US Open / Paul Krishnamurty / 16 June 2009 /

A matchbet is a great way of enjoying a tournament as even if your player finishes amongst the also-rans he can still be a winner. Paul Krishnamurty picks three players who can get the better of a rival (Miguel might not be looking so proud if he reads this)...

For me, there's no better way of getting the maximum entertainment value out of the US Open than playing a selection of tournament matchbets. Usually in this major, the field tends to get rather strung out and at least half of those making the weekend have foregone any serious chance of winning by that stage. But even if your selection is miles off the pace, a matchbet ensures your bet interest remains for the whole weekend. With double bogeys and worse a permanent threat on any US Open course, large deficits between two players can be transformed very quickly. Here are my three best picks.

Vijay Singh to beat Kenny Perry @ [2.1]

Though this hasn't been Vijay Singh's best major, his record is still very consistent and vastly superior to that of Perry. In over 20 years of playing the event, Perry has only one top-10 to his name, whereas Singh has reached that position six times.

In previous years, Singh would have started an overwhelming favourite for this 72-hole match, but because his 2009 form has been inferior, the Fijian is available at a mouthwatering [2.1]. In fairness, until a month ago, even considering their event histories, Singh would have been hard to back because his form was so poor. But typically for this resilient character, Vijay has bounced back with finishes of sixth, 19th and ninth in recent weeks.

Over the same period, Perry has also slipped back from his previous heroics. Since throwing away the Masters, Perry hasn't made a top-20, and there must be a concern that he will never get a better chance of winning a major. It would certainly be something of a shock if Perry were to get that close at Bethpage.

Ben Curtis to beat Miguel-Angel Jiminez @ [1.75]

Even though he has performed well in the US Open before, Jiminez is very much a player to oppose. The Spanish veteran hasn't performed anywhere near his best since the first week in February, and is in nowhere near the form of last year when he finished sixth, let alone than when runner-up in 2000.

Curtis looks a far likelier contender, and a solid bet at around [1.75]. As I've argued elsewhere, the former Open champion rates a decent speculative bet to win the event. That may yet prove to be an ambitious target, but doing enough to beat Jiminez should not be. I reckon Ben will win this matchbet if he reaches the top-30.

Eduardo Romero to beat Andres Romero @ [2.2]

While they share a surname and nationality, it would be hard to find two more contrasting golfers than Eduardo and Andres Romero. Whereas the former is a vastly experienced senior; albeit one that has aged better than most; Andres remains a talented, but extremely erratic prospect whose best years are ahead of him.

The younger man will start favourite for this match, because he is the only one who can actually win the event if on his best form, but for match betting purposes that assumption may not stand up. For while Andres can be brilliant, he can also be terrible. He hasn't made a top-30 since February, and often racks up huge totals. His ultra-attacking game could be exposed on a brutal US Open course, where numerous disaster holes lie in wait.

In direct contrast, while Eduardo has no pretensions beyond making the cut, his experience should be enough to avoid any embarrassing scores. Anything above [2.2] about Eduardo in this match would appeal.

'.$sign_up['title'].'

'; } } ?>

:

:

:

?

: