Stake 3pts Kite to beat Sindelar +150 @ Coral Stake 3pts Kite to beat Torrance -110 @ Bet365 Kite performed well last week, has a formidable Open/links record and has played well here in 1997 to finish 10th. Should be a sound choice to support in match bets this week. In "normal" circumstances +150 would appear to be justifiable odds for Kite against a player of Sindelar's class. But Sindelar's links experience involves one appearance at the British Open in 1986 where he missed the cut. It's hard to say what odds Kite should be here this week but I don't believe it should be +150. Torrance has been having problems of late due to a degenerative hand injury. But before the cries of "beware the injured golfer" gets too loud, Kite has the better current form, overall form and Links form and should be at least -125 here. Kite beat Sindelar by 1 Kite beat Torrance (mc)
Stake 3pts Bland to beat Yuhara -120 @ FiveDimes Yuhara has been playing on the Japan Tour and with him missing the cut most weeks it's hard to gauge what his true level of ability is. However the key here is Bland who is a great player, supremely consistent and from his nine Senior British Open finishes his average FP is 14th. I can't see Yuhara being remotely close to that level. Bland beat Yuhara (mc)
Stake 3pts O'Meara to beat Cook -104 @ Pinnacle Stake 3pts O'Meara to beat Sluman +100 @ BetFred O'Meara still retains a huge amount of ability. He was second in this event last year and has already made the cut in events on the Asian, European and PGA tours this season. His links record is excellent, winning the Open in 1998 and has respectable finishes in previous visits to Troon. Cook has been in blinding form this season since joining the Seniors tour and has finished ahead of O'Meara in every start this season. But Cook has only two previous experiences of links golf before and both resulted in a missed cut, one of them coming at Troon and experience usually proves to be so vital in links events. Sluman falls into the same category, he has been in excellent form this season but his previous links form is not that great with an average FP of over 60th from his previous starts. O'Meara beaten by Cook by 15 O'Meara beaten by Sluman by 3
Stake 3pts Langer to beat Norman -110 @ Skybet & BlueSq Norman performed with great credit last week and deserves praise for continuing that effort over all four days. But the cold hard facts are that over the past 5-6 years he has been beaten by Langer in nearly every common event. Over the last 5 years Langer leads the h2h count 8-1 and 17-3 when looking at inidividual rounds. Norman can clearly produce it on a one of basis when conditions are in his favour, but at -110 the obvious thing to do is to side with Langer, who not only has excellent form this season but a good links record to boot. Langer beat Norman by 2
