Betfair Official Blog

Open purse tempts treble-chasing Tiger

Tiger Woods will be gunning for a bumper first prize of £750,000 as well as the 51-year-old record of Peter Thomson at this month's Open at Carnoustie.

The prize-money is an increase of £30,000 on the amount Woods won last year, the Royal and Ancient announced, with the total purse for the event up £200,000 on 2006 to £4.2 million.

R&A boss Peter Dawson said: "Equating to $8.4m, this increased prize money reflects our goal of maintaining the Open at the forefront of world golf."

The first prize at the Open is the most lucrative of golf's four majors with Zach Johnson picking up £650,000 for his Masters win and Angel Cabrera earning a paltry £630,000 by comparison for clinching the US Open last month.
World number one Woods, who banked £610,000 at last year's USPGA, is bidding to become the first player to win the Claret Jug three times in a row since Thomson did it in 1956.

Without a Major win this year, Woods is trading at 1.71 to miss out at both Carnoustie and in the defence of his USPGA crown in Tulsa next month.

The 12-time Major winner is 2.8 to win one of the remaining two titles to be decided this year and can be backed at 13 to claim both championships.
Be sure to keep an eye on Betfair for the full range of Open Championship markets leading up to the July19-22 event.