High Hopes For Golf Open Betting Activity

Bookmaker has suggested that this week's Open at Royal Birkdale could be lucrative for the betting industry.

Bookmaker William Hill is confident that the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale this weekend is going to prompt high levels of sports betting activity.

Tiger Woods, the best golfer in the world, is not playing in the tournament, which is apparently one of the reasons record betting levels have been predicted.

Woods is out for the rest of the season and this may well tempt higher numbers of people to put their money on golf events in the next few months as the field is now arguably more open.

"Over the last few years many of our smaller stake golf punters have been put off by Tiger Woods and his absence is likely to stimulate turnover for the Open," said Hill's spokesman Rupert Adams.

With two of the favourites Sergio Garcia and Ernie Els expected to still be in the running on the final day, the company has "high hopes" of a record betting turnover, he added.

English hopes lie with Justin Rose and Lee Westwood after countryman Luke Donald withdrew from the competition with a wrist injury.