At 6.30am tomorrow morning, the first ball of the 2009 Open Championship will be struck in anger by New Zealand’s Michael Campbell on the Ailsa course at Turnberry in Ayrshire. Although Campbell is a major championship winner I doubt very much he’ll be tapping in to win the tournament on Sunday evening, but hopefully our little preview will give you some pointers on who to have your golf bet on this year.

It’s no surprise that Tiger Woods not only heads the market but is also being tipped up by all and sundry. Woods is as short as 9/4 with totesport, but layers can take some solace in the fact that he’s not won on these shores for two years, albeit missing last years Open through injury! Regular readers will know that we rarely tip up Tiger, which has more to do with his price than his obvious credentials. Of course Tiger is a deserved favourite but as shown in the US Open last month, there’s still enough doubt on these tight courses with punishing rough to show his vulnerability since coming back from injury.

If we take Tiger out of the picture, Sergio Garcia at 22/1 in the betting market would be my main pick. Garcia has been much maligned for failing to clinch his first major when in contention in the Open two years ago and the PGA last year. I’ll accept that his putting has been his main achilles heel over the last few years but in terms of his ball striking only Tiger is better. Putting of course is vital but if you can’t get the ball to green in regulation then it becomes less of a factor.

There are signs of improvement in Garcia’s putting with a top ten finish at the US Open last month and word is he’s been giving this tournament all the prep time it warrants as he looks to make a bold bid. It’s time for ‘El Nino’ to step up and the Turnberry course is ideally suited to his game so expect a big week.

The flip side of this argument is that you need to be a good putter to scramble pars on these Open Championship layouts, hence why Padraig Harrington (20/1) has won the last two tournaments on the bounce. Harrington’s drop in form this year has been attributed in the main to the Irishman’s constant tweaking of his swing, but the stats suggest his short game is also suffering and for this reason he cannot seriously be considered to take his third Open on the trot.

If you’re interested in backing a British player, then you could do worst than taking a close look at Ian Poulter. Forgiving his allegiance to Arsenal for a moment, his record in the Open is good, finishing second to Harrington last year and having had a couple of top thirty finishes previous to that. Poulter might not be everyone’s cup of tea, especially if you’re a French photographer, but he’s displayed some real steel behind the flamboyance with last years place and good showings at the TPC and last years Ryder Cup. If Poulter’s in the mix come Sunday then he’ll certainly give it everything coming down the stretch. The price isn’t great at 28/1 but that’s a tip in itself as the bookies are keeping him on side for this one!

Being the Open Championship we have the usual invasion from across the pond and barring Tiger the support seems to be for American Hunter Mahan (33/1). Mahan comes here in very good form having had three consecutive top ten finishes in the States plus he also has a top ten finish to his name in the Open back in 2007 at Carnoustie. However, it’s another American with a good Open record that catches the eye in the shape of former winner Ben Curtis.

Curtis, a winner back in 2003 at Royal St Georges has come back from obscurity having finished in the top ten on his last two visits to the Open Championship. Add to that a good performance in last years PGA, his first Ryder Cup appearance and some course time spent over here on the European Tour this summer he looks a cracking bet at 40/1 with totesport.

Further down the betting, there’s a certain Frenchman that could prove to be the fairytale story of this years Open Championship. Thomas Levet qualified via the back door after American Brett Quigley refused his invitation for the last spot. Levet actually has a decent record in the Open, having finished fifth at Troon in 2004 and losing out in a play-off to Ernie Els two years before that at Muirfield. He’s also been in very good nick this summer with a win in the Spanish Open back in May and three top ten finishes in Europe since then. At 125/1 with totesport the Frenchman with the big smile could be the the third big priced winner of a major this year!

So these are our four stand out picks for this years Open Championship, although there are plenty of claims elsewhere. The likes of Lee Westwood (22/1) and Rory McIlroy will receive some home support but Westwood seems unable to get over the winning line and McIlroy is ridiculously short priced at 20/1 joint second favourite.

The likes of Ernie Els (28/1) and Jim Furyk (25/1) also seem to have lost the ability to win a tournament whilst Paul Casey and Henrik Stensen (both 28/1) lack the game for links golf.

For a real outsider, Chris Wood catches the eye at 200/1 with totesport. He took the tournament by storm as an amateur last year finishing fifth and hasn’t disgraced himself in his rookie season on the European Tour. He might be worth some small each-way stake interest this week.

Open Championship Betting Selections:

Sergio Garcia 22/1

Ian Poulter 28/1

Ben Curtis 40/1

Thomas Levet 12/1

Chris Wood 500/1

For all your golf betting on the Open Championship this week visit totesport.