Sports Betting Index - Sports Betting Tips from professional gamblers

6.1.08

11.17

Golf

US Open Golf Antepost

Mike Weir

When we first tipped Weir for this he was going well in the Mercedes but he drifted over the last few months and then found his form and is now this price again! He has played well of late and we would tip him this week at this price as he has a superb record at US Opens with 3 top 6 finishes from his last 5 attempts and has a good long term record in California and whilst he has only played Torrey once - he was 5th and it will play differently this week to the Buick Invitational.

1/2 pt ew 66/1 Paddy Power 1/4 6

Lost

-24.6

5.1.08

09.46

Golf

US Masters Antepost

Mike Weir

1/2 pt ew 80/1 Skybet Sportingbet Paddy Power 1/4 5

Lost

-23.6

30.1.08

09.44

Golf

Mexico Open

Peter Tomasulo

One final pick for this event in the form of Tomasulo who played here in 2005 sprinting through the field on the final day with a course record 62 to finish 4th. Whilst he does seem to struggle to get the job done we don't really want to leave him out of our calculations as he is quite a talented player who just missed out on a full PGA tour card last year by 1 shot.

1/4 pt ew 66/1 Generally Available 1/4 5

Lost 7th!

-22.6

29.1.08

09.09

Golf

FBR Open

Frank Lickliter

We picked Lickliterfor the Sony Open and were a little annoyed when he pulled out after round 1 but then again he did fly home to be with his wife for the birth of their twins so he was excused!. Since he has returned from his break he has improved with finishes of 35th and 19th and his stats are looking solid. Whilst he hasn't played well here for the last few years he has managed a couple of top 10's before and he has won in Arizona before.

1/5 pt win 200/1 1/2 pt top 10 16/1 Sportstab
Lasseters

Lost

-22.1

30.1.08

13.50

Golf

FBR Open

Joe Durant

Admittedly Durant is a late addition to our staking plan after reading some of his comments from last week where he stated that once he hits form he tends to be able to maintain it and his results over the years certainly bears this out. Whilst his final round performance was not great last week the conditions were not great. His course form is not great but he has never approached the event in good form - indeed the only time he has been in good form he finished 7th so we have a precedent.

1/5 pt ew 100/1 Generally Available 1/4 5

Lost

-21.4

30.1.08

09.44

Golf

Ladies Australian Open

Sarah Oh

From a veteran back to another great young talent in Oh the 2006 Australian Amateur champion. Oh has only just turned professional yet was 2nd last week to Davies and was 3rd and 1st in her other 2 starts in small events in Australia. Youngsters have often done well in big events in Australia so she has to be considered at this price.

1/5 pt win 80/1 1/4 pt place 16/1 Centrebet

Lost

-21.0

30.1.08

09.44

Golf

Ladies Australian Open

Lisa Hall

From a youngster on the tour to a veteran in the form of Hall. In the last couple of years she has found a new level in her golf after taking a break from the game. She has always been a talented player even being LPGA rookie of the year in 1997 and last year on the LET she actually managed 2 wins and in the last 2 events in far flung Dubai and India she was 3rd and 4th so this price seems a bit over the top.

1/5 pt win 66/1 1/4 pt place 13/1 Centrebet

Lost

-20.55

30.1.08

09.44

Golf

Ladies Australian Open

Lotta Wahlin

The young Swede finished the 2007 season in great form with 3 top 4 finishes in her last 6 starts and we think it is only a matter of time before she wins. She played in Australia twice last year and in her second start was in contention until the final round. She warmed up nicely down under last week with a 3rd place finish only a few shots behind winner Laura Davies

1/5 pt win 66/1 1/4 pt place 13/1 Centrebet

Lost

-20.1

29.1.08

22.06

Golf

Mexico Open

Antonio Maldonado

We will go with one local player in Maldonado maily due to the fact that he has (like mathis) won here before - indeed only last year in a Mexican PGA tour event. He is also a previous winner of this event when it was co-sanctioned with the European Challenge Tour. Apart from that is form is pretty rubbish but his price reflects that!

1/5 pt ew 200/1 Skybet 1/4 5

Lost

-19.65

29.1.08

18.45

Golf

Mexico Open

David Mathis

We think we have spotted a couple of things that none of the compilers have - both to do with course form. Back in 2005 the Canadian Tour paid a visit to the Tres Marias course on its Mexican swing and the winner was Mathis. He has never been a particularly brilliant player but towards the end of last season he was very consistent making 9 out of 10 cuts and nearly won in Florida when charging through the field with a 64 on the Sunday to finish 2nd.

