British Open Matchups – Mickelson, Padraig and US Open Champ Graeme McDowell

Who’s ready to make some golf bets?

With the British Open right around the corner, let’s take a look at some great tournament matchups.

Phil Mickelson (-120) vs. Padraig Harrington (-110): For pure golf enthusiasts, this might be one of the most exciting matchups on the board, as both Mickelson and Harrington come into this Open Championship with major titles under their belt, looking for another.

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For the Lefty, we all know his accomplishments, as he’s won four total, most recently at the Masters in April. Padraig, who has been struggling for much of the last 18 months has two major wins, both at the British.
And despite his struggles, Padraig should be your play here. The reason is, that Phil’s, wild, eccentric style of play just does not blend well with the unpredictable rain, wind and weather that we see in England in July. He’s had just one top 10 finish in his last 10 starts at the British Open.

Therefore take Padraig. Despite his recent downturn, at least we know he can get it done at the Open Championship, winning titles in both 2007 and 2008. Make him your golf bet!

The Pick: Padraig Harrington (-110)

Justin Rose (-135) vs. Luke Donald (+105): Looking for a matchup that pits two born and bred Englishmen going head-to-head? Look no further than these two.

Rose of course is most famous for his triumphant run to fourth place at the 1998 British Open, although even recently there are few hotter players on tour than the 30-year-old. He’s won two of his last three starts, including most recently at the AT&T National just a few weeks ago. Donald is playing well too, and although he has yet to capture a title in 2010, still has four top-10 victories.
So with both playing well, who should be your golf bet? Take Rose.

In any sport, recent play is a great indicator for future success, and no player has been as good lately as Rose. He’s striking the ball well, and is also top 10 on tour in sand saves and putting, meaning that his whole game is coming together at the perfect time.

The Pick: Justin Rose (-135)

Graeme McDowell (-125) vs. Ian Poulter (-105): If anything shows the depth of British golf right now, it’s that Rose, Donald, Lee Westwood and these two are all considered amongst the favorites at St. Andrews.

For McDowell, we all know his story, as he came out of nowhere to capture the 2010 U.S. Open for his first tour victory, and in the process became the first Englishman to win the crown since 1970.

Poulter on the other hand has had a slightly quieter year, yet still cashed in for $1.4 million when he took down the Accenture Match Play Championship earlier this season.

So who’s the play here? We’ll take Poulter. As great of a story as McDowell is, it’s not like he was tearing up the tour prior to the U.S. Open. In his six other starts, he missed two cuts including at the Masters, and had just one other top 10 finish.

The only golf bet here is Poulter. Wager on him today!

The Pick: Ian Poulter
Sources: ESPN.com, PGATour.com