pga tour: US Open Golf 2011

Ocimnet - PGA Tour: The 2011 US Open is the second golf major tournament of the year and the 2011 tournament takes place at the Congressional Country Club.

The 2011 US Open dates are 16 June – 19 June and will feature the world’s best players, although Tiger Woods will be absent due to injury.

Bettingpro will be providing a range of 2011 US Open golf tips to their readers, with the bookmakers offering a range of betting markets on one of the biggest sporting events in June. There will be countless opportunities to place pre-tournament bets on the tournament along with the chance to bet In-Play when the first round gets under way.

Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell is the defending US Open champion and he sent a warning to his rivals after paying a visit to the Blue Course in May, tweeting: “No-one will break par”.

The latest US Open golf betting has Phil Mickelson among the favourites and the American has been “Mr Consistency” when it comes to this tournament despite never registering an all-important victory. Consistency could be the key on a course that may not give much leeway to the participants, with long straight drives required all the way round.

Lee Westwood has spent part of 2011 at the top of the world rankings but has never won a Major despite being one of Europe’s leading players over the years. Therefore the 38-year-old will be desperate to silence the critics once and for all by finally breaking his duck at the US Open 2011.

Another Englishman who is difficult to overlook is Luke Donald, who has won both the Accenture World Match Play and BMW PGA Championship in a superb year that has seen him rise to the top of the world rankings.

One man who will be determined to set the record straight is Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman was on the brink of winning the 2011 US Masters earlier this year until a dramatic collapse in the final round saw him fall out of contention and left many customers tearing up their golf betting slips.

The US Open golf odds will change on a regular basis once the action starts, with bookmakers such as bet365 and Ladbrokes offering a wide range of In-Play markets. In addition to the outright market, there is also the chance to bet on the outcome of selected three-balls, while many bookies also serve up the chance to bet on Round 1 and Round 2 leader.

In-Play betting on golf can be tremendously exciting, with the odds changing on a hole-by-hole basis. This was in evidence at the 2011 US Masters, where Rory McIlroy was strong favourite going into the final round, while Charl Schwartzel was backed at big odds before triumphing.

Congressional Country Club measures an intimidating 7,574 yards. Mike Davis recently revealed plans to shorten several holes for a round to Golf Digest. The US Open is the toughest test in golf, opportunities need to be created by great shots, not an easier course set up. Already giving players an extra stroke by playing to a par 71, there is no need to shorten other holes. The following are the holes that are planned to be shortened and how this affects their difficulty.

[via - Bleacherreport]