This year’s second Major takes place on a public course in Farmingdale, New York. Bethpage Black is the site of this year’s U.S. Open Championship. Tiger Woods is the defending Champion after last year’s 18-holf playoff win over Rocco Mediate. He also won the last Open played at Bethpage back in 2002. He was the only golfer to shoot under par for the Tournament.
Bethpage is 200 yards longer than it was in 2002. The 3rd hole is a 232 yard par-3! Are you kidding me? The green is protected by 3 bunkers and is set diagonally making it fairly shallow in depth. The green also runs off in all directions. The 7th hole is a 525 yard par-4. Its 8 yards longer than the par-5 fourth. Par is going to be an excellent score on this hole. The 8th hole is listed as a 230 yard par-3. The USGA plans on mixing up the yardage on this from 135 to 230 yards which will make this a very exciting hole.
The back-nine gets started with two 500 yard par-4’s on 10 and 12. The 17th is a 207 yard par-3 that is surrounded by deep bunkers. This will be an exciting and pivotal hole this week. The 18th hole is a 411 yarder with a cluster of bunkers on both sides of the drive zone. Players can get aggressive and go past the bunkers, but the fairway quickly narrows. The approach shot is uphill to a blind putting surface that slopes from back to front.
Be sure to check out BoDog Sportsbook for all your U.S. Open betting needs this week. Below is a list of the current odds and props for this year’s Championship.
I’m not going to go nuts picking a bunch of golfers here since Tiger Woods is the prohibitive favorite, but here are three guys I’m taking a shot on that would pay much better than Tiger:
Paul Casey 25-1: The 3rd ranked player in the World is on the cusp of winning his first Major. He’s finished in the top-20 in 7 of his last 12 Major starts. He’s also having his best year to date finishing in the top-20 in 6 of his 8 tournaments. Ranked 25th in driving and 19th in putting, Casey is a sure bet to be in contention come Sunday.
Retief Goosen 33-1: The 40-year old Goosen is still a threat to win Majors. He’s a two-time U.S. Open Champion and has been playing well this year. He’s made 10 of 11 cuts so far on the PGA Tour. Par is a great score here and I trust him to be smart enough to adjust his game and play conservative enough to have a shot.
Angel Cabrera 50-1: How can you not take this guy seriously in Majors anymore? He surprised everyone two years ago at the U.S. Open, then proved that it wasn’t a fluke this year by winning The Masters. He’s big bomber that will easily be able to reach these long soft fairways this week. The bookmakers obviously think he’s not a favorite.
Padraig Harrington to Make/Miss the Cut? MISS The Cut +250: Harrington has already missed 5 cuts this year. His driving distance is 118th and accuracy off the tee is ranked 169th. His 136th ranked putting also doesn’t give me any confidence that he’ll make the cut despite winning the last two Majors of 2008.
Will Phil Mickelson Finish In the Top Ten Including Ties? YES -120: Despite his family issues at home, Phil will be ready to play this week. Grabbing a top ten finish here is almost a lock.
Will There be a Hole in One? NO -175: There are some tough long par-3’s at Bethpage Black. Most players will probably just be playing to get a safe landing on the green.
Paul Casey Finishing Position. 18th or better. 23/20: As I mentioned above, Casey will be in contention on Sunday, so a top 18 finish is a solid play.
Good luck to everyone and enjoy the 2009 U.S. Open!
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