S.P.Read Esq: The Open

Our daily columnist and pundit S.P. Read Esq. looks ahead to THE OPEN and finds the best opportunities available on Star Spreads, the home of sports spread betting.

He couldn’t…… could he ???

By winning the first two majors of the year Jordan Spieth is already in an elite club of five and given he’s just 21 it can be described as nothing but “quite remarkable” as Peter Alliss might say.

The kid from Texas has already won The Masters and The US Open and bids to become the first player since Ben Hogan 1953 to win the first three majors of the year. If he wins The Open and goes on to win the PGA Championship the golfing record books will implode.

After his US Open win, Spieth was asked about the possibility of winning all four majors in the same year and said: ‘You can’t win them all unless you win the first two’. He ain’t lacking in confidence – that’s for sure.

He’s favourite with Star Sports fixed odds to lift the Claret Jug on Sunday, despite playing only one round previously at the unique challenge that is St Andrews and that was four years ago when he was a teenage amateur.

Since then he has been learning more about the Old Course on a golf simulator !

Rival Ian Poulter said: “I use the same simulator that Jordan uses. They’re very good from a visual standpoint, but there’s nothing like the real thing. You obviously can’t putt on them and you can’t judge the wind. I’ve never seen a simulator blow, have you? There is no proper preparation apart from playing, but I can tell you Jordan will be there or thereabouts.”

Spieth’s task is undoubtedly easier (if ‘easy’ is a word you can use when it comes to St Andrews?) by the absence of world No.1 and defending champion Rory McIlroy who is out with a football inflicted ankle injury.

Three Star Spreads trades for me this week and Spieth has to be one of them on the 80/40/30/25/20/15/10/5 index.

JORDAN SPIETH
HENRIK STENSON
JASON DAY

CHECK OUT FULL RANGE OF STAR SPREADS MARKETS ON THE OPEN

Stenson tied for third at The Open in 2010 when it was last played at St Andrews and the world number six should make another bold show this year.

Jason Day put in an exceptional performance in the US Open (eventual share of ninth) allowing for the fact he collapsed with vertigo during his second round.

Hopefully no repetition of those medical issues for Day.

THURSDAY TEE-TIMES

(British and Irish unless stated (a) denotes amateurs)

6:32 Thomas Bjorn (Den), Greg Owen, Rod Pampling (Aus)
6:43 Todd Hamilton (USA), (a) Paul Dunne, James Hahn (USA)
6:54 Graham Delaet (Can), Brian Harman (USA), Russell Knox

7:05 Alexander Levy (Fra), Matt Every (USA), David Lingmerth (Swe)
7:16 Robert Streb (USA), Joost Luiten (Ned), Matt Jones (Aus)
7:27 (a) Jordan Niebrugge (USA), Anthony Wall, Byeong-Hun An (Kor)
7:38 Sandy Lyle, Charley Hoffman (USA), Kevin Na (USA)
7:49 Shane Lowry, Retief Goosen (Rsa), Kevin Streelman (USA)

8:0 Luke Donald, Hunter Mahan (USA), Carl Pettersson (Swe)
8:11 Billy Horschel (USA), Victor Dubuisson (Fra), Ross Fisher
8:22 (a) Oliver Schniederjans (USA), Webb Simpson (USA), Graeme McDowell
8:33 Ernie Els (Rsa), Brandt Snedeker (USA), Tom Watson (USA)
8:44 JB Holmes (USA), Brendon Todd (USA), Shinji Tomimura (Jpn)
9:0 Bubba Watson (USA), Ian Poulter, Charl Schwartzel (Rsa)

9:11 Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia (Esp), Patrick Reed (USA)
9:22 Matteo Manassero (Ita), (a) Romain Langasque (Fra), Darren Clarke
9:33 Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn), Dustin Johnson (USA), Jordan Spieth (USA)
9:44 Kevin Kisner (USA), Paul Lawrie, Ryan Palmer (USA)
9:55 Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa), Jason Day (Aus), Tiger Woods (USA)

