After a week full of speculation regarding Greg Norman’s possible chance at a victory, thirty-six year old Irishman, Padraig Harrington emerged as the winner of the British Open last Sunday.

Harrington managed to beat out both Norman and Ian Poulter for a four-shot victory due to an excellent performance at the par 5s and finished with a 1-under 69 despite enormous winds. Even though Harrington was suffering from a sore right wrist (which stopped his practice after only nine swings at the Royal Birkdale earlier in the week) he managed to combat both disagreeable gusts and a late-game charge by Poulter. Greg Norman and Ian Poulter’s losses may have given Harrington the consecutive European record but it also meant the end of two other milestones in the making. Norman, fifty-three was set to become the oldest major champion and Poulter the first English champion since 1992 saw Nick Faldo take the British Open.

Perhaps most surprising is the credit Harrington gives to his injury in winning the British Open and becoming the first European to take the title two years straight. The Irishman credited his sore wrist as the reason he was able to relax and lower his personal expectations which eventually led to the victory.

Tags: golf, Open 2008

Although Phil Mickelson is certainly no slouch on the links the absence of Tiger Woods at this year’s Royal Birkdale may provide just the opportunity he needs to win the competition and finally take the title. The Birkdale course marks the location where Mickelson made his amateur debut in 1991 and holds a special place in his heart.

Tiger Woods is unable to play the game because of a knee surgery which leaves Mickelson as perhaps the top contender for the prestigious event. In spite of an unremarkable showing at the Scottish Open the golfer maintains that the three week break allowed him more than enough time to properly prepare for the Royal Birkdale. Mickelson reported that a chance to play the course and acclimatize to the British time zone has gone a long way toward adjusting his body and mind for the task at hand and he feels ready to take a real shot at the challenge.

Of course only time will tell how well Mickelson is able to fare but punters and fans alike are putting a lot of faith into the player as he readies for Royal Birkdale. He has been working hard at preparing to counter the British oceanic breezes which have wreaked havoc on his game in the past and feels that the time has been well spent and should help ensure a solid performance.

Our 2008 British Open betting partner is Paddy Power. They have some Fantastic Betting Offers for the 2008 British Open so be sure to give them a try.

Tags: golf, Open 2008

The number one Asian player, Liang Wen-Chong has his eyes set on making history as he becomes the first golfer from mainland China to enter the British Open. Aside from aspirations of personal success in the sport, Liang is also excited to increase national support from his country by becoming a golfer for the Chinese population to follow.

Liang, twenty-nine years old, has only played one other links course during the Dunhill Cup (in St. Andrews, Scotland) but is preparing hard to adjust to the geography, climate and style of play during his practice time leading up to the event. At his previous two appearances during the US Masters and PGA tournaments last year Liang narrowly missed the halfway cut and is anxious to make bigger waves this time around. He should have some extra practice when playing at the Barclays Scottish Open this week however and this time alone could go a long way toward fully tempering his style toward British courses.

The golfer currently enjoys the title of China’s first citizen to rank first in the Asian Tour 2007 but wants to go further with his talent in the sport. Liang is confident that his game has improved through playing against tough competitors and hopes that his abilities will be enough to truly compete in the British Open.

Our 2008 British Open betting partner is Paddy Power. They have some Fantastic Betting Offers for the 2008 British Open so be sure to give them a try.

Tags: golf, Open 2008

Last evening, Tiger Woods announced that he was out for the rest of the 2008 season becuase of his injured knee, and the problems that he suffered with it during his win at Torre Pines to collect the 2008 US Open Championship.

This means that Tiger will miss the 2008 British Open at Royal Birkdale as well as the 2008 USPGA and the 2008 Ryder Cup.

"It was important to me that I disclose my condition publicly at an appropriate time," Woods said on his website. "Now, it is clear that the right thing to do is listen to my doctors, follow though with this surgery, and focus my attention on rehabilitating my knee."

