The big four of Irish golf

Sports gamblers in Ireland, particularly gamblers on golf, have a unique opportunity this weekend to select the winner of the Irish Open golf tournament with three of the four Irish major winners as the top three favourites with the bookmakers. The Irish Open which started yesterday on the banks of Lake Killarney has struggled recently to find even a title sponsor, but following Rory McIlroy’s remarkable success at the US Open and Darren Clarke’s equally popular win at the British Open, the Championship is now secured. Irish golf gamblers will find the extremely talented Rory McIlroy as 5/1 favourite, with Padraig Harrington and Graeme McDowell joint second favourites at 16/1 with Paddy Power, although golf gamblers can get 20/1 on Padraig with Ladbrokes. The composure and return to form of Darren Clarke just a couple of weeks ago may also encourage gamblers on golf to view odds of 25/1 with both Paddy Power and Ladbrokes as perhaps the most enticing bet. That Ireland have produced four major winners from what is a relatively small population is a remarkable achievement, and has already opened up the question as to whether the Ryder Cup should be staged in Ireland in the near future. Padraig Harrington has won four major titles since 2007 and is credited with being the inspiration for the success of firstly Graeme McDowell who won the US Open in 2010, followed by Rory McIroy who retained the US Open title for Ireland in 2011. Darren Clarke has of course been competing for the golf majors for many years, but his triumph at the Open was for many Irish golf fans the icing on the cake in what has been a remarkable four years for Irish golf. Can Irish sports gamblers find a winner from one of these exceptional Irish golfers.