The first major golf championship of 2011

This week sees the start of the Augusta Masters golf championship, the first golf major of 2011. Practice starts today and the first round tees off on Thursday, 7^th April with a field including fifteen past winners of the prestigious green jacket. Gamblers on golf always love the major golf tournaments because of the almost continuous live media coverage which these tournaments enjoy throughout the world, enabling gamblers to follow their favourites at every hole. Most bookmakers have installed Tiger Woods as the favourite for this year’s event, with odds of 8:1 at Ladbrokes and Paddy Power, even though Tiger has not won a golf tournament since his return to the game and is currently only number 5 in the world golf rankings, behind four Europeans. With six Europeans in the top 10 world golf rankings, many gamblers on golf would suggest that the 2011 green jacket winner will be from this side of the Atlantic, with last year’s runner up Lee Westwood and the current world number 1 Martin Kaymer looking worth a gamble at 14:1 and up to 18:1 respectively. Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy, the two Irish golf heroes are both at 33:1 with Bet365 and even though neither has won this golf tournament, many Irish gamblers on golf would probably consider either or both of them worth a gamble this year. Gamblers on golf cannot of course discount last year’s winner Phil Mickelson, and again most bookmakers have Mickelson as second favourite to repeat last year’s win and retain the green jacket, with odds of 8:1 or 9:1. Will the 2011 Augusta Masters golf championship have a new European winner of the green jacket, or can the two leading Americans, both former winners, keep the European challenge at bay. Is it time for an Irish winner to claim this golf major championship and if so, will gamblers on golf also be winners. We will know on Sunday night.