So, this rather throws the world of Golf right open for the rest of the 2008 season and it must give the Europeans a massive advantage in the Ryder Cup.

I am going to Royal Birkdale with my Son for the 2008 British Open and I know that we will miss Tiger not being there. But we can still watch the other major players and I am sure it will be a fantastic event.

If you fancy a bet on any Golf or other sporting events, why not give Paddy Power a try? We have reviewed their sports book and are partnering with them for all major sporting events.

Tags: golf

Tiger woods yet again birdied the 18th hole at Torre Pines to make the 2008 US Open go down the 91st hole.

Tiger was at one over par and Rocco Mediate was leading by one on level par going down the 18th. Rocco had benefited from three birdies on the bounce as it looked like Woods had it sewn up on the 10th, being ahead by three shots.

Tiger had a birdie chance on both 16 and 17 which he left short so stood on the final tee, he needed to make up the difference on the final hole. A great drive and 3 iron onto the water guarded hole saw Woods on for two, with Rocco Mediate only able to reach the Par 5 18th in three. Tiger had a long putt for eagle which he ran to around 5 foot and Rocco had a putt for the champiosnhip, which he missed. This left Woods a 5 foot putt to take it down to the sudden death play off on the 91st hole. He made it.

On the 91st, which was the 7th hole on the course Woods blasted a drive straight down the middle and Mediate hooked one into the bunker. Mediate then placed his second into the grandstand and Woods shot to around 15 foot. The writing was being written on the wall and this resulted in Rocco Mediate only being able to salvage a bogey with Woods already getting the Par.

Tiger has shown great spirit all week whilst breaking through the pain barrier of his knee after the operation.

The British Open is next, and I am going for three of the four days!

Our betting partner for the 2008 US Open is Bet365. Bet365 have some fantastic odds for the US Open as well as in play betting,

Tags: golf, US Open

Americans Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate are set to go head-to-head in an 18-hole play-off for the US Open title at 1700 BST at Torrey Pines.

Tiger Woods finished with a fantastic birdie on the 18th to push the match to a 18 hole play off which is due to start right now.

Our money is on Tiger!



Our betting partner for the 2008 US Open is Bet365. Bet365 have some fantastic odds for the US Open as well as in play betting,

Tags: golf

Tiger Woods fired two eagles in his last six holes to carry a one-stroke lead over England's Lee Westwood into the final day of the 2008 US Open.

All of this, on Tigers return to competitive golf after a Knee injury that has seen him miss a few months of competitive play.

We go into the final day with Tiger leading the field by one,

Will this be Tigers 15th Major? Only time will tell....

Our betting partner for the 2008 US Open is Bet365. Bet365 have some fantastic odds for the US Open as well as in play betting,

Tags: golf, US Open

It is that time of the year already and the 2008 Golf US Open is due to start today, Thursday the 12th of June 2008 a the Torre Pines Golf club in the USA.

Being an avid golfing team, all of us at Findabet are looking forward to this great event that always provides a great deal of drama, usually due to the way the courses are prepared. It has been a few months since Trevor Immelman won the US Masters, so this, the second Major of the season is eagerley anticipated.

The US Open also sees the return to competitive golf for World Number one, Tiger Woods after a rest spell to recover from a knee operation. Tiger Woods starts the US Open at 0806 and he is in the same group as Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott. Never before in a major have the three top ranked players all been placed together in one group and this should make for a fantastic viewing spectacle.

Our betting partner for the 2008 US Open is Bet365. Bet365 have some fantastic odds for the US Open as well as in play betting,

Tags: golf, US Open

Congratulations to Trevor Immelman on winning the 2008 US Masters Golf Championship. Immelman was at the top of the leaderboard for all four days of the Masters and he is the first person to win, after doing this since Ray Floyd in 1976.

