British Open

Subscribe

Stephen Gallacher to beat Louis Oosthuizen - 8 points @ 8-11 (General)

I was hoping for a bit better than 8-11 for this match-up but when you make the case on all recent evidence, the prices are hard to argue with.

Scot Gallacher says he has been playing some of his best ever golf and on the evidence of last weeks final round course record 63, that is evident to all. That rise to an eventual 4th place was his 6th top-10 since January, including a win in Dubai and 6th at the Cadillac. Currently ranked 6th in the R2D, all that is missing from his formline is the consistent putting that he found late last week and if he can just keep holing a few more, he will exploit some excellent accuracy stats - 2nd in GIR and top-50 in scrambling. Winner of the Dunhill Links way back in 2004, his game is now on another level as witnessed by his T21 at Muirfield and T34 at this years Masters. A recent 18th at the Open de France is testament that his game works when accuracy is called for and he is plenty long enough off the tee to be able to use long irons at some of these holes. Naturally form is excellent in his home country, on both Links and parkland, whilst top-25s in a couple of Opens (made the cut in his last three) may be plenty enough here. There look to be very few negatives against the 39-year-old and he is expected to prove a top-20 player here this week at worst.

Oosthuizen, of course, was once ranked top-10 in the World and had a chance to get to the top but injury has told and he looks a shadow of the player that won at St.Andrews or was top-9 at both the Masters and US Open. His list of injuries reads worse than most hospital wards and already this year he has pulled out at the Indonesian Masters (back), Honda Classic and Travelers in mid June (same complaint). Even in the Byron Nelson, when plummeting down the board after a poor final round 74 when in with every chance of victory, he cited a sore back as a reason. In 2013, the 2010 Open champion withdrew a number of times due to hamstring, hip and back complaints and he simply looks a surgeon's dream at the moment. Last weeks missed-cut in Scotland will not have allayed fears and even though he has said that he is seeing/has seen a back specialist, we do not have any hard evidence after just one outing in a month that he is anywhere near right. Apart from his win at St.Andrews, his Open form isn't stunning with just a 19th place a highlight, you would worry about his body standing up to playing out of the rough too often and having had this event as one of his 'w's last season, he looks an appalling bet in any market, let alone one against an in-form player with very current stats to back his case.