Great Scott? Punters adamant Adam Scott can go one better

April 11, 2013 - 07:03 | Golf

Adam Scott is currently top of bet365’s liabilities for the forthcoming US Masters – with the firm also seeing support for Bubba Watson and Ian Poulter.

Great Scott? Punters adamant Adam Scott can go one better

bet365 spokesman Steve Freeth reflected on Scott’s agonisingly close call in last year’s event: “Scott probably won’t want reminding he was 1/66 in-play before his collapse in last year’s Open, but with solid Masters form behind him over the last three outings, he’s the one that’s attracted the most attention and one we’re certainly not cheering to end his major wait.”

2013 US Masters E/W ¼ 1,2,3,4,5

Player	Price	Player	Price
Tiger Woods	7/2	Rory McIlroy	8/1
Phil Mickelson	11/1	Justin Rose	20/1
Charl Schwartzel	22/1	Lee Westwood	28/1
Adam Scott	28/1	Louis Oosthuizen	28/1
Keegan Bradley	28/1	Dustin Johson	30/1
Bubba Watson	40/1	Ian Poulter	45/1

2013 US Masters – Winning Margin

Margin	Price
Won in Play-Off	5/2
One stroke exactly	11/4
Two strokes exactly	7/2
Three strokes exactly	9/2
Four Strokes or more	4/1

Nationality Of Winner

USA                            8/11
Europe                       15/8
Rest Of The World      9/2

Top Englishman

Player	Price
Justin Rose	13/8
Lee Westwood	5/2
Luke Donald	3/1
Ian Poulter	5/1
David Lynn	22/1

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Ian Poulter ready for Masters challenge

April 10, 2013 - 18:53 | Golf

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Ian Poulter insists he is feeling sharp and believes he has a good chance of winning this week’s US Masters at Augusta.

Ian Poulter ready for Masters challenge

The 37-year-old Englishman has still to win a Major, although he has played a key role in several successful Ryder Cup campaigns for Europe against the USA in the last decade.

Poulter is 45/1 to win the US Masters and 12/1 to be the top European at the tournament.

The world number 12 is confident that he can become the first Englishman since Nick Faldo triumphed at Augusta in 1996 to win a Major and the first European to clinch the Masters since Jose Maria Olazabal emerged victorious 14 years ago.

I’m fired up to play well again this year and try to slip one of those jackets on come Sunday.

Ian Poulter

Poulter finished seventh at Augusta last year while his best result in a Major came at the 2008 Open Championship when he came second behind Padraig Harrington at Royal Birkdale.

Poulter, who has made the cut in each of his eight previous appearances at the Masters, said: “I’ve looked at my stats and I think this (tournament) is my best chance.

“I feel very good about my game right now. I’ve played five events since the start of the year and played last week, something slightly different. I’ve never played the week before the Masters.

“I’ve always had a couple of weeks off but I wanted to get another tournament in before coming here so I could be match-sharp. And although I didn’t finish the week off well, I feel that I’m ready.

“I’ve hit the right shots in practice. I generally play the course pretty well. I’m fired up to play well again this year and try to slip one of those jackets on come Sunday.

“There’s no anxiety. I know this week is probably my best chance, so I just need to go out there and perform. I don’t have sleepless nights over it. If I did it would be through excitement, and I think I’ll be able to play on no sleep come Sunday if I had to.”

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Rory McIlroy won’t settle for second best

April 9, 2013 - 22:00 | Golf

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Rory McIlroy says anything less than a winning the Masters this week will leave him disappointed as he goes in search of his third major title.

Rory McIlroy won't settle for second best

The Northern Irishman endured a nightmare start to 2013 and had managed only one top ten finish before last week’s Texas Open.

The reigning US PGA champion made a late decision to play at the event at San Antonio and it seems to have pay dividends as he finish second on 12-under, two shots behind the winner Martin Laird.

The 23-year-old felt his good performance at the PGA Tour event has left him in good shape to challenge for the first major of the year.

When asked whether it would be disappointing if he didn’t pick up the first green jacket of his career, McIlroy replied: “Yeah, it would be.

“Every time you come to Augusta you want to win the Green Jacket and every time you don’t it’s another chance missed. If I am sitting here on Sunday having finished second and having given it a good run you can’t be too disappointed, but the ultimate aim is to win.”

