The Punter / Steven Rawlings / 23 August 2008 /

It's all about Henrik for Steve - whose golf betting is in worse form than those Olympic Aussies...

It's a funny thing this golf betting, sometimes its easy and winners come along like British Olympic medals and then you go on a run like I'm on now and you almost don't know which way to turn.

It's fair to say I'm on a lean run right now. In fact I've been as cold as an Eskimo's extremity the last few weeks and it's starting to grate somewhat.

Thankfully I didn't get too involved early this week, as none of my picks at the KLM Open in Holland are close to excelling.

I've added three in-running bets so far, backing a couple of old faithfuls in John Bickerton at [80.0] on Thursday and Marc Warren at [380.0] as he made his move yesterday, and I also had a decent punt on Henrik Stenson yesterday at [4.0] after he'd birdied the 4th hole, his 13th.

Bickerton finished his round with two sixes in his last three holes, dropping three shots. While Stenson didn't exactly kick on after I'd backed him but is still only one off the lead and trading at around [4.6].

I'd turned my nose up at Stenson prior to the off but now in the mix on a rather weak looking leaderboard I think he's a fair price.

Of the three co-leaders Darren Clarke is the strongest. He's by no means a solid closer nowadays but he'll be trying his hardest to catch the attentions of Ryder Cup captain Nick Faldo this week. While Alexander Noren and Robert Rock have only ever struggled from such lofty heights as this and I really do want to be against them.

With his pedigree and in the form he's in right now Stenson really should take all the beating from here and hopefully he will win, but he doesn't convert as often as he should. I don't want to be on anyone else at this stage though.

At the Barclays my sole bet, Phil Mickelson, is putting as poorly as I've ever seen him putt. In a very cruel irony his short game has completely deserted him now that he seems to be driving a bit better. He missed plenty of five/six footers again yesterday and now looks out of the hunt.

Just the one in-running selection so far and a rather disastrous one at that. Hunter Mahan had shot an incredible first round of -9, and traded at only [4.3] with three rounds still to play but he was overtaken by Steve Stricker before he even hit a ball yesterday as the veteran, playing in the morning, shot 64 to reach -10.

Playing the back nine first, Mahan interspersed bogeys and birdies in equal number throughout his first ten holes yesterday and seemed to have gotten himself back on an even keel when I backed him at [5.6].

At that time he was stood on the 5th fairway, the 2nd easiest hole on the course, some 80 odd yards from the pin, level par for the day and was just one shot behind Stricker.

The way I read it, a birdie would be the favourite outcome from where he was and he'd be level with Stricker, clear of the field. Happy days.

I read it wrong. He somehow missed the green and made bogey, was all over the shop after that and made another bogey at his final hole.

After all that though he's still in 2nd place, three behind Stricker and I've been insane enough to top up this morning at [12.0] in the hope that he can banish the memory of yesterdays 73.

So going into the last two rounds I'm pinning my hopes almost entirely on Stenson to show his class and take control. I'm no more than vaguely hopeful of a positive outcome with young Hunter but stranger things have happened.

As always, I'll review both events on Monday.

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