It got quite close at the end with only a three shot gap between Trevor Immelman and and the second placed player, Tiger Woods. Immelman started the day on eleven under par, having shot rounds of 68, 68, and 69. He was two shots clear of Brandt Snedeker and Tiger was six shots behind on 5 under par.

In a day which provided difficult scoring conditions, due to the high winds, most of the people high up the leaderboard tailed off with over par rounds. These included Britons, Paul Casey, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, and Justin Rose. The final day second placed Brandt Snedeker also have a very bad round and finished on four under having shot a five over par 77 and he shared third place with Stewart Cink.

Tiger Woods had another indifferent day and shot an even par 72 to finish the day as he started on 5 under par. I am sure he will be looking back and realizing that the short putts he missed on the back nine could have made the difference to force a playoff with Trevor Immelman, however, hindsight is a wonderful thing. Woods normally has accurate putting and this is what has made him win 7 of his last 8 professional outings, and the true favorite for the US Masters.

Well, it was nice to see Immelman win his first major and we wish him all the best for the future. My money was lost, Woods, Rose, and Harrington all failed. Oh well, I am looking forward to the Open already!

Tags: golf

Day 3 saw the rain that was promised. Luckily, this only really affected the mornings play and resulted in nice soft greens for the afternoon players, and leaders. Scoring conditions were great and anticipation of a few great rounds was strife.

Overnight leader, South African Trevor Immelman was last out, so was one of those who benefited from the softer greens, allowing him more control over his approach shots. Again, he followed up his two 68s with a fantastic 69 to be eleven under par, and the clear leader from Brandt Snedeker by two shots who shot a two under par 70 leaving him on nine under par.

So, how are the British contingent doing after the third round at the Masters? Well, The leading British player is now Paul Casey who carded a great 69 to be four shots off the lead and in fourth place at seven under par. Ian Poulter is next, on two under. Poulter had a nightmare round of 75 that included two shanked approach iron shots on the 9th and 10th holes. So, even the pro's get the dreaded shanking disease every now and then. On 10th, he even shanked what appeared to be quite a long iron. This took the toll on Ian's round and he ended up with a very disappointing three over par round of 75, leaving him on two under after staring the day on five under par. Lee Westwood also had an indifferent round, shooting a one over par 73 to end the day on one under par. Justin Rose is well out of it after another bad round.

So, what about Tiger Woods? Well, he shot what was one of the best scores of the day, 68, four under for the day and five under for the championship. Is he too far back now as he is six shots off the lead? He sure does have a hard challenge ahead of him for him to achieve another green jacket. However, let's not forget the 1996 Masters where Greg Norman was six shots ahead of Nick Faldo, with Nick Faldo eventually winning, thanks to Norman having a nightmare round.

So, I am sure it is not too late for a final round wager, again, we recommend Bet365 for your US Masters Bet.

Come on Tiger! My money is on you!

Tags: golf

Day 2 at Augusta was another beautiful day, and the golf was on a par with the weather. Day one joint leader Trevor Immelman was out early with the other joint leader, Justin Rose, out last, just behind Tiger Woods.

Trevor Immelman was showing the same form as he showed on day one. He carded 5 birdies and one bogey to card a second round of 68, to take the outright lead at 8 under par.

Second place is held by American Brandt Snedeker who shot a four under par 78 to go into second place on 7 under par.

It was a mixed day for the British players at Augusta. In true "Justin Rose" style, he crumbled and surely now his chances of winning are over after carding a six over par 78. He was not doing that bad until a disaster on the par 5 15th saw him waste a great drive to hit is third shot into the water at the front of the green and then his next chip took a flyer, and nearly went into the water over the back of the 15th green. He ended up with a triple bogey 8 on 15, which undid a lot of the good work he had done on the first day to take the joint lead on 4 under par.

Ian Poulter on the other hand had a great round of 69, to beat his opening round of 70 to end on five under and in joint third place. He is well in the race and hopefully he can keep his nerve to ensure a good finish, who knows, he may even win it.

