The South African Open gets underway on Thursday and is returning to the Durban Country Club for the first time since 2005, and the winner of that 2005 tournament, Tim Clark, shares ante-post favouritism with Ernie Els this week. William Hill have them both at industry best priced odds of 9/1 to win a tournament that has been dominated by South African players in the past.
South African Clark will feel confident of recording his third South African Open win this week after winning twice in 2002 and 2005, both times at the Durban Country Club. It is a course he clearly favours and he is currently the third highest ranked South African in the world. He is currently 27th in the world overall and comes off the back of a second placed finish at the recent Nedbank Golf Challenge.
Clark will face a strong opposition from Ernie Els who will always be in and around the top of the leaderboard. Els appeared to be getting back to somewhere near the top of his game with a tied 5th finish at the Nedbank Challenge after some tough times during 2010, and at 9/1 with Hills he looks good value. Also part of the South African contingent is Charl Schwartzel who continues to impress following a brilliant 2010 season and he is 10/1 to win the South African Open this week. It is a tournament he has never won, with a tied second his best effort back in 2005, but he should be in the mix again this year especially as he is coming off the back of a tied second place at last week's Alfred Dunhill Championship. His odds to place this week are 2/1 with williamhill.com.
Schwartzel finished second to the eventual winner Pablo Martin at the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek, and Spaniard Martin in fact successfully defended the title he won in 2009. Martin's odds of winning this week have shortened to 25/1 with William Hill as the Europeans attempt to half South African dominance of the tournament - 8 of the last 10 winners have been from South Africa. Or perhaps more realistically, Martin to finish in the top 10 is 11/4.
Remarkably, Scotsman Richie Ramsay did produce the only European win of the past ten years by winning in 2010, and he is as large as 50/1 to repeat the feat this year. Finally, Louis Oosthuizen has continued to struggle with the weight of expectation since his British Open win and missed the half way cut at Leopard Creek last week after incurring a penalty with a practise swing, and his odds of 25/1 with William Hill highlight his recent woes.
South African Open Tips
Tip #1: Tim Clark to win @ 9/1
Tip #2: Pablo Martin to finish in the top 10 @ 11/4
Tip #3: Charl Schwartzel to place @ 2/1
9/1 Tim Clark
9/1 Ernie Els
10/1 Charl Schwartzel
10/1 Retief Goosen
25/1 Pablo Martin
25/1 Louis Oosthuizen
25/1 Jaco Van Zyl
28/1 Thomas Aiken
33/1 James Kingston
33/1 Jbe Kruger
33/1 Vaughn Taylor
Odds supplied by WilliamHill.com bookmakers, who provide a variety of betting markets for the South African Open.
Posted: Tuesday, 14th December 2010
Author: Chris James
Tags: european tour, tim clark, ernie els, european tour, william hill,
 | Alfred Dunhill Championship Odds Schwartzel Heads Betting To Win On Home Soil Robert Rock looks good bet to finish as top Britain in South Africa | 7th Dec |
 | Nedbank Golf Challenge Betting South African Els To Win On Home Soil Ernie Els aims for fourth win in the tournament | 1st Dec |
 | Chevron World Golf Challenge Odds Woods Favourite But Strong European Challenge Expected 18 Top Players Compete for Top Prize in California | 1st Dec |
 | LPGA Tour Championship Odds South Koreans Choi And Shin Head Betting For Season Ending Event Worlds top players in Orlando for final event of ladies PGA Tour | 1st Dec |
 | Dubai World Championship Betting Update Lee Westwood Remains Favourite To Retain Title Kaymer in control of Race To Dubai title as McDowell falls away | 26th Nov |
Headline News
 | Euro 2012 Top Goalscorer Betting Preview Mario Gomez Favourite To Land Golden Boot Robin Van Persie In The Mix At The Head Of The Betting |
 | BMW PGA Championship Betting Luke Donald Starts Favourite At Wentworth Defending Champion Can Reclaim World Number One Ranking |
 | Crowne Plaza Invitational Odds Zach Johnson Heads The Betting At Colonial David Toms Returns To Defend His Title In Texas |
 | West Ham Odds On To Stay Up On Return To The Premier League Next Season Hammers Short Priced For A Bottom Half Finish Though |
 | Russian Grannies Lead Eurovision Semi Final Odds Jedward Ready For Battle |
BRAND NEW £250 free bets offer.
Open Account - Free £250 Bets With Paddypower
£25 free bet with William Hill.
Open Account - Claim £25 Free With William Hill
Claim a massive £50 free bet with teh leading bookmaker Ladbrokes
Open Account - Free £50 Bet at Ladbrokes
The UK based bookmaker Betfred is now offering a £50 free bet for new clients.
Open Account - Free £50 Bet With Betfred
New £50 free bet offer.
Open Account - Free £50 Bet With Coral
BetVictor is offering £100 in free bets to all new clients.
Open Account - Open Account - Free £100 Bets With BetVictor
Up to £200 worth of free bets with Bet365.
Open Account - Claim £200 Free With Bet365
Those looking for some online casino entertainment ought to check out all the latest UK Casino Sign Up offers from the top operators including 32Red and many of the sports betting casinos.
There is excellent information, should you be interested in playing online blackjack, roulette, the best progressives or slots - Online Casino Betting with the best introductory offers
Bookmark This Page