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April 3rd Golf news ... Bet Tour Championship at bet-tour-championship.com

Lee Westwood a Favorite at this Year’s U.S. Open
2021-06-18

Looking for two players to place atop the list of favorites for next week’s U.S Open? Look no further than the top two finishers at the season’s first major, The Masters. Although Phil Mickelson prevailed in that event and must be considered the overall favorite, don’t be surprised to see Lee Westwood holding the trophy come Sunday, and Golf betting is watching.

Amidst all the attention given to golf’s two preeminent superstars, Mickelson and Tiger Woods, the truth is that Westwood has been the most consistent player in the world of late, especially in the big events. He has been knocking on the door in majors for years now, finishing in the top three in four of the last eight majors contested, twice finishing one shot out of a playoff—at the 2008 U.S. Open and 2009 British Open. The U.S. Open performance was especially sensational given that he was playing in the final group with Tiger Woods and had to contend with the external frenzy that accompanied his improbable victory on one healthy leg. He also played in the final group with Mickelson at this year’s Masters and had a respectable final round amidst all the pro-Mickelson sentiments. Westwood’s ability to focus on his own game and stay in contention on Sunday shows that he will not be moved by the pressure inherent of the U.S. Open, often described as the most mentally taxing of the four majors. Given the difficulty of the course setups, mistakes are bound to happen. Westwood’s steely resolve allows him to mentally recover from mistakes and not compound them, which as all keen people in golf betting know is his weakness.

Westwood is also a proven winner, having won 31 times around the world, including 20 on the esteemed European Tour, which should silence any concerns about his ability to close a tournament. He has shown the ability to sustain this consistency throughout the course of an entire season, winning the vaunted European Tour Order of Merit in both 2000 and 2009. He is habitually in contention and the fact that he hasn’t broken through yet in a major is nothing more than a testament to how difficult they are to win. As stated before, his overall consistency lends credence to the belief that one of the big ones will eventually go his way. After all, it’s not uncommon for it to take longer than expected for a player to break through. It’s easy to forget that for a long time, there were similar fears about Mickelson. His numerous close-calls had many in the media wondering if his day would ever come. Not only has he broken through, he now has four majors to his credit. Thus, Westwood’s previous habit of coming up just short shouldn’t be a negative in handicapping his chances at the U.S. Open. As we have seen, if a player continually puts himself in a position to win, it should be expected that the day will come when everything goes right and they break through.

The aforementioned consistency possessed by Westwood doesn’t merely apply to majors of the past but also to his play thus far this year and current form. A pillar of consistency, he already has seven top-10 finishes in tournaments this year. His last tournament on American soil, The Players Championship, proved that he was not suffering from any Masters hangover. He led the so-called “fifth major” through 54 holes and wound up with a tie for fourth place. He is playing in this week’s PGA Tour event in Memphis so don’t expect any rust come next week.

Westwood can also draw positive memories from the 2000 U.S. Open, the last time it was held at Pebble Beach. Although he didn’t win, he tied for fifth, his highest finish to that point. His game is a very good fit for Pebble Beach, where a premium is placed on ballstriking, one of Westwood’s strengths. His combination of distance and accuracy promises to serve him well.

It can be argued that Westwood is the safest pick. Whereas some of the other elite players can be erratic, the world’s third-ranked player is the picture of consistency. Players often say before majors that their only goal is to have a chance going into the final round. Westwood’s track record has shown that he will very likely have a chance going into Sunday at Pebble. The only question is whether or not he will win.

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Coming into the 2010 US Open at Pebble Beach, circumstances are much different for Tiger Woods than the last time Pebble hosted the event in 2000. At that time, Woods was in the midst of a stretch of dominance the game had never before seen and might never see again. He would go on to win the tournament by a record 15 strokes and complete the first leg of the “Tiger Slam.” However, this time around, Woods enters the tournament with more questions and concerns than ever before in his career and his chances of winning are murky.

Six and a half months after his bizarre car accident and subsequent tabloid frenzy that revealed marital transgressions, there are some concerns that his legendary on-course focus is being compromised. Numerous reports have speculated that he and his wife are in the midst of filing for divorce, which all Golf Betting now think will hurt his chances to win any majors this year.

Even worse, Woods’ golf game is rusty and more in doubt than ever. He has only played four tournaments in the last seven months and failed to finish the tournament in two of those, giving him a grand total of 11 competitive rounds during that time. The task of fixing his swing flaws is magnified by the sudden resignation of his swing coach, Hank Haney. Woods has not hired a new coach and is relying solely on himself to diagnose what is plaguing him.

Another significant question is Woods’ health. He walked off the course during the final round of last month’s Players Championship, fearing that he had a bulging disk in his neck. Although tests refuted this, he was forced to rest and take time off. He has only played one tournament to test the neck’s condition and can’t be looking forward to subjecting it to the penal rough of the U.S. Open. Considering that he is one of the least accurate drivers on the PGA Tour and figures to hit some wayward shots, this raises significant concerns, and makes all Golf betting nervous.