What about the Masters and bookies favourite, Tiger Woods? Well, it just was not happening again for Tiger. My large bet I placed on Tiger with Bet365 is not looking very good right now. He had a mixed round, but finished with a birdie on 17 to be at one under for the championship and you have to think he is still in it but he needs a brilliant day on Saturday to be in with a chance on Sunday.

The weather forecast for Saturday is heavy rain and possible thunderstorms so I guess the tee times are critical. Those who avoid the weather will surely card better scores.

Looking forward to todays Golf and there will be another report after day three.

Tags: golf

At the end of Day 1 at Augusta, Justin Rose and Tervor Immelman share the lead on four under par, both having carded a 68 in good conditions at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, USA.


I love the Masters, ever since been a child I have been mesmerized by the green fairways and white sand bunkers of Augusta. Being a golfer myself, watching the best golfers in the world attack what must be one of the most famous courses in the world is a dream.

The course has been lengthened yet again this year and is now over 7500 yards. There are a lot of Par 4s that a lot of club golfers would struggle to reach in three, even leaving the professional golfers such as Justin Rose, good drives and long irons into Par 4 greens.

The current leaderboard for below par players at the end of day one is as follows.

-4
Rose, Immelman

-3
Westwood, Bateman, Snedeker

-2
Poulter, Ames, Johnson

-1
Singh, Oberholster, Lonard, O'Meara, Solcum, Mickelson, Casey, Goosen

Great to see Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter high up the leaderboard. Poulter had an amazing hole in one on the Par 3 16th. He hit it out right onto the bank and then the ball rolled straight into the hole, this resulted in him shooting a 2 under Par 70.

Tiger Woods is well in contention at EVEN. He had a bit of a mixed round, playing some bad shots and also not getting the run of the ball on others. Putts lipped out on what was a very uneventful level Par round for Tiger.

My betting partner of choice for the Masters is Bet365. They have some great odds for the Masters and I have money on Justin Rose, Padraig Harrington, and of course Tiger Woods. Padraig did not have the best round but I am feeling good for my bets going into day two.

Tags: golf

Into Golf? Then why not visit our Sports Betting pages to try your luck!

Tiger Woods clinched a 13th major title with a hard-fought victory in the USPGA at a steamy Southern Hills in Oklahoma.

The world number one held off a spirited challenge from Ernie Els and Woody Austin to inch to within five of Jack Nicklaus' major record.

The 31-year-old was three clear overnight but saw a five-shot lead whittled down to one before edging Austin by two and Els by three.

Woods carded 69 for -8, American Austin took 67 and South African Els shot 66.

Australian John Senden and American Arron Oberholser finished one under, while England's Simon Dyson carded a blistering 64 to rocket into a share of sixth at level par and guarantee a return next year.

Woods's victory gave him back-to-back USPGA titles for the second time - he won in 1999 and 2000 - and a fourth USPGA in all. Fellow Americans Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen lead the way with five apiece.

The win was built on a sensational round of 63 on Friday when Woods lipped out for birdie on the 18th to miss out by one shot on the record for the lowest score in major history.

A solid 69 on Saturday gave Woods a three-shot cushion over Stephen Ames going into Sunday's final round but the Canadian quickly melted away in the heat to end on two over after a 76.

Woods leaked a couple of wayward drives early on and his lead was cut to two after a bogey on the 2nd to journeyman Austin's birdie up ahead.

But as Woods settled down, the lead fluctuated between two and five shots as the challenges of Austin and Els ebbed and flowed.

Els, six behind overnight, missed golden birdie opportunities on the 9th and 11th but he and Austin both reconvened on six under, two back, after their 14th and 13th holes respectively.

Woods looked worried and a three-putt on 14 brought the gap down to just one.

But Els fell back again up ahead on 16 before Woods bounced back impressively with a 12 footer for birdie on the 15th.

