The Open / Maxliu / 09 July 2008 /

Betting on golf has been revolutionised by Betfair, you can now gamble shot-by-shot and hole-by-hole meaning the odds change literally every second. But beware, if you're having a bet on the Open, a cert is rarely a cert ... as Carnoustie 2007 proves...

As the countdown to the 148th Open Championship begins, punters will surely be asking themselves if there could be a repeat of last year's high-drama final round when three players traded at odds-on in a ten minute period.

For those with short memories Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington and Andres Romero all held winnable opportunities only to flounder as Carnoustie - Barry Burn and all -showed its teeth, turning birdies into bogeys as the nerves kicked in for three major-less but great players.

It all demonstrated the phenomenal swings of in-running golf betting on Betfair where the shortest odds can turn into double and triple figures in the space of one shot.

So there will have been jitters not just for Garcia and Harrington but for thousands of punters who either backed or layed one of the pair at odds of [1.10] and [1.16] respectively.

Harrington, matched at a high of [100.00], was backed at [1.16] on Betfair as he stood on the 18th tee. But faced with a chance for glory, he blew-up, finding the water twice to shoot a double bogey.

After trading at a pre-tournament high of [90.00], Garcia seemed to be holding his nerve with a one shot lead at the last. He was backed at [1.10] but things went awry on his approach and he was left with a six-foot putt to take the title, trading at [1.5] on Betfair.

He missed, sending the pair to a play-off which the Irishman won.

But it wasn't just Garcia and Harrington who threw away dominant positions. Andres Romero, who had been matched at [1000.00] earlier in the tournament, was two shots clear at one stage, trading at [1.9]. Costly mistakes at the final two holes put paid to his chances when a pair of pars would have been enough.

This year, the absence of Tiger Woods at Birkdale increases the likelihood of a second successive Open betting frenzy.

The course is rightly lauded as one of the great links with birdies, bogeys and, indeed, better or worse eminently possible on just about every hole.

So when you're thinking of lumping on the leader as he stands on the 18th, think about Carnoustie, Harrington and Garcia because betting in-running on golf can be an enjoyable yet volatile game.

Don't say you weren't warned!

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