1/2 pt ew 80/1 Tote,Skybet 1/4 5

Lost

-19.25

29.1.08

17.32

Golf

Mexico Open

Jeff Brehaut

The Nationwide Tour is fast becoming our favourite tour for getting a good return on so we have studied hard this week and have come up with some interesting picks. Brehaut finds himself in fairly unusual territory this season having spent the last 8 years on the PGA tour he has been relegated and to be fair he played well on a very difficult course on his seasonal reappearance. The main reason for the bet lies in the course a Jack Nicklaus design at altitude similar in nature to Castle Pines and Montreux where Brehaut has achieved 3 top 6 finishes in recent seasons.

1/4 pt ew 125/1 Stan James
Betdirect 1/4 5

Lost

-18.25

29.1.08

10.52

Golf

Dubai Desert Classic w/o the top 4

Thongchai Jaidee

One other play in this market on a player who has made seven appearances here and never missed a cut including top 10's in both 03 and 04. In fact his record in the Middle East is very good over the years and he has a prolific winning record in Asia. He has to be worth a small play without the big players as with his course form we should get a really good run for our money.

1/4 pt ew 65/1 Tote 1/4 5

Lost

-17.75

29.1.08

09.45

Golf

FBR Open

Heath Slocum

Our main bet for the FBR Open comes in the shape of Slocum who is certainly a very consistent player with very few missed cuts. Again he hasn't excelled here over the years but did manage a 6th here last season. Like Lickliter he has also won the event in Tucson Arizona and he is probably only this big a price due to an average performane at the Bob Hope but he was 10th at the Sony so we will forgive him that one week for this price.

1/2 pt ew 66/1 Sundelands 1/4 6 or Betfred 1/5 6

Lost

-17.25

28.1.08

22.30

Golf

Dubai Desert Classic without the top 4

Gregory Havret

Looking at this weeks European event we again believe we have to bet without Woods and even then we thought that it will only be the top players who will get close so it was nice to see the Tote offering this market without the top 4 in the betting! Some of you may remember Havret from last summer when he won the Scottish Open for us and we think he could be capable of going well again this week. He has certainly improved over the last few weeks in the Middle East (where we think he has a home) and can boast a top 5 finish here in 2005..

1/4 pt ew 125/1 Tote 1/4 5

Lost

-16.25

28.1.08

17.23

Golf

FBR Open

Steve Flesch

We cannot quite get our head round this price for a player who won twice on tour towards the back end of last season. He also has some excellent course form with a 3rd and 4th placed finish here in 04 and 05 so clearly relishes the atmosphere you get here. To be honest he simply thrives in events played in a desert environment and whilst he hasn't exactly set the world alight yet this year he did have 3 good rounds out of 5 at the Bob Hope.

1/4pt ew 100/1 William Hill 1/4 5 + 1/4pt ew 125/1 Stan James 1/4 5

Lost

-15.75

28.1.08

16.57

Golf

FBR Open

Dean Wilson

First play of the week goes on Wilson who we are surprised to see at this big a price - we expected little more than 80/1. He certainly has the course form with top 10 finishes in each of the last two seasons and he has now got a habit of playing really well at the same courses year in year out. He was a prolific winner in Japan and really should be adding to his one win on the PGA tour. He has had a poor start to the season (as he always does!) but there were definite signs of a return form last week.

1/2 pt ew 150/1 William Hill 1/4 5

Lost

-14.75

21.1.08

13.58

Golf

Turtle Bay Champ'ship

Scott Simpson

Simpson plays his best golf around where he lives - California but he also has a home in Hawaii and has a solid record here. He was 2nd on his debut here in 06 and a solid 10th last season and warmed up nicely last week with a 13th place finish. Although he could't add to his one win last season he did manage 3 top 4 finishes so there is defintely value in this price when you look at the place odds.

1/2 pt ew 70/1 Stan James,Betdirect 1/4 5

Lost

-13.75

22.1.08

20.56

Golf

Panama Championship

Bill Lunde

Lunde was a regular player on the Nationwide Tour and had some success with a 2nd and 3rd place finish but at the end of 2005 he called it a day as the frustration of the game got to him. Then 18 months on he found a new desire and was a revelation on the Las Vegas mini tour in the Summer - in 11 events he was never lower than 5th and won 6 of them. He continued that form into the Q school and very narrowly missed out on a full PGA tour card

1/5 pt ew 150/1 Everywhere 1/4 5

5th

-12.75

22.1.08

09.57

Golf

Panama Championship

Marco Ruiz

A small play on Paraguayan Ruiz in the first event of the Nationwide Tour in Panama. In December he won in Argentina beating Cabrera down the home stretch and there aren't many playing here who can say that!
That win could well kick start his career after being dogged by injury. Whilst he has no course form to speak of the South American players have excelled here in recent years and will certainly not lack support and he does have form in the country including a 2nd in the Panama Open.