Woods pointed at the cup as the ball dropped as if he knew that would be the death knell for his pursuers.

"I said going to 15, 'you got yourself into this mess, now get yourself out of it. That birdie was huge," said Woods, who won last week's WGC Invitational by eight shots.

From then on he strolled unchallenged to his first major title of 2007 following second at this year's Masters and US Open and tied for 12th at the Open Championship in Carnoustie.

Woods' wife Elin and two-month-old daughter Sam were beside the 18th green to watch him hole the winning putt and he admitted that was a special moment.

"That is a feeling I have never experienced before and to have her (Sam) here brings chills to me even now. It's so cool," he said.

The victory gave Woods 59 PGA Tour wins in 213 professional starts, fifth-best on the all-time list behind Arnold Palmer (62) and five off Ben Hogan in third. Sam Snead holds the career win mark at 82, nine ahead of Nicklaus.

All seven winners of majors held at Southern Hills have now led at both the 54 and 36 hole stage, while the winner of the USPGA has come from the final pairing for the past 11 years.

Els, 37, insisted he is going in the right direction following a fourth place at last month's Open.

"My putts on the 9th and the 11th holes and the drive on 16 are the three shots I'd like to have back," said the world number four.

Els won the US Open in 1994 and 1997 and the Open at Muirfield in 2002 and has had eight top 10s in majors since then.

But he missed most of 2005 after injuring his knee on a sailing holiday and is still trying to rediscover his previous form.

World number three Phil Mickelson carded 17 pars and one birdie in a closing 69 for six over as he struggles back from a wrist injury.

Tags: golf

Congratulations to Angel Cabrera on his victory at Oakmont in the US Open Golf.

The 37-year-old Cabrera was forced to play a cruel game of wait-and-see after posting a 1-under-par 69, which made him the only player in the field to post two sub-par rounds all week and led to his eventual winning total of 5-over-par 285. Cabrera's wait was made exceptionally uncomfortable because after 2003 U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk faltered with a bogey at the 17th hole, the only player left that could catch him was the one player no one wants to be chased by -- 12-time major champ and world No.

...Life is good for Cabrera right now, a three-time winner on the European Tour, whose previous best major championship finish was a tie for fourth at the 1999 British Open -- which coincidentally was played at Carnoustie, the same course that will host the 2007 British Open in five weeks.

...Woods was looking for his first come-from-behind win in a major, but instead had to settle for the fourth runner-up/co-runner-up finish in majors of his career, including the second time in 2007.

...Australia's Aaron Baddeley had a two-shot lead after 54 holes, but saw it disappear after just one hole in the final round with a triple bogey to Woods' par at No.... The three-shot swing put an end to Baddeley, who tied for 13th after his final-round 10-over-par 80 -- his worst round of the week by eight shots.

...Just because Badds made 7 on the first hole, we still have 17 more to go; it's not like they're handing out the trophy on the first green," Woods said.

..."Considering that they softened the golf course up for us and we still shot 5 over par as a winning score, that shows you how difficult this golf course really is.

...Leading into the tournament, the talk surrounding this U.S. Open had less to do with Phil Mickelson's debacle on the 72nd hole at Winged Foot in 2006 and more to due with the left wrist he injured while practicing at brutal Oakmont a couple of weeks before the Open.

...The 10-over 148 total required to make the cut turned out to be the third-highest in relation to par since World War II, tying the 10-over 154 cut line in 1972 at Pebble Beach Golf Links.

..."You should get penalized for missing a shot, but I don't know if it should be as black and white as it is," Ogilvy said, obviously frustrated after his round on Sunday.

...While the U.S. Open didn't end with the best player in the world -- Woods -- taking home his third title, Cabrera's victory made him the third consecutive first-time major winner at the U.S. Open, joining New Zealand's Michael Campbell at Pinehurst in 2005 and Ogilvy last year at Winged Foot.

Tags: golf