Written by :
Published on :
The 2008 British Open winner is Padraig Harrington.
Padraig Harrington was the reigning British Open champion and came in with 22/1 odds at Sportingbet, which was currently offering excellent payout odds on the upcoming Ryder Cup (September 16-21).
Harrington left bookie Paddy Power on the wrong side of a €5 million payout last year.
Ireland's favourite golfer was backed at odds as big as 33/1 and 25/1 before the tournament began.
The biggest bet reported by Paddy Power was one of €5,000 at 25/1 returning a massive €130,000 to the lucky paddypower.com punter.
The story throughout much of the day was Padraig Harrington vs. Greg Norman, but Norman had fallen behind in the final two hours of play.
Ian Poulter from England crept up as the big 66/1 odds long shot to tie in the first place.
Poulter received the coveted Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year in 2000. His best finish was #9 in the 2006 PGA Championship. England has not taken home a championship at the British Open since 1992 when Nick Faldo won it. The United States has won ten of the last thirteen British Opens.
England (Poulter, Chris Wood), Ireland (Harrington), The United States (Norman, Anthony Kim) and Sweden with Henrik Stenson were well represented among the contenders down the stretch.
-----
Alistair Prescott, Gambling911.com
Originally published July 20, 2008 12:44 pm EST