1/5 pt ew 100/1 Skybet 1/4 5

Lost

-20.05

22.1.08

21.15

Golf

Turtle Bay Championship

David Ogrin

In the past the newcomers who perform the best on their Champions Tour debuts are often those that are unexpected
Last year we kicked ourselves for missing out on Wiebe so we will take a small risk on Ogrin He has kept himself match fit by playing on the Nationwide Tour with admittedly little success but he always played really well in Hawaii on the PGA tour.

1/10 pt ew 150/1 Generally Available 1/4 5

Lost

-19.65

21.1.08

13.58

Golf

Qatar Masters

Oliver Fisher

Going with another young gun this week in the form of Fisher - a huge talent who to be honest struggled a bit on the main tour in his first season but can now play each course with the benefit of experience. He showed last week that to be the case improving from 53rd to 11th and when you consider the fact that he was 11th in Qatar last season he is worth a small bet

1/5 pt ew 125/1 Bet365
Lasseters 1/4 5

Lost

-19.45

21.1.08

09.11

Golf

Buick Invitational

Parker McLachlin

The yoing Hawaiin feels just at home in California as he went to UCLA and had plenty of experience playing Torrey Pines in Junior World Championships. On his debut here last season he finished a very solid 23rd despite a poor 3rd round. He was close to keeping his card last season but a good Q school performance saw him regain it. On his first start at home in the Sony ha was 4 over through 6 holes but recovered brilliantly to finish 10th in front of his home fans.

1/5 pt win w/o Woods 150/1 1/2 pt top 10 22/1 Paddy Power

Lost

-19.05

21.1.08

21.01

Golf

Buick Invitational

Bubba Watson

A difficult week in the US with Tiger making his seasonal reappearance and when you look at his record recently and in this event it pays to either avoid the tournament or take him out of the equation. We will have a small investment on Watson The big hitter played really well on his debut in 06 here until a final round 79 and then was 4th last season. He does have a habit of not winning but does have an excellent top 5 ratio.

1/4 pt ew 80/1 w/o Woods Boyles 1/4 5 + 1/4 pt top 5 22/1 Tote

Lost

-18.35

21.1.08

17.41

Golf

Qatar Masters

Rory McIlroy

We went with Rory last week and to be honest he played well on his seasonal debut improving with every round. With last weeks and this weeks course being by the same designer and similar in nature we feel that we should carry on backing him on this desert swing while his price is still at a reasonable level

1/2 pt ew 66/1 Coral 1/4 5

Lost

-17.6

21.1.08

17.08

Golf

Qatar Masters Top Englishman (or GB & Ire)

Richard Finch

A double whammy on Finch this week as we cannot resist this price either as we can get rid of most of the field with this market.

1 pt ew 25/1 Victor Chandler 1/4 4 (or top GB & Ire 28/1 Stan James)

Lost

-16.6

21.1.08

16.56

Golf

Qatar Masters

Richard Finch

We really did think Finch would be a lot shorter this week even when we looked at the quality of field.If you had asked us a few months ago about this bet we would have laughed at these odds but since he holed a 15 footer for birdie at the last in Pula to keep his card he hasn't looked back with a 10th in Aus and a win in NZ he opened this years campaign with a 4th last week. He has only played here once and was 4th in 2006 when he was less of a player. He was a really good amateur player and seems to now be fulfilling his potential.

1 pt ew 66/1 Generally Available 1/4 5

Lost

-14.6

21.1.08

13.58

Golf

Qatar Masters

Peter Hedblom

Hedblom returned from his seasonal break with a fine 4th last week in Abu Dhabi and in the past Hedblom has done well to maintain his form once he hits it. He certainly has good course form with a 5th place finish in 03 and some other good rounds and has won in the desert in Morocco before.With his win last year guaranteeing his card for a while he is the sort of player who could well make up for lost time due to injury.

1/2 pt ew 110/1 Bet365 1/4 5

Lost

-12.6

15.1.08

14.17

Golf

Abu Dhabi

Fredrik Andersson Hed

We will side with another big priced player who had some excellent results last season with 6 top 6 finishes in a career year which to be honest came out of the blue. Again he is making his debut here so we are taking on trust whether he can play the course but with his top 5 ratio the price is just too big to pass up.

