The British Open from Turnberry – A Championship unlike any other

The Open Championship is by far my favorite tournament to watch when it comes to the PGA tour, for the simple reason that the weather, and the courses, are so damn treacherous that the pros struggle like I do on a regular course. Of course the grade of the rough, the pin placement and the absurd number of bunkers are unlike anything you or I see when we’re hacking our way through an 18-hole course. But with winds that peaked at 50 mph last year at Royal Birkdale, you’d be remiss to miss some fantastic golf at Turnberry, the demonic bunker beast in southwest Scotland.

Legends such as Nick Price, Greg Norman and Tom Watson have all claimed championships at the Ailsa Course at Turnberry. For The Tiger Trackers, you’ll be happy to know that we’ve pegged Tiger as a +325 underdog against the field, which is getting -350. Considering Tiger’s presence at PGA Majors, those are great odds against a stacked field at The Open.

Last year, Woods was on an operating table around this time, reconstructing a severely damaged ACL in his knee that caused him to miss much of last season. Padraig Harrington, cousin of NFL journeyman Joey Harrington, won his second Open Championship with a +3 at Birkdale. Now Tiger, a three time Open Championship winner, is back dropping guys like Harrington as a +325 matchup underdog against Tiger (-550 on day one).

Tiger has three wins under his belt since his return with successful triumphs at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Jack Nicklaus’ Memorial and the AT&T National. However, Woods has not been able to close the deal at either The Masters (won by Angel Cabrera) or the U.S. Open (won by Lucas Glover). So all eyes will be on Tiger Woods as he looks for his fourth Open Championship this weekend.

The pressure, oddly enough, may not be coming from his colleagues on the course. Everyone celebrated another superstar athlete winning his 15th major championship, that being Roger Federer at Wimbledon. How fitting it would be if Woods was able to match that record in the same month, in the United Kingdom as well. Tiger Woods is trying to gun down Jack Nicklaus’ vaunted record of 19 major victories and is well on his way. But it’s Roger Federer who will be the keenest of all of Tiger’s many, many, many (many) followers.

Our PGA betting is like no other. Bet on daily matchups, bet golf props, bet the field…or bet Tiger. If it’s a major, then it’s his to lose. Those that believe in Tiger will be served to take his underdog odds against the field. Those of you who are willing to take a flier on a European, like Padraig Harrington three-peating, are welcome to doubt Tiger. For my money, I sure as hell wouldn’t.

When: Thursday-Sunday, July 16-19
Where: Turnberry's Ailsa Course, Scotland
Yardage/Par: 7,204 yards; par 70
2008 champion: Padraig Harrington
TV: Thu., Fri. 7 a.m.-7 p.m. ET on TNT;
Sat. 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. ET on ABC;
Sun. 8 a.m. ET-1:30 p.m. ET on ABC