British Open Preview: Top Three Contenders

As the sports betting world turns its attention to the British Open, all eyes are on the old course at St. Andrews. This golf season has been filled with plenty of drama and back stories. The two most interesting stories are the trials and tribulations of Tiger Woods, and the inability of Phil Mickelson to take over the number one spot in the world. Even as NFL betting draws closer, it will be interesting to see how the drama plays out in this year’s British Open.

The top three contenders in this year’s Open represent a wide cross-section of the crew that will be playing in this tournament. Noticeably missing in this list is Tiger Woods. If Tiger cannot pull his game together well enough to win on an American golf course at this point, then the links-style course of St. Andrews will frustrate him to no end. Even though Tiger is one of the odds-on favorites at 9-2, he is still far too removed from his game to compete in this event.

Lee Westwood (15-1)

Lee Westwood has been making headlines on the PGA tour all season long. He lost in a storied playoff to Phil Mickelson in this year’s Masters, and he won this year’s St. Jude Classic. Westwood has spent most of his time on the European tour, and has only played in nine PGA events. But he has made the cut in each PGA event he entered, he has five top 10 finishes and seven top 25 finishes. He is a golfer on a mission, and he has absolutely terrorized the European tour this year. He has been the number one ranked European golfer since last year, and he has a history of playing well in PGA major tournaments.

Justin Rose (15-1)

This could be the year of the Rose. It wasn’t too long ago that Justin Rose was old enough to be on campus doing some NCAA football betting, but his history in South Africa did not offer a lot of spare time. Rose has played in 15 PGA tournaments this year, and he has brought in almost $3.5 million in prize money this year alone. He has made the cut 12 times, and he has two wins to his credit. His two wins were extremely impressive as he won this year’s Memorial tournament, and the AT&T National. He is ranked 16th in the world, and he is third on the Fedex Cup point standings. His first ever PGA tournament was the 1998 British Open where, as an 18 year old amateur, he finished tied for fourth.

Ernie Els (15-1)

Many people will be placing an online bet on Ernie Els to win this year’s British Open. It is always a good bet to place your money on Ernie Els. In 2009, Els had an off-season dropping to 17th in the rankings. This year he has fought his way back up to sixth, and has two tour wins to go with his 11 out of 13 cuts made this season. Els has always been the model of consistency on the PGA tour, and he has always played well in the British Open especially when he won in 2002.

Spain in the World Cup Final Betting Odds

Carles Puyol in the 73rd minute gave Spain a spot in the World Cup final betting.

That much was enough for the Iberians beat Germany 1-0 in the match for the semifinals of the World Cup betting.

After a corner kick, Puyol rose to beat in the leap to mate Gerard Pique and beat goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

The unlocked Puyol both a game in which Spanish rule in possession was unsuccessful before a German defense well planted.

Spain generated always the best chances in the first half.

On the resumption, Spain hinted distant shots danger of Xabi Alonso, David Villa and Pedro Rodriguez. Andres Iniesta also made an overflow on the left, but his heart went prowling the heart of the area without anyone hook.

An auction of Toni Kroos, 69 minutes, was stopped by the Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas, which was the clearest opportunity for Germany.

This party, which took place in Durban, faced the same teams that were measured in the final of the last two years, with Spain's 1-0 victory.

Spain is measured with the Netherlands in Sunday's final.

Whatever the winner, a champion will be unprecedented, as neither Spanish nor tulips have never won a major world football.

This was the fourth game between two teams in World Cup. Twice won the Teutons (both cases, 2-1) and a tie (1-1).

The first was in England 66, when the July 20, 1966 Germany won 2-1 with goals from Lothar Emmerich and Uwe Seeler. Spain Josep Maria Fuste materialized.

In Spain 82, Germany once again repeat the dose. On July 2, 1982 Pierre Littbarski and Klaus Fischer scored for the Teutons. Jesus Mari Zamora scored for Spain.

Finally, U.S. 94 is recorded the only tie. On June 21, 1994, Jürgen Klinsmann gave him both Jon Andoni Goikoetxea Germany and Spain.

Bet On World Cup – Semifinal Picks For Tuesday and Wednesday

If you’re going to bet on World Cup odds, now is the time as the semifinals are about to get underway in South Africa, starting on Tuesday with Uruguay and the Netherlands, and then end on Wednesday with Germany and Spain, a rematch of the Euro 2008 finals.

Uruguay Holland Betting – Tuesday, 2:30 PM ET

The Netherlands are a -165 favorite in this semifinal showdown, while Uruguay comes in at +475, and a draw is listed at +260. The Dutch came away with a crucial 2-1 win over Brazil to knock out the Samba Kings, and it was a pair of goals from Wesley Sneijder that did the trick. Uruguay is a country that, if you’re an NFL betting player, you may compare to the 1969 New York Jets, although we’re not sure if anyone made any guarantees to win the game. The Uruguayans beat Ghana 4-2 on penalties after finishing 1-1 in regulation, but they received some luck when Ghana missed a late penalty. These two have met just twice, with each winning one game, and the Dutch won the only World Cup meeting between them, a 2-0 win in the group stages at West Germany 1974. Uruguay will be missing Luis Suarez because of suspension, which puts a lot of pressure on strike partner Diego Forlan. (Online betting pick: Holland -165)

Germany Spain Betting – Wednesday, 2:30 PM ET

The Germans, rated at +170, would be like a team full of freshmen and sophomores becoming a college football betting favorite, as they have nine players 25 or younger. But they’re coming off a 4-0 rout of Argentina, their second straight game with four goals and third of the tournament, with Miroslav Klose notching a pair. Spain, the pre-tournament favorites, are rated as the favorite at +155 after a 1-0 win over Paraguay, a match that saw two penalties saved in the same game for the first time since Argentina-Mexico in 1930. These two powers have met 20 times, with Germany winning eight and drawing six, but the Spanish beat the Germans 1-0 in the final of the 2008 European championships, and the Germans would love to avenge that. The Germans will be without Thomas Muller, who has four goals in the tournament so far, but he picked up a late yellow card against Argentina. Still, the Germans have a lot of weapons, while Spain has yet to play their best game, and Fernando Torres is struggling mightily up front, which leaves David Villa to carry the load. The winner of the midfield matchup between Germany’s Bastian Schweinsteiger and Spain’s Xavi could determine who will go on to Sunday’s final. (Online betting pick: Germany +170)