1/10 pt win 150/1 most books 1/4 pt top 5 30/1 Centrebet

Lost

-11.6

15.1.08

11.20

Golf

Bob Hope

Richard Johnson

OK - first big bet of the season for a whole host of reasons. Firstly Johnson really was a top player - indeed top 10 college player back in the mid 90's in the States. He won a couple of Nationwide events including one in California which got him into the AT & T and he even led that for a while! Sadly a broken wrist and a broken marriage put an end to a promising career and it has taken him a long time to get it back. Last year he topped the Nationwide money list winning his last 2 starts in California to show he was finally back. He has been 3rd and 5th in the last 2 Nationwide pro-ams and has been out practicing on this weeks courses for the last 2 weeks in preparation.

1 pt ew 200/1 Lasseters 1/5 5 (150/1 OK)

Lost

-11.25

15.1.08

09.18

Golf

Bob Hope

George McNeill

McNeill is an interesting one this week - his first 2 starts this year have been better than they first seem. In the Mercedes he would have finished much higher but once out of contention he had a really poor back nine on Sunday whilst last week he was stopped in his tracks by a quad bogey on the Saturday but had a superb final round on Sunday. He was a solid 33rd here last season in an area where he won the Q school so well. He should be more than happy playing in this format as his win in the Fall was the pro-am in Nevada.

1/4 pt ew 80/1 Sunderlands Paddy Power 1/4 6

Lost

-9.25

14.1.08

22.06

Golf

Bob Hope

Jeff Quinney

Quinney did us quite a few favours in the early part of last season when he came out all guns blazing with 4 straight top 10 finishes starting here with a 4th. Admittedly after that he went off the boil somewhat but his form in California really is top class - in fact in his last 6 starts in the state on all tours he hasn't finished lower than 9th. He just about showed enough in his second round in Hawaii to be worthy of a bet but be wary he has a tendency to be nervy on the final day when in contention.

1/4 pt ew 100/1 Sunderlands 1/4 6 or Victor Chandler
Blue Square 1/4 5

Lost

-8.75

14.1.08

18.49

Golf

Bob Hope

Charles Warren

There are several reasons for backing Warren this week - firstly his 6th place finish on his debut here last season. That result a year ago was on his seasonal debut and the year before he was 7th first time out and in 2003 he even won on his seasonal bow so he can clearly play well fresh. He has also proved he can compete in pro-am events as he is a previous winner of the Nationwide version an event Hoffman very nearly won.

1/2 pt ew 100/1 Stan James, Betdirect 1/4 5

Lost

-8.25

14.1.08

17.55

Golf

Abu Dhabi

Rory McIlroy

The teenage phenom is not really the sort of player we would normally tip - mainly becasue the hype means his price is too short but this week we will give him a go as the course should suit his golf game. His 2 top 4 finishes in October meant he was going off at half these odds and whilst he has no course experience he has been out in Dubai practicing since Christmas so should be raring to go.

1/2 pt ew 75/1 Skybet 1/4 5

Lost

-7.25

14.1.08

14.38

Golf

Abu Dhabi

Louis Oosthuizen

We will take a small risk on the young South African who is making his debut here this week. The price does look somewhat big when you look at 3 top 4 finishes last season in top class European events and he has been top 5 in the last 2 co-sanctioned South African Opens. All those results combined with an 11th in the HSBC Champions event make this too big to resist.

1/5 pt ew 150/1 Victor Chandler 1/4 5

Lost

-6.25

8.1.08

22.15

Golf

Sony Open

Doug Labelle

We are hoping for a repeat of the last time we picked a Monday qualifier when Mulroy placed at 50/1 and there is every chance Labelle could be worth following. He won the final place in the field by surviving a 6 man play-off and was very keen to get in and play the event where last year he had his best ever PGA finish when 4th. The course clearly suits his very accurate game and he has proved on the Nationwide Tour he plays the same courses well year in year out.

1/5 pt win 200/1 1/4 pt top 5 40/1 Lassters
Sportstab + 1/4 pt top 5 60/1 Centrebet

Lost

-5.85

8.1.08

22.15

Golf

Sony Open

J B Holmes

The big hitting American seems to like the start of the new season and especially in Hawaii finishing 10th here in 06 and then 4th in the Mercedes last year. He signed off last season with a 9th in Florida and then a top 10 in Australia even with a poor 2nd round. He is clearly best on these Bermuda greens and it would be no surprise to see him get off to a quick start again.