Although Woods is currently the co-favorite with Phil Mickelson at odds of 6/1, it’s important to not be fooled. For reasons outlined in previous articles, Mickelson and Lee Westwood must be regarded as having better chances than Woods. These odds are a larger reflection of the perception that Woods will have a distinct advantage with the venue. However important this may be, it’s important to remember that the U.S. Open is the most demanding event in golf and requires one’s game to be in pinpoint condition. Currently, Woods’ game simply is not. Also, with a field of players as large and deep as that of the U.S. Open, odds are good that someone will break through with a spectacular week.

With all that being said, it would be ludicrous to dismiss Woods. If he has taught us anything over the years, it is that nobody should ever count him out. His victory on one healthy leg at the 2008 U.S. Open showed that he is capable of doing virtually anything on a golf course. He has consistently shown an ability to raise his game on golf’s grandest stages, including at this year’s Masters. In his first tournament back since the scandal, he fought insatiable media scrutiny and erratic play to somehow find himself in contention on Sunday and finish fourth. His familiarity with Augusta National and past success at the tournament undoubtedly helped.

He can rely on similar past success at next week’s U.S. Open. Even if the venue won’t necessarily give him a physical advantage, it can certainly give him a mental one, allowing him to summon memories from the 2000 edition, a singular performance that many call the best ever.

Also, if anyone is capable of fixing their own swing, it is Woods. Haney said he possesses a greater understanding of the golf swing’s technical aspects than any other player he has ever seen. Woods seems to be making strides too. Although he only finished tied for 19th in his first tournament back since the neck injury, he completed four rounds and said he feels that his game is approaching where he wants it to be.

We all know what the results are when Woods’ swing is at his best. The only question is if it will get there in time for the U.S. Open to give him a chance to win. In a week dominated by questions surrounding Woods, the state of his swing is the greatest one.   

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Although many would argue that the Masters and U.S. Open are the two greatest golf events in the world and have tremendous history, which is about where the similarities end.

The Masters has always been marked by an elitist, private attitude. The idea that The Masters is able to do whatever it wants stems from Augusta National’s origins as an exclusive private club for wealthy businessmen. Perhaps the most prominent example of this is the all-male membership, something that has become increasingly controversial over the years and threatened to overshadow the 2003 tournament amidst protests. The club’s exclusivity extends to the tournament itself, which has the most demanding qualification requirements of any tournament in the world. While most tournaments have 144 players in the field, The Masters is always under 100, with no open qualifying.

This is in stark contrast to the U.S. Open, which truly lives up to its title of “open”. Anyone can attempt to qualify provided they have a handicap index of 1.4 or less. This has repeatedly led to unknowns making their mark in America’s tournament, at least temporarily. Since the USGA leaves a lot of slots open to these qualifiers, a high premium is placed on them; the requirements for automatically qualifying are similar to those of the Masters. Thus, many highly accomplished touring pros must go through the same process as everyone else. Numerous winners, including Lucas Glover last year, have had to go this route.

The public/private dichotomy extends to the courses as well. Part of The Masters mystique is that it is played on the same course every year and every golf fan gains a more intimate knowledge of it with each passing year. Nevertheless, it is a private enclave and the vast majority of people will never get to play it for themselves, if they even get to attend the tournament at all. The Masters is considered by many to be “the toughest ticket in sports,” and Augusta National has tight rein over who receives tickets. On the other hand, the U.S. Open venue changes by the year and is determined by the USGA, which has made a concerted effort in recent years to bring the event to public courses to make it more relatable. The 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black was a watershed event in this regard as it was the first time America’s championship was held on a truly municipal golf course, as opposed to a private or resort course. The Open’s presence at Torrey Pines in 2008 and return to Bethpage Black in 2009 reaffirmed this promise, which has proven to be very popular. The USGA also provides many more tickets than Augusta National and the prices are much more affordable, much to the joy of golf fans and golf betting alike.

There are many differences in the way the tournaments are played as well. Augusta National is a long course with very little rough so the long-hitters are considered to be at a distinct advantage. It’s a classic risk-reward golf course that is set up for making birdies but also potential disasters as well. Although par is considered a good score in The Masters, the winner needs to make birdies and usually winds up being double digits under par. Although the US Open changes venues, the USGA has a pretty consistent setup each year. U.S. Open courses are marked by long rough and very fast greens. Like The Masters, it requires stellar putting to win. However, accuracy off the tee is an absolute premium as there is very little margin for error. Since players are bound to make mistakes, par is generally a very good score. It is not uncommon for the winning score to be around even par. Since the Open can be such a grind, it requires players who have superb mental capabilities and can recover from making a mistake which golf betting loves.

One aspect that makes the Masters superior is the universal symbolism of the Green Jacket. It is the most hallowed award in sports and just another part of the rich Augusta National lore. The U.S. Open winner receives a trophy that hasn’t attained such prestige. There is no real name for it and in an odd tradition; the winner has to get it engraved themselves. Nevertheless, this doesn’t put a damper on America’s championship. Whoever holds the trophy aloft this year will know they have just completed the most exacting test in golf.

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