Woods the hot ticket at 5-1 as history favours American

GREG Norman, Ernie Els, Nick Faldo and Colin Montgomerie might as well go home now.

The last four British Opens held at Troon were won by Americans, and Masters champion Tiger Woods is a hot favourite to be number five.

The young star is a 5-1 shot to follow Arnold Palmer (1962), Tom Weiskopf (1973), Tom Watson (1982) and Mark Calcavecchia (1989). Els and Montgomerie are on the next shortest odds at 10-1.

'Tiger Woods has already sparked a major boom in golf betting,' a Ladbrokes spokesman said. 'If Tiger is in contention and there is a close finish, then turnover could even be up towards GBP10 million.' But what if Tiger fails? The odds on Woods, playing his first British Open as a pro, missing the half-way cut are only 4-1.

Leading odds were 5-1 Woods, 10-1 Montgomerie and Els, 12-1 Lehman and Norman, 16-1 Faldo and Nick Price.