Golf Betting Column: What The Golfinggods Say….

It is funny at times how in sport myths begin to grow and you begin to believe that they are correct. I mean take Tiger. For the past two years all we have heard of is his slump, his swing changes and his inconsistent form. From these whispers came the theory that there is in fact a fantastic four or five that rule the golfing world.

Oh how we dreamt of this golfing world! But we were wrong and anyone who thought that Tiger was not the force of old was brought back to reality on Sunday with his emphatic display around St Andrew's. Winning The Open by five is not the real story about Tiger's performance; it is the way he did it that sends shock waves to his pretenders. For the complete tournament he hardly hit a poor shot and his short game was supreme. Tiger feels the changes he has made are now coming together and he feels he can improve. As he said in his press conference ' I feel excited'.

Lets be clear about this now – there is no fabulous five or fantastic four in the world of golf, only a wonderful one!

Worthy mentions must go to Colin Montgomerie and Fred Couples. Both players are in the autumn of their careers but found inspiration on the Old Course to finish second and third respectively.

Finally a tribute to the great Jack Nicklaus who finished his playing career this week. Although the next generation of super star was winning the event, there can only ever be one Jack Nicklaus and to finish with a birdie on eighteen was a fitting end to the very best career. You will be missed Jack.

And so to this week….

The US PGA tour moves to Wisconsin for the US Bank Championship to be played at the Brown Deer Park golf course. The Brown Deer course demands accuracy from the tee as it has penal rough on every hole. The greens also require caution, as they are both small and undulating. This course is unusual as it has five par three's on it and only three par fives. Accuracy from the tee and good ball striking is required this week.

Selections:

Kenny Perry: hard to go past the favourite this week. With the best driving game on tour, Kenny has never finished outside the top ten in this event. This course is ideally set up for this game and if fatigue has not set in after playing in Scotland then he must go very close this week.

Scott Verplank: has been showing signs of improved form over the past two months and has the accuracy from the tee required around this course. Scott is also a very consistent putter and looks certain to contend this week.

Arjun Atwal: India's best golfer is starting to play well on the US PGA tour and will be confident this week after a consistent run of form. Has a solid all round game which will be suited to the Brown Deere course. He could surprise everyone this week a good odds.

Others to mention: Sean O'Hair, Bo Van Pelt and J.L Lewis.

For the second week running the most competitive tournament in the world is being held in Europe with the running of the Duetsche Bank Players Championship being played at ST Leon-Rot golf course in Germany. This tournament always attracts the very best European players and this year is no exception. The course is long and wide with penal rough for the very inaccurate of the tee. The bentgrass greens are larger than usual and relatively flat. Expect many birdies this week if the weather is fine.

Selection:

Ian Poulter: coming back to a bit of form and is a player who can shoot very low. He is not intimidated by anyone and will like the set up of the course. If the right Ian Poulter comes to the tournament then he will go very close.

Greg Owen: perhaps the best ball striker in the field, Greg does suffer from inconsistent putting. With the greens this week large and relatively flat I expect him to be in contention. He can will this week.

David Howell: if his rib condition has improved then he must contend this week. David is one of the most consistent golfers on tour right now and will relish this course, as a premium is not placed on hitting fairways. If he is fit then he must go close.

Others to mention: Angel Cabrera, Paul McGinley and Graeme McDowell.

Until next week – May The Golfinggods Be With You!