the tee and his early tee-time could well see him top of the leaderboard come Thursday night.

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The 2008 Open Championship gets under way on Thursday where Spain’s Sergio Garcia heads the betting with totesport.

Garcia’s favouritism comes through a combination of Tiger Wood’s absence and some hot form in 2008 but at single figure odds it could be argued there’s greater value to be found elsewhere.

Surprisingly, the man that beat Garcia in Carnoustie play-off to win last year’s title - Padraig Harrington - is six points bigger in the betting.

The Irishman is a natural links player and with a schedule that is totally geared around the season’s Majors it could be argued that he is even better prepared than he was last year.

His Major focus was rewarded with a 5th at the Masters but 36th at the US Open was poor by his high standards. However, that mid table finish at Torrey Pines was achieved despite two rounds of 78 and 77.

At Royal Birkdale it will be a different story - a course exposed to the Irish Sea - that will play to the Dubliner´s strengths. If the wind gets up he will relish the challenge more than most.

With Tiger on a rest-of-season convalescence it provides an ideal opportunity for the rest of the sport’s big guns to grab some limelight.

Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh would all have won more Majors but for Tiger, however, we fancy young Englishman Justin Rose to go closer.

Rose is a genuine world class contender these days having claimed the 2007 European Order of Merit.

He memorably finished fourth at Birkdale when playing as an amateur and is ten times the player now. At odds of 25/1 he could be one of the bets of the summer.

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TPC Deere Run hosts this week’s John Deere Classic where white-hot Kenny Perry is the stand out jolly at single figure odds.
Not surprising really when you consider the veteran bids to make it three wins from five outings in what is a fairly low class field.

But at 47, and bound to be feeling some fatigue, we’re sure we can fish out some better value bets than the Kentuckian swinger.

Deere Run is a course that appears to suit all types of players, the long, the short, the young and the old have all won here since it began hosting the event in 2000.
It’s also a course that can throw up outsiders and first time winners and with that foremost in our thoughts we like the look of Pat Perez.

The Arizona volcano is known for having a short fuse but he rates as one of the biggest talents teeing it up this week.

He’s yet to taste victory in an eventful career but six consecutive cuts, that include a 6th and a 12th in recent weeks, suggests that he’s ready to enter the winner’s circle.

Essex man Brian Davis showed some decent US form around this time last year finishing 2nd at the St Jude and in a similar ranked event can make a mockery of his 150/1 quote.

His 13th at the Travelers three weeks ago hinted at a return to form and the warm summer climes clearly see him at his best. His past wins in Australia and Portugal came with the sun shining on his back.

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Warwick Hills, Michigan, is the venue for this week´s Buick Open where Jim Furyk and Kenny Perry head the outright betting with totesport.

Furyk’s sure to be a warm order. His Warwick record over the past five years reads 5-2-6-6-1 while in-form Perry won this in 2001 and has returned four top 15s since then.

But at 10s and 12s respectively it may pay to examine some longer priced players.

With generous fairways and no great disadvantage in missing them there is a temptation to go for the big hitters this week.

Players like Lucas Glover and Bubba Watson are sure to be playing their second shots far closer to the greens due to their prodigious length off the tee. Of those two it’s Glover who is preferred on account of recent signs of a return to form.

Glover finished 15th at Warwick in 2006 and 10th last year. The Ryder Cup hopeful carded a top 20 at the Crowne Plaza Invitational in May before notching a 19th in last week’s Travelers Championship.

Another man with Ryder Cup intentions in US-based Swede Daniel Chopra.

Like Glover he is long off the tee and also has some useful “previous” over the Michigan layout. The former Asian Tour regular finished 8th on his debut in 2004 and 12th in 2007. But the main reason we like him so much is his current form.

His final round 70 at the recent US Open was a brilliant effort that is sure to restore the confidence that was waning following a quiet time since his Mercedes Open win in Hawaii at the beginning of the year. Take the 66’s. A win here would really make Ryder skipper Nick Faldo sit up and take notice.

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