2 August 2011
This is a further continuation of reports on the Golf Bet Profits results.
Week 27 – This week was devoted entirely to the British Open at Sandwich, Kent. As you might expect, there were a large number of bets – ten in all – but only one long-standing tip proved to be the most fruitful, with a strange twist. Of the main bets Padraig Harrington and Ian Poulter missed the cut, Jason Day tied in 30th, Robert Rock 38th, Gregory Havret 57th and in the two 72-hole matchbets, Phil Mickelson won his tie against the odds but Rikki Fowler beat Louis Oosthuizen by eight strokes to level the matchbet ties. There were two extra win bets: five points win on Dustin Johnson who tied in second place and one-point win on Chad Campbell who tied in fifth position. Had the position been left there we would be looking at a loss of 16 points, but then again we have not accounted for a two and a half points each-way bet on Rikki Fowler advised way back on 13 January 2011. It was part of the first email of bets I received when starting the Golf Bet Profits review which was to be placed with Stan James at 80/1. As Fowler finished in joint fifth the investment obviously had some return. I telephoned Stan James and they confirmed that the bet would have made 35 points; 50 points less a 15-point reduction due to three tying in fifth. The strange twist in this tale is that, when the Open selections were emailed on 13 July, the reminder of the ante-post bet suggested it was with Paddy Power at 100/1, completely different to the original advice. When I emailed the author after receiving the latest 100/1 price I did not receive a reply and after the competition was over the proofing service, operated by Betfan, claimed Fowler had won 60 points via a bet through Paddy Power at 100/1. I have since contacted PP and they have confirmed that the each-way points should then be divided by the number tying on that score. So the profit should have been only 20 points, not 60, despite the fact that this was not the original bet. Surely, once you have made an ante-post bet it is virtually written in stone until the competition is at an end. You cannot change anything. So why has a company, who runs a proofing service and who would have received the bet at the same time as myself, in January, then decided to go along with a completely different bet?
I would welcome anyone’s opinion on this matter because I have stronger words I could use to describe these actions, but I stand alone against organisations and individuals who have vilified me in the past. A profit of 19 points on Week 27 – overall a loss of 10.24 points.
Week 28 – The competitions this week involved the Canadian Open and the Nordea Scandinavian Masters. Only four bets this week with Luke Donald the only bet in Canada. He shot his best round in the last with a 67 to finish joint 17th. In Stockholm we had Johan Edfors, tying in 40th and Robert-Jan Derkson tying in 29th. There was a 72-hole matchbet between Fredrik Andersson Hed and Scott Jamieson who beat the Swede by 15 strokes, so a complete set of defeats for the service. A loss of 15 points on Week 28 – overall a loss of 25.24 points.
Week 29 – For this week we covered The Greenbrier Classic in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia and The Irish Open at the Killarney Golf & Fishing Club in County Kerry. Hopes were pinned on Phil Mickelson in the States, but two poor rounds made sure he missed the cut. Ricky Barnes, who had a bad first round to tie in 95th position, recorded a 65 in the second to tie in 15th, but after a 69 in the third to still be in with a shout, equalled his first-round score of 72 to finish joint 39th. The 72-hole matchbet was declared a non starter after Brandt Snedeker fell ill, a similar situation to Paul Lawrie in Ireland who withdrew after the first round. Shane Lowry, the main bet in Ireland, was ten over par after the second round, so he missed the cut. The 72-hole matchbet did not go as planned with Frenchman Raphaël Jacquelin beating Mark Foster by three strokes. It was appropriate, I feel, to introduce an extra bet this week. Two bets down before the second rounds meant there was ‘spare money’ kicking around to try and fetch in some profit. So a three-point win on Gary Woodland in the USA was justified. It was felt right to oppose leader Anthony Kim with Woodland, who is a “monster hitter” and it was felt this could be the time for his first win. Although Kim failed miserably in the final round, Woodland finished one shot behind the leaders and a chance to go into the play-off, which was won by rookie Scott Stallings after he birdied the first hole to win his first competition. A loss of 16 points on Week 29 – overall a loss of 41.24 points.
Total loss carried forward after 29 weeks = 41.24
A loss of 12 points was made over these three weeks, the last two making no profits at all. I am not sure if the golfing season actually finishes, or whether it is like tennis when there are competitions all year round, but Golf Bet Profits is billed as a ‘long-term investment’ and at the moment the service has only been in profit a few times in the year, but not enough to justify the membership fee. Things have to improve in order for a positive conclusion to be drawn.
Best Regards
Sergeant John