10:06 Brooks Koepka (USA), John Senden (Aus), Tadahiro Takayama (Jpn)
10:17 Stewart Cink (USA), Ben Curtis (USA), David Duval (USA)
10:28 Greg Chalmers (Aus), Mikko Ilonen (Fin), David Howell
10:39 David Hearn (Can), Raphael Jacquelin (Fra), Eddie Pepperell
10:50 Tyrrell Hatton, Scott Arnold (Aus), (a) Paul Kinnear

11:01 Daniel Brooks, Adam Bland (Aus), Gary Boyd
11:12 Jonathan Moore (USA), Scott Hend (Aus), Ryan Fox (Nzl)
11:33 Marcel Siem (Ger), Jaco Van Zyl (Rsa), Mark Calcavecchia (USA)
11:44 Thomas Aiken (Rsa), Jonas Blixt (Swe), David Lipsky (USA)
11:55 Soren Kjeldsen (Den), Morgan Hoffmann (USA), Danny Lee (Nzl)

12:06 Pablo Larrazabal (Esp), Cameron Tringale (USA), Richie Ramsay
12:17 Ben Martin (USA), Hiroshi Iwata (Jpn), Steven Bowditch (Aus)
12:28 George Coetzee (Rsa), Anirban Lahiri (Ind), Rafael Cabrera Bello (Esp)
12:39 Wen-Chong Liang (Chn), Pádraig Harrington, Marc Warren
12:50 John Daly (USA), Jason Dufner (USA), Miguel Angel Jimenez (Esp)

1:01 Zach Johnson (USA), Bernd Wiesberger (Aut), Tommy Fleetwood
1:12 Gary Woodland (USA), Danny Willett, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha)
1:23 Geoff Ogilvy (Aus), Francesco Molinari (Ita), Bill Haas (USA)
1:34 Mark O’Meara (USA), Russell Henley (USA), (a) Gunn Yang (Kor)
1:45 Bernhard Langer (Ger), Tom Lehman (USA), Justin Leonard (USA)

2:01 Ryan Moore (USA), Hiroyuki Fujita (Jpn), Stephen Gallacher
2:12 Martin Kaymer (Ger), Jimmy Walker (USA), Adam Scott (Aus)
2:23 Jamie Donaldson, Yuta Ikeda (Jpn), Keegan Bradley (USA)
2:34 Matt Kuchar (USA), Phil Mickelson (USA), Henrik Stenson (Swe)
2:45 Rickie Fowler (USA), Justin Rose, Nick Faldo
2:56 Branden Grace (Rsa), Jim Furyk (USA), Paul Casey

3:07 (a) Ashley Chesters, Harris English (USA), Andy Sullivan
3:18 Koumei Oda (Jpn), Marc Leishman (Aus), Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Tha)
3:29 Edoardo Molinari (Ita), Romain Wattel (Fra), James Morrison
3:40 Mark Young, Daniel Berger (USA), Pelle Edberg (Swe)
3:51 Ben Taylor, Brett Rumford (Aus), Tom Gillis (USA)

4:02 Alister Balcombe, Scott Strange (Aus), Marcus Fraser (Aus)
4:13 Taichi Teshima (Jpn), Robert Dinwiddie, Rikard Karlberg (Swe)

CLICK FOR THE OPEN MARKETS ON STAR SPREADS

RECOMMENDED BETS (scale 1-100 points)

BUY SPIETH on THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERBOARD 80/40/30/25/20/15/10/5 at 18 for 15 points with Star Spreads
BUY STENSON on THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERBOARD 80/40/30/25/20/15/10/5 at 9 for 15 points with Star Spreads
BUY DAY on THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERBOARD 80/40/30/25/20/15/10/5 at 6 for 15 points with Star Spreads

• Any spread prices quoted are indicative and as always prices are subject to fluctuation.
• Please note the opinion, views and forecasts above are of the author and not of Star Spreads.