McIlroy is 9/1 to be victorious at Augusta, with the man who replaced him at the top of the world rankings recently, Tiger Woods, 7/2 to win a fifth Masters title.

McIlroy has rejected the suggestion there is a growing rivalry between him and his Nike stablemate Woods, claiming Woods’ success puts him in a different league to everyone else.

“He’s got 14 majors; I’ve got two. If I saw myself a rival to Tiger, I wouldn’t really be doing him much justice.”

The two-time major winner has been paired with 2011 US PGA champion Keegan Bradley and Sweden’s Freddie Jacobson for the first two rounds.

Elsewhere, Woods will spend Thursday and Friday alongside former world number one Luke Donald and Scott Piercy.

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Martin Laird thrilled to have Masters chance

April 8, 2013 - 18:07 | Golf

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Martin Laird is thrilled to have the opportunity to play in this week’s US Masters after holding off Rory McIlroy’s late charge to win the Texas Open.

Martin Laird thrilled to have Masters chance

The 30-year-old Scot had taken part in the last two Masters – finishing 20th in 2011 and 57th 12 months ago – but would not have been involved in the Augusta action this year until he shot a course-record 63 in the final round at TPC San Antonio to edge ahead of McIlroy by two shots.

Laird becomes the 94th and last player to earn his place in the Masters and is 100/1 to cause a major shock and win the tournament.

Finishing it off with a round like this, it’s a great way to go into Augusta. I’m really pleased with my game.

Rory McIlroy

Laird said after his victory in the Texas Open: “Unbelievable. I’ve been asked 30 times in the last two weeks, ‘Are you going to Augusta?’ Every time I said no, it hurt. It was a major motivation.”

Meanwhile, McIlroy, 8/1 to win the Masters, was delighted to end the Texas Open with a fine final round. The Northern Irishman carded a six-under 66 to finish second on 12-under.

The 23-year-old has yet to win a tournament this year but is in a buoyant mood in the build-up to the first Major of the year.

He said: “Even though I didn’t get the trophy, Martin was just too good today – 63 in these conditions is just phenomenal. I’m really pleased with my game and I think this has been a great week for me.

“Finishing it off with a round like this, it’s a great way to go into Augusta. I’m really pleased with my game.”

Overnight leader Billy Horschel and fellow Americans Jim Furyk and Charley Hoffman tied for third on 11-under.

Ireland’s Padraig Harrington, 66/1 to win the Masters, finished in a share of 10th after a closing 70, while David Lynn shot a final-round 70 to finish on five-under.

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2013 The Masters Betting Odds

April 8, 2013 - 08:00 | Golf

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2013 The Masters Betting Odds - Starts 11th April 2013

(odds correct at at 7th April)

2013 golf masters odds

BET HERE The Golf Masters 2013

The 2013 Masters Tournament will be the 77th edition of the Masters Tournament, the first of golf’s four major championships. It is scheduled to be held April 11–14 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.

The Masters has the smallest field of the four major championships. Officially, the Masters remains an invitation event, but there is a set of qualifying criteria that determines who is included in the field.[2] Each player is classified according to the first category by which he qualified, but other categories are shown in parentheses. Dates when a qualifying category will be completely determined are indicated in italics.

Golfers who qualify based solely on their performance in amateur tournaments (categories 6–10) must remain amateurs on the starting day of the tournament to be eligible to play.

1. Past Masters Champions

Ángel Cabrera, Fred Couples (11), Ben Crenshaw, Trevor Immelman, Zach Johnson (15,16,17,18,19), Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle, Phil Mickelson (11,15,16,17,18,19), Larry Mize, José María Olazábal, Mark O’Meara, Charl Schwartzel (18,19), Vijay Singh, Craig Stadler, Bubba Watson (11,15,17,18,19), Tom Watson, Mike Weir, Tiger Woods (2,13,15,16,17,18,19), Ian Woosnam

(Past champions not expected to play: Tommy Aaron, Jack Burke, Jr., Billy Casper, Charles Coody, Nick Faldo, Raymond Floyd, Doug Ford, Bob Goalby, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Fuzzy Zoeller.)

