British Open / Paul Krishnamurty / 15 July 2009 / Leave a comment

Golf is notorious for throwing up big priced winners, even at the biggest events. So here are four selections for this week's Open Championship who are all trading at over 250 on Betfair's winner market.

Both of this year's major winners started in triple figures; Angel Cabrera around the [150.0] mark in the Masters, while Lucas Glover pulled off the biggest US Open shock in many a year at [400.0]. With Tiger Woods starting at such prohibitively short odds, all sorts of top-class players are relegated to the 'outsiders' category, so there's every chance we will see a third upset of the year. Moreover, as Paul Lawrie, Ben Curtis and Todd Hamilton have proved in the last decade, not to mention last year's serious challenge from Greg Norman, this is a tournament where outsiders repeatedly come to the fore.

The shortest price among my four selections is the mere [260.0] available about Stephen Ames. The naturalised Canadian, originally from Trinidad and Tobago, has a reputation as one of the finest 'wind players' in world golf, which is widely expected to be an essential attribute for success at Turnberry.

Ames fits into that category of consistent players who have earned a great living at the game's highest level without landing the major title that would define their career. He has won the next best thing though; the 'Fifth Major', otherwise known as TPC Sawgrass. There's plenty of time to improve on that though, and top-20s at both of this season's majors so far further strengthen the case for a bet in the one that most suits his talents.

Darren Clarke fits a similar profile as a top-class player for whom a major title would redefine his career's efforts, and there would certainly be no more popular winner. He's always been one of the very best links golfers, and has six top-15 finishes to his name in the Open, challenging seriously for the Claret Jug at Troon in 1997 and Lytham in 2001. And while his career has certainly seen better days, it is less than a year since Darren last won on the European Tour, on another links course in Holland.

Anyone who saw Darren's dire final round at Loch Lomond will doubt the wisdom of even the most speculative of trades at [330.0], but to dismiss his chance on that one round would be unfair. Clarke has been working hard to find some form in recent weeks, and is driving the ball as accurately as anyone. If he can maintain that form with the driver at Turnberry, he will be moving up the leaderboard while others hack around in what is apparently very penal rough.

One old theory for picking major winners is to back the player who finished second in the preceding event. At [280.0], Loch Lomond runner-up Gonzalo Fernandez Castano is no forlorn hope by any means. That was the Spaniard's fourth runners-up spot of 2009, but as he'd won in each of his four years on the European Tour previously, I reckon that bad run can be put down to luck rather than a lack of bottle.

Castano's long game looked in superb shape over the weekend, and he showed considerable prowess for playing in windy conditions when finishing second earlier this year in Korea, amidst some appalling weather. Gonzo's one fatal weakness this season has been a very poor putting stroke, but I reckon putting ability may be slightly less emphasised than usual around this tough course.

At least so far as the raw stats are concerned, there's nothing to suggest Graeme Storm will get competitive, but given his solid recent form and general profile, I reckon there's trading potential at [450.0]. In fairness, last year's 39th is arguably better than it appears, as Graeme was on the fringes of contention with nine holes to play.

As a good 'bad weather player', the aptly-named Storm strikes me as the type to go close in a good Open one day, and with the emphasis on accuracy, Turnberry might just be the place.