The beauty of golf is that it is a sport that is played all over the world. As a result, the major tournament can have entrants from the likes of South Korea, Northern Ireland and Australia as well as the more common locations such as the United States of America and England. When the likes of the US Open and the Open Championship roll around, you will often see several golfers from the same country enter into it and hoping to win. A bet on them to win the entire tournament can be unlikely to win, depending on the golfer in question, but a wager on them to be the most successful player from their country might not be.
A Good Bet to Narrow the Field
There are so many variables that go into deciding which golfer will come out on top in a tournament. Some golfers play better in certain weather conditions, for example, whilst others like playing on courses that need them to be more precise with their driving. Some players enjoy playing alongside certain other players that help them to get the best out of their game, whilst some are distracted by playing with ‘friends’ and get in their own heads about it. As a result, a bet on a golfer to win a tournament overall can be unpredictable, based as much on good fortune as it is on the amount of research that you do into it all.
One of the ways that you can reduce the variables is to place a bet on which golfer will be the most successful from their country or region. It means that a bet on the most successful Spanish player, for example, removes the need to worry about how the American, British or Northern Irish golfers are getting on. If there’s an Australian leading the pack at the end of day three then that couldn’t matter less to you. All you’re interested in is whether the Spanish golfer that you chose is going to end the tournament having done better than all of the other Spanish golfers that entered the tournament on day one.
It is a Tournament-Long Wager
There are some bets, such as on the 2/3 ball betting market, that are based over 18 holes of golf and are therefore decided at the end of each day. When it comes to wagers placed on the Top Country Player, your bet won’t be decided until the end of the tournament. It is, of course, entirely possible that all Spanish players, if we stick with that nationality for the time being, miss the cut apart from the one that you bet on. In that case, you might find some bookmakers willing to pay out before the competition in question has reached its conclusion. In all likelihood, though, your bet will be going the distance before it’s settled.
The nature of golf as a sport is such that players can lose their heads with very little notice. When Jean Van de Velde arrived at the 18th tee on the final round of the Open Championship at Carnoustie in 1999, he only needed a double-bogey six in order to become the first Frenchman to win the tournament since 1907. Instead, he tried to hit the green with his second shot and ended up in rough, landing in a water hazard and stripped his shoes and socks off, climbing into the water in a debate about hitting it out from there. In the end, he scored a triple-bogey, went into a play-off and lost. Bookies don’t rush to settle bets for exactly that reason.
The Favourite Doesn’t Always Win
There will be an obvious temptation for many to place a bet on the favourite from any given group of players. If the world number 1 is an American when a competition rolls around, for example, then it will be tempting to just bet on them to be the top country player from the USA. All of the things that you would think about when betting on the outright market for a tournament still need to be thought about when placing a wager on the best player from a certain country, however. If you know that the world number 1 isn’t in good form heading into the competition, don’t automatically bet on them.
Even aside from the fact that the odds won’t be in your favour, the main thing that you need to remember is that golf is a sport that regularly makes fools of us all. A player who is the tenth-best in the national rankings can play brilliantly, with every bounce of the ball going their way, all whilst the best player hits every bunker and water hazard in sight. Think long and hard about everything from form to a player’s history with a certain golf course, as well as whether or not the pairings tend to suit how they like to play. Being the best golfer in a country has its own sense of pride, even if they don’t win the tournament itself.