Tiger Woods back on top of the world

March 26, 2013 - 08:10 | Golf

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Tiger Woods has returned to number one in the world after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational by two shots.

Tiger Woods back on top of the world

Woods finished on 13 under par, two ahead of nearest challenger Justin Rose, to win the tournament for the eighth time. The victory was his third of 2013 on the PGA Tour and propelled him to the top of the rankings for the first time since October 2010.

I’m very pleased with the way I’m playing.

Tiger Woods

The final round of the event had been postponed from Sunday due to bad weather but the American held his nerve to go round in 70. He resumed with a three-shot lead and added three more birdies and dropped three shots.

His playing partner Rickie Fowler added to the excitement with three birdies in six holes, moving to within two shots of Woods with four holes remaining, but his challenge fell apart with a triple-bogey eight at the 16th.

Fowler finished tied on third at eight under with Mark Wilson, Keegan Bradley and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano. Rose, who had been top of the leaderboard on the first two rounds, started play four shots adrift but claimed second place after sinking four birdies.

“I play well here, it’s as simple as it gets,” said Woods after the win. “I’m very pleased with the way I’m playing.”

Tiger Woods is now 3/1 to win the US Masters, while Rory McIlroy, knocked off top spot by the American, is 9/1. Rose can be backed at 18/1.

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Woods warns Rory McIlroy will only get better

January 15, 2013 - 19:05 | Golf

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World number one Rory McIlroy is being backed by Tiger Woods to continue improving and add more Majors to his current tally of two.

McIlroy and Woods will go head-to-head at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship this weekend, with the American, who has 14 Major titles to his name full of praise for the new star on the block.

He has all the tools and is only going to get better at it.

Rory McILroy

Complementing McIlroy’s playing style, Woods said: “He drives beautifully, he’s a beautiful iron player and when he gets the putter rolling he makes a lot of putts.

“He has all the tools and is only going to get better at it.”

This year’s Abu Dhabi Championship gets underway on Thursday and McIlroy, who finished second in the competition last time around, is 5/1 to go one better, with Woods priced at 7/1.

Defending champion Robert Rock can be backed at 80/1.

Meanwhile, McIlroy has entered the swirling debate on who should captain Europe in the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, with Colin Montgomerie and Paul McGinley the men in the running.

McIlroy would clearly prefer to see McGinley given the role ahead of Montgomerie, who captained Europe to victory two years ago at Celtic Manor.

He told reporters: “I played under Paul at the Seve Trophy in 2009 and thought he did an unbelievable job. Of all the captains I’ve played under he would be the best.

“He gives great confidence in the team room and I think he would make a really good captain. I am really behind Paul and I think he should get the job.”

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2012 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award

December 4, 2012 - 08:00 | Boxing, Cricket, F1, Football, Games, Golf, TV Shows

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Olympic and Paralympic athletes dominate the shortlist for the 2012 BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

odds correct as at 3rd Dec 2012

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Cyclists Bradley Wiggins and Sir Chris Hoy, tennis star Andy Murray, and athletes Jessica Ennis and Mo Farah are candidates in a 12-strong list.

Rower Katherine Grainger, golfer Rory McIlroy, boxer Nicola Adams and sailor Ben Ainslie are other hopefuls.

Paralympians Sarah Storey, Ellie Simmonds and David Weir also make the list for the award on 16 December.

Three former Sports Personality nominees were on an expert panel which decided the shortlist, and the winner will be decided by a public vote on the night.

The panel was put together following criticism of an all-male list decided via a different method in 2011.

The 2000 winner Sir Steve Redgrave, Baroness Grey-Thompson and Denise Lewis were joined by Baroness Campbell, chair of UK Sport, and representatives from the BBC and the newspaper industry.

Presented by Sue Barker, Gary Lineker and Clare Balding, Sports Personality of the Year will be broadcast live on BBC One, BBC One HD and BBC Radio 5 live from 19:30 GMT.

A capacity crowd of 15,000 at the ExCel in London will make it the biggest show in the event’s 59-year history.

It will be a star-studded climax to 12 months of sport which saw London host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

With an array of candidates to choose from, the panel faced some difficult choices finalising the shortlist, which was extended from 10 to 12 to reflect a brilliant year for British sport.

