Sports Then and Now

The Open Championship is an annual golf tournament, the oldest of the four major golf tournaments in professional golf, and the only major one that takes place outside the US. This year’s edition of the British Open is set to begin on July 18. 

It’s been 68 years since the British Open was held at the Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland, and the challenging track should put 156 top-ranked players to test. World #1 Brooks Koepka has won four major championships since the start of the 2017 season, including a win at the PGA Championship. Accordingly, he is the top favorite to win the tournament at 8.00 (888Sport), while the course record-holder Rory Mcllroy is trailing at 9.00. Last year’s winner Francesco Molinari is listed at 21.00, and the three-time British Open champion Tiger Woods is capped at 13.00.

The Open Championship is the final PGA major of the year and will feature an extremely talented field that includes former champions like Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Hendrik Stenson, Zach Johnson, and Darren Clarke.

There will be plenty of action during the tournament, as well as a lot of opportunities for you to bet and make some serious cash. If you’re having trouble finding a reputable golf betting site and golf betting odds, visiting ttps://www.onlinesportbetting.ca/golf-predictions-betting-odds/ might give you the answers you were looking for. 

Without further ado, let’s take a look at our expert tips and predictions for the 2019 British Open Championship.

21-year-old Jordan Spieth led wire-to-wire to claim his green jacket.

Watching 21-year-old golfer Jordan Spieth re-write the record books at Augusta National, you couldn’t help feel a sense of déjà vu. Has it really been 18 years since a 21-year-old Tiger Woods totally dominated the 1997 Masters for his first Major title?

Of course, we now know that what Woods did in April 1997 was not a fluke. He went on to win four green jackets among his 14 major championships.

What will be interesting for us to look back on in 18 years is whether the performance by Spieth triggered a period of dominance similar to that of Woods or if the 2015 Masters will become best remembered for being one of 10 second place finishes by Phil Mickelson in a Major tournament.

Given that Spieth already has three PGA Tournament wins, has finished 21st or better in the U.S. Open twice and in two trips to the Masters has a second place tie and now a tournament championship, it seems likely that this is just the beginning of a long and successful career for Spieth.

If that is indeed the case, the future for professional golf is looking mighty bright.

It was just a couple years ago that many were asking what would happen to the PGA after Tiger and Phil.

Now, with Spieth joining an impressive group of “young guns” who have either won or contended for majors before their 30th birthday, the sport seems poised for a long period where multiple stars take turns battling for victories.

Of course, leading the pack is Rory McIlroy, who at the age of 25 has already won four major titles and with a 12-under par score at the 2015 Masters might have reached the career grand slam had it not been for Spieth’s magical performance.

Other young stars who will compete with McIlroy and Spieth for years to come include Martin Kaymer (two majors before age 30), Webb Simpson (won 2012 U.S. Open at age 27), Keegan Bradley (won the 2011 PGA Championship at age 25), Dustin Johnson (eight top 10 finishes in majors at age 30) and 25-year-old Rickie Fowler (finished in the top five in all four majors in 2014).

In addition to these 30-and-under stars, the sport also includes several major champions who are in their early 30s including Adam Scott, Justin Rose, Lucas Glover, Bubba Watson and Louis Oosthuizen. Read the rest of this entry →

Even though he hasn’t won a major tournament in five years, Tiger Woods is still the richest golfer in the sport.

During 2013 we have seen a number of golfers hit the sports rich list keeping themselves amongst the world’s greatest footballer, basket ball stars and boxers. Express Golf has been through the Forbes rich list to pick out the 2013 top 5 richest golfers and a bit of background info on how they achieved these earnings.

5. Brandt Snedeker
The Nashville resident golfer Brandt Snedeker holds the fifth spot in our rankings after a great 2012 where he won the PGA Tour championship which left him at a record high world ranking position of 4 at the beginning of the year. Its estimated that his combined earnings left him with around $19m with $17m of that coming directly from tournament purses and the remainder coming from sponsorship deals.

4. Ernie Els
PGA Tour veteran Ernie Els is still keeping up his position in the rich list with an increase in the sports rich list from position 91 to 78. Ernie Els might not have collected as much in tournament purse as Snedeker but a thriving course design business as well as some high profile sponsorship deals including one with Breitling ensures that he estimated endorsement and sponsorship earnings of $16m take him above the Texan with a combined estimated earnings of $19.5m. Read the rest of this entry →

Jose Maria Olazabal - The last European to win the "Green Jacket" in 1999.

Despite the fact that the US Masters is still a couple of months away, the start of the new season in Golf means that players will be looking to fine tune their games ahead of the first “major” of the year, the US Masters, and with European players occupying the top four places in the World rankings currently, the question is whether a European can finally win the “Green Jacket”, some 13 years after the last!

It seems an eternity since Jose Maria Olazabal last won what is arguably the sport’s most prestigious tournament. His win in 1999 added to his first win at Augusta in 1994 and came after Sir Nick Faldo’s third triumph in the event in 1996. Other European winners of the Masters in a golden era for players from across the Atlantic included the late, Seve Ballesteros, who won it twice in 1980 & 1983. German, Bernard Langer, also won two “Green Jacket’s” in 1985 and then eight years later in 1993. Sandy Lyle became the first ever British winner in 1987 and while Faldo followed him with back to back wins in 1989 & 1990, it was Welshman, Ian Woosnam who took the title in 1991. However, despite recent European winners of the other three “Majors”, the Masters has seemingly become elusive for Europe’s top players.

Of course, Rory McIlroy had the 2011 Masters when he took a four shot lead into the final round but the young Ulsterman imploded early on the Sunday and his chance was very quickly gone. As we know, he made some amends a few weeks later when winning the US Open but losing the “Green Jacket” will still sit heavy on his shoulders and McIlroy will be out to avenge that final round performance in April and he is arguably Europe’s best chance of ending the 13 year wait. Read the rest of this entry →

Rory McIlroy was in complete control at the U.S. Open, but his recent tantrum via Twitter suggests that is not always the case for the young star.

US Open champion Rory McIlroy launched a seething reply to criticism of his form by Jay Townsend via social networking site Twitter.

Townsend, a former European Tour player and now a pundit for radio, criticized McIlroy’s game on the micro blogging site following a mini collapse at the Irish Open.

McIlroy surrendered a strong position of four-under par to finish one under, including hitting a double bogey at the last hole on the opening day of the tournament.

This caused Townsend to post on the website: “McIlroy’s course management was shocking. Some of the worst course management I have ever seen beyond under-10 boys’ golf competition.”

And almost immediately, McIlroy responded on Twitter by telling Townsend to “shut up. You’re a commentator and a failed golfer, your opinion means nothing!” Read the rest of this entry →

According to some golf experts, Rory McIlroy will be a dominant force for years to come.

With Tiger Woods out of this week’s British Open, the focus will once again be on Rory McIlroy, who is coming off a dominant victory in last month’s U.S. Open.

In the aftermath of his performance in the U.S. Open, many writers and past golfers have said or written that McIlroy will win multiple majors and become the next great superstar in golf.

Just a few days ago, nine-time major champion Gary Player said that McIlroy could be the next Grand Slam Winner and win all four majors in the same year “if he has the passion and the desire”.

All these expectations for McIlroy seem a bit much for a 22-year old who has only won two other tournaments across the world since he became a professional in 2007.

Perhaps the main reason to anoint McIlroy as the “next big thing” in golf is the recent decline of Woods, who has not a tournament since his infamous car accident in Thanksgiving of 2009. Read the rest of this entry →