Wednesday

[ChuckLazar]

Golf------3 units
501 Player to win British Open
Tiger Woods+250

After placing 2nd the last 2 majors, Tiger ties a record and wins his 3rd British Open in consecutive years.

MLB
5 units
910 LAD-138

3 units
908 -928 Cubs- Min+139

[baseballdave]

tough not to take Tiger at +250.
good luck chuck
dave

[bryce]

I have followed your golf picks in the past and this will be no different---GL Chuck!

[BillMill71]

Good Luck Chuck

[Kaptain]

gl today

[Spearit]

I have him as a Top 5. Good Luck - I have Els as my projected winner! Should be another one to remember!

There is at least one American who appreciates the complex and often frustrating beauty that is Carnoustie. Tiger Woods looks at the venerable course as his canvas, one where he is free to be creative rather than clinical in his shot-making. Mind you, he didn’t feel that way in 1999 when he finished in seventh place, complaining afterward (but to his credit, not before or during) about not being able to bring out his driver often enough.

Woods has famously adjusted his game since then to make better use of long irons; he’s coming off two straight Open championships and is the clear favorite at 3-1 to make it three in a row.

Woods is also pleased to see that Carnoustie’s layout for 2007 is somewhat less treacherous than eight years ago. The rough is less pronounced, the greens are less protected, and the ground is fairly soft for a major. According to Canadian golfer Mike Weir (90-1 this week), the greens are registering a 10 on the stimpmeter.

"You have to be careful, and you have to think, but you do have options," Weir wrote on his blog. "That to me is the essence of links golf."

Because of the unfamiliar links, the British Open warmup events are even more crucial for golfers like Weir who don’t spend much time on the European Tour. The key tournament last week was the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond, where Grégory Havret beat Phil Mickelson in a playoff. Ernie Els and Luke Donald were also in the hunt.

Havret’s win earned him a place on the Open futures market at 150-1; Els is the second favorite behind Woods at 12-1, with Mickelson 15-1 and Donald not far behind at 28-1.

Els has a leg up on Mickelson for two reasons. One, Lefty had a bit of a meltdown himself at Loch Lomond, bogeying the final hole of the fourth round to fall into a playoff with Havret. Two, Els is a true European Tour veteran, winning the Claret Jug in 2002. The South African is very fond of the links; in his 15 career Open appearances, Els has finished second on three occasions and in the Top 10 a total of nine times.

Els is one of several top golfers who chose to stay and golf at St. Andrews this week in preparation for the Open. Jim Furyk was among them. Currently No. 7 on the PGA Tour money list, Furyk (18-1) is on a roll, finishing in the Top 5 in four of his last five events, including second at the U.S. Open. He seems to thrive on tough courses, but his lighter drives (277.1 yards on average) are ill suited to the links in anything but the sunniest conditions.

Furyk failed to make the cut at five straight British Opens before placing fourth in 2006. Eight years ago at Carnoustie, he was tied for 10th. Els, by comparison, cranks out drives of 295.5 yards on average. Furyk also gave the Scottish Open a miss, taking a couple weeks off after finishing third at the AT&T National in Maryland.

Among the other familiar European Tour names playing the Open this week: Padraig Harrington (25-1), Retief Goosen (33-1), Colin Montgomerie (40-1) and U.S. Open winner Angel Cabrera (40-1).

As for the last man to win at Carnoustie, Scotland’s own Paul Lawrie, he’s dead last on the odds list at 200-1. That’s British humor for you.

[jt4545]

Gl Today Chuck

[Spearit]

The British Open held this year at Carnoustie GC in Scotland, will be a bit of a crapshoot and here's why.
The par 71 layout that measures a record 7,421 yards long and has only two par 5's and only three par 3's does not conform to normal everyday PGA Tour kind of golf. Sure, many Americans and Tour players have dominated the British Open from the likes of Tiger Woods to Tom Watson, But for the most part, too many Paul Lawrie's, Ben Curtis' and Jean Van de Velde's have won or come close.

For Carnoustie to be tamed or for the pro players to have a shot at breaking par, there must be little wind. As they say in Scotland, "Nae Wind, Nae Golf." This British Open course occasionally known as "Carnastie" has always been at the mercy of the offshore winds and they always seem to show up and blow in The Open. The players will go through 40-60 mph gales and gusts, the "Barry Burn" to manage, multitudes of bumps and crazy bounces that can determine the outcome of the tournament.

In other words, there is a larger than normal "luck" factor involved this week and handicapping the field and matchups can be dicey. We are going to take a conservative approach in our matchups and perhaps look closer at some props this week.

The R&A has mentioned they are looking for a fair setup close to that of last year at Hoylake where tee position is key. The farther off line your shots are the more you are penalized. There is no need to be super long this week, look for steady play off the tee, for example Luke Donald or Padraig Harrington. I also believe the Euros are at a big advantage under these conditions. Americans go from warm, soft, perfect greens and gentle conditions to harsh, cold, gusty and severe terrain, raingear, sweaters and a time change. Recall last year at Hoylake if I may, Rod Pampling had the lead after round one and then met the Open head on and fired an 86. He was the first player in the history of the PGA Tour or R&A to have the overnight lead and then miss the cut.

Jerry Kelly -105 vs. Rory Sabbatini

Sabbatini wasn't kidding when he said he takes plenty of time off in the hot summer and likes to relax. He has not played since Fathers Day at the U.S. Open. He has been boating and fishing at his retreat in West Texas. His game cannot be sharp. Kelly has made 11 cuts in a row and finished a solid T26 LY at Hoylake.

Pelle Edberg -110 vs. Robert Karlsson

Edberg has been razor sharp the past two weeks finishing T3 at the Smurfit Kappa Open and T4 LY at the Barclay's Scottish Open. I will continue to bet against Karlsson who has one of the worst swings anywhere and never plays well in major championships.

[Spearit]

I took Verplank against Sabby. Verplank has won a tourny this year so his game is decent. He lacks confidence to really win a major but does well enuff to bark at times. I am just hoping this is one of those times. Sabby shot off his mouth about Bring on Tiger and that has backfired for him. His break was to get away from the mental duress of tour life and I believe he is here for the show and not the dough. Of course that sounds ludicrous- but his lack of playing time reveals he seriously needed some off time.

[ChuckLazar]

adding

4 units
905 Hou-Wash under 9 -115
909 Phil-LAD over 8.5 -120

[ChuckLazar]

adding

4 unit
927 LAA-TB over 9 -115

[BigWeiner]

Good luck Chuck

[Lsufan]

Good Luck CEC

[Chado1]

BOL today Chuck!

[SACPAC]

Good Luck Buddy..