Golf, the gentleman’s game is one of the most loved sports to watch, bet on and participate in around the world. We take a look at some of the top golf betting tournaments around:
The Masters – also known as the US Masters and Masters Championship is the first major golf championship of the year. Usually played in the first week of April, it is held in the same venue each year at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, USA. The winner of the tournament is awarded a green jacket and must return it to the clubhouse one year after his victory. The first US Open was won by Horton Smith in 1934, 2015’s winner was 21 year old Jordan Spieth after an epic battle between Justin Rose, Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy, making some golf betting enthusiasts pale with anxiety.
The US Open – the United States Championship is the second of the four major championships in golf. It is played on a variety of courses across the US and is usually held in June. The US Open is open to any amateur or professional with an up-to-date mens USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 1.4. The first championship was held in 1895 and won by Horace Rawlins. The 2015 US Open was again won by Jordan Spieth, who was the bookies favourite with betting odds of 5/1 for the win at the start of the 2015 Open.
The Open Championship – The Open Championship often referred to as The British Open or just the Open, is the oldest of the four major golf championships and is played on courses around the United Kingdom. The 144th Open was played at St Andrews in Scotland in 2015 and won by Zach Johnson in a nail biting 4-hole playoff against South African Louis Oosthuizen and Australian Marc Leischman. The first Open was held in 1860 and won by Willie Park Snr. It is a 72-hole stroke play tournament and runs over four days, Thursday through to Sunday in July of each year making it an exciting tournament to bet on. Zach Johnson was an outsider at 80-1 and a bet at those odds would of resulted in a great win.
PGA Championship – the US PGA is the season’s final major golf tournament and is referred to as the official money event of the PGA, European and Japan Golf tours with its purse of $10 million in 2014. PGA Champions are automatically invited to the other 3 majors for five years and are exempt from qualifying for the PGA for their lifetime. It is therefore a very lucrative championship to win. The PGA is hosted at a number of courses around the US and was won in 2015 by Australian Jason Day at the Whistling Straits course in Wisconsin. Gary Player is the only South African golfer to date that has won the US PGA. This is the last chance to place bets on a major championship for the year, so it’s best to get your bets in early.
Presidents Cup – The Presidents cup is a number of matches played by a team representing the USA and an international team representing the rest of the world (excluding Europe). Europe competes against America in the Ryder Cup. The competition consists of 12 players per side and a non-playing captain who is responsible for pairing the teams in the foursome and fourball events. To win the Presidents Cup a team must accumulate 17.5 points. It is only held every 2 years and in 2015 will be played at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in October. Betting at the Presidents Cup is unique because of the various markets available that are not usually found in singles competitions.
Nedbank Golf Challenge – The Nedbank Golf Challenge was previously known as the Million Dollar and is played every year at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, South Africa. It attracts many of the worlds highest ranking players and is an official tournament of the Sunshine Tour and the European Tour. The winners share of the prize money ranges from between $1 million and $2 million with Ernie Els being the leading money winner of this event. The Nedbank Golf Challenge was won by British, Danny Willet in 2014 and is played in November of each year. Golf betting fans are gearing up to place their bets on this years winner.
Golf Betting
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