US Open Golf / Editor / 15 June 2009 / Leave a comment Bet Now

Seasoned golf watcher Tareq Quiroz looks at the ingredients you need to find a successful pick in the betting without Tiger.

Anyone who witnessed the final round performance of Tiger Woods at the Memorial Tournament is left with the inevitable question - who can beat this man? That is of course after you have decided on whether he is man or machine. Tiger was simply breathtaking on that occasion and quite naturally his odds for the upcoming US Open have been slashed. He is now trading at a miserly [3.05] in the winner market and that has led me to take a good look at the betting without the great man.

The beauty of the Winner Without Woods market is that of course your selection can either win the event or come second to Woods. In this case you have to believe you are playing for second place. All you have to do is remember all the interviews given by top players after a round in which Tiger has taken control of a major to gauge what effect it has. I have heard some of the best players of our generation all but concede defeat after just one or two rounds. With that kind of mindset it is no wonder that they so often fail hopelessly when Tiger wins.

The trend of players coming second to Tiger in majors is very interesting. Not since Tiger won the US Open in 2002 has a player with any real chance going into the event come second to him. Rocco Mediate, Chris DiMarco, Shaun Micheel and Woody Austin have all finished second to Tiger in a major recently. Without exception these are the kind of players who go into a major with no expectation of success.

I genuinely believe that years of being beat up by Tiger have left the world's elite with mental scars they can't overcome. Young players rarely do well at a major so that really does just leave us with the usual crowd of journeymen. To them, coming second to Tiger is success. The keys to playing this market pre-tournament are simple. Avoid anyone in the top-20 in the betting. Rule out anyone under 30 and preferably find targets aged over 40.

I will get you started with my main pick - Tom Lehman. This seasoned pro has just turned 50 and has played a couple of events on the Champions Tour already. He won one of his two events on that tour and has had three top 25 finishes on the main tour too. He came through the very difficult qualifying and, with his swing in good nick, is full of confidence. He will have no pressure whatsoever on him and must be a decent bet in this market at odds in excess of [300.0].

Remember in this market that nobody is too big a price to come second. If they fit the criteria then do not be put off by seemingly enormous odds - simply fill your boots.