1/5 pt ew 125/1 Coral 1/4 5

Lost

-5.15

8.1.08

14.41

Golf

Joburg Open

Edward Rush

Although there are 200 runners in this weeks event it really has been difficult to find many selections and we will take a small risk with Rush who was 6th here last season. Again there must be something about the thinner air he likes as his one win came in the hills of Spain. If he can get off to a good start he could make this price look far too big

1/5 pt ew 200/1 Ladbrokes 1/4 5

Lost

-4.75

8.1.08

10.19

Golf

Sony Open

Frank Lickliter

Lickliter is another veteran who has played well here before with a 7th and 4th his best finishes. In 2006 he had a poor season until a great finish with 3 top 5 finishes in 4 starts but then couldn't find that form again in 2007 and he needed a trip to Q school to get his card back and boy what a trip! In the opening 2 rounds he shot back to back rounds of 62 on different courses - a stunning performance and if he can play anywhere near that he should go well this week.

1/4 pt ew 100/1 Sunderlands 1/4 6
Betfred 1/5 6

Lost

-4.35

8.1.08

09.18

Golf

Sony Open

Brendan Pappas

Pappas let us down when we picked him for the Q school but after a slow start he really had no great encouragement to perform over the last few days as he already had his full PGA tour card. He was consistency personified on the Nationwide Tour last year doing everything but winning and has proven he can play well after a break when 2nd on his seasonal bow in 2006. He has played here three times before improving every time going mc/33/15 and has always started the week well. Reading some off season quotes from the South African he is determined to get off to a quick start to secure his card.

1/5 pt win 330/1 1/4 pt top 5 66/1 Lassters
Sportstab

Lost

-3.85

8.1.08

09.18

Golf

Sony Open

Robert Gamez

Veteran players have a solid record here and Gamez certainly fits that description and he has a great deal of experience here with usually a few good rounds every year but never getting the job done. He had a poor season last year and lost his card but if he could find the form at the end of the season that saw him finish 9th and 3rd in Florida then he could get off to a fast start in order ot get his card back. It wasn't that long ago that he won and most of his best performances have come on par 70 courses.

1/5 pt win 200/1 1/4 pt top 5 40/1 Lassters
Sportstab

Lost

-3.4

8.1.08

09.18

Golf

Sony Open

Jeff Overton

Overton is one of many young talented Americans on the scene but he is definitely one we think is capable of a win this season. He came really close in the Wyndham last season losing out to a storming last round from Snedeker and he was also 6th in his final start of the season. He didn't play here last year but his first PGA pro start was here in 06 when he made the cut on the mark but then shot -6 over the weekend climbing to 24th so he can clearly play the narrow course

1/5 pt win 200/1 1/4 pt top 5 40/1 Lassters
Sportstab

Lost

-2.95

7.1.08

17.56

Golf

Joburg Open

Sion Bebb

The top 2 in this event last year both played well at altitude in Crans the year before and Bebb certainly fits the bill there with a 4th in September. It wasn't the first time the Welshman has played well at altitude - he did it again at Leopard Creek last month when 8th. He has been around a long time now and if he is going to win on the main tour he probably will have to sooner rather than later

1/4 pt ew 100/1 Ladbrokes 1/4 5

Lost

-2.5

7.1.08

16.28

Golf

Joburg Open

Edoardo Molinari

The young very talented Italian had a blistering start to his 2007 season with an 8th place finish here before winning 2 of his next 4 starts on the Challenge Tour.There is a close theme amongst those 3 good finishes - all 3 courses are at really high altitude and Molinari clearly has an aptitude for it. After those events he went off the boil missing 7 straight cuts - however he found his form again in South Africa before Christmas and we think he will be seen at his best this week

1/2 pt ew 75/1 Bet365 1/4 5

Lost

-2.0

1.1.08

18.43

Golf

Mercedes Championship top American

Paul Goydos

Goydos was the surprise winner of the Sony Open in Hawaii 12 months ago to earn his spot here this week. Given his course form we guess it wasn't a huge surprise and he has stated he has a fondness for Hawaii including Kapalua where he has played many times before. Admittedly he is coming here after a long break but this was the same in January last year and his last appearance in a Mercedes saw him finish 4th albeit a long time ago! We will play in this market because in recent times the rest of the world players have performed with credit.

1/4 pt ew 75/1 1/4 4 Betdirect
Stan James

Lost

-1.0

1.1.08

14.24

Golf

Mercedes Championship Lowest Event Score

Mike Weir

A quick play on Weir in this special market which on the face of it might be a random market but in 5 appearance at Kapalua Weir has scored 63 twice in 05 and 02 and in each of those years this proved to be the lowest score of the week.

1/4 pt 22/1 Skybet

Lost

-0.5