Bradley Wiggins became the first Briton to win the Tour de France and followed up with Olympic time trial gold. Hoy won the team sprint and men’s keirin at London 2012 – his fifth and sixth gold medals overall – to beat the record for golds won by a British sportsman.

Ennis won the heptathlon and Farah triumphed in both the 5,000m and 10,00m in the Olympic Stadium.

Murray clinched gold at the Games before ending Britain’s wait for a major tennis title with victory in the US Open, and McIlroy also triumphed across the Atlantic as he took theUS PGA title, played in Europe’s winning Ryder Cup team and won the season-ending Tour Championship.

Adams became the first female fighter to win an Olympic boxing title,Grainger claimed rowing gold at the fourth attempt and Ainslie’s victory at the Games made him the most decorated Olympic sailor.

Ryder Cup: Luke Donald out first in singles

September 30, 2012 - 10:56 | Golf

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Luke Donald will lead Europe out in singles play on Sunday as Europe attempt to match the biggest comeback in Ryder Cup history at Medinah.

Ryder Cup: Luke Donald out first in singles

Following Saturday’s heroics by Mr Ryder Cup – Ian Poulter – Europe, 17/2 to win the Ryder Cup, still have a chance to turn around a 10-6 deficit in Illinois.

Things have not gone our way, especially on the greens, but I believe momentum will come our way.

Jose Maria Olazabal

Poulter, playing with Rory McIlroy, in the final four balls game against Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson needed to make sure of a European point or else the USA would have gone six points clear before Sunday’s singles matches.

The Englishman found the kind of form only he knows how to in this competition, hitting an astonishing five birdies on the final five holes of the back nine, with a putt from 10 feet to make sure of the point on the eighteenth.

It was Poulter at his fist-pumping best.

Earlier Luke Donald and Sergio Garcia hung on in a enthralling contest with Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker to register Europe’s fifth point of the competition, but needed some luck on the final green. Stricker missed a very makeable putt to halve the match.

Europe captain Jose Maria Olazabal remains optimistic that his team can equal the record of overturning four points in the final 12 singles matches and repeat the feat achieved by the USA at Brookline in 1999.

“Those last two matches were massive. It gives us a chance – it’s been done in the past,” Olazabal said.

“Things have not gone our way, especially on the greens, but I believe momentum will come our way.”

The Spaniard has decided to put his form players out first in the singles to try and gain the momentum and try and put pressure on. Donald, Poulter and McIlroy leading Europe out.

The USA are 1/1 to win the Ryder Cup.

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Ryder Cup – USA dominate fourballs to lead

September 29, 2012 - 12:00 | Golf

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Phil Mickelson won two out of two for the USA on day one of the Ryder Cup.

Ryder Cup - USA dominate fourballs to lead

USA moved into a 5-3 lead after the first day of the Ryder Cup, dominating the afternoon fourballs after the morning foursomes had been shared.

The hosts took the honours in the afternoon by a 3-1 margin, with Europe’s only point coming from Lee Westwood and rookie Nicolas Colsaerts, who dished out a second defeat of the day to Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker.

Woods and Stricker had suffered a 2 & 1 loss to Justin Rose and Ian Poulter in the morning, while in the fourballs they were undone by a superb performance from Belgian Colsaerts, who made eight birdies and an eagle in a one-hole victory.

However, in the other matches USA dominated, with Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson sweeping aside Peter Hanson and Paul Lawrie 5 & 4, while Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley made it two wins out of two as they edged out Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy 2 & 1.

Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar finished the day in style with a 3 & 2 win over Rose and Martin Kaymer.

Saturday’s opening foursomes pairings have been announced, with home skipper Davis Love opting to drop Woods for the first time in the Ryder Cup, with the world number two having struggled badly off the tee on day one.

Simpson and Watson will take on Rose and Poulter, before the in-form Bradley and Mickelson face Westwood and Luke Donald.

Colsaerts and Sergio Garcia meet Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson, with the final match bringing together McIlroy and McDowell against Jim Furyk and Brandt Snedeker.

After a good first day, USA are 2/5 to win the match and regain the Ryder Cup, with the hosts 15/2 to retain to triumph by a 15-13 scoreline.