I wonder if Tiger Woods had mixed feelings when he teed off overnight in the Australian Open. His whole life fell apart after a previous foray down under with media scrutiny of his hotel activities finally bringing his marriage and career to a grinding halt. He wasn’t able to salvage his marriage, but he does seem to be in the right mind now to rebuild his career. In a way, it would be fitting for that rebuilding process to gain a kick-start in the Australian Open.

Bookmakers are not taking risks with Woods although his price range is wide open. Some bookies have as outright favourite, others joint favourite with local hero Adam Scott, and still others second favourite behind Scott. That good news for punters as it leads to a very open market. Around the traps, the best odds on offer for Scott was 8/1 at Victor Chandler while the best odds available for Woods was through Paddy Power. You can also get 10/1 for the promising Jason Day through Paddy Power.

The Australian Open is just that this year – very open. Day, Scott and Woods head a fairly even field that includes Geoff Ogilvy, Hunter Mahan, and Jarryd Lyle who carded a very respectable seven under for his opening round. Fred Couples even managed to open with a five under while Dustin Johnson split that pair at six under. Johnson opened betting at 20/1 before being backed in to 6/1. He eased a little later to 10/1 – however, he is certainly worth watching, especially after a fairly solid year of golf.

It’s hard to pick a winner this early in the tournament. We do like Johnson and Day, however, we have a wary regard for Tiger Woods – this may just be his event this year – and he’s very well priced in golf betting.