September 27th, 2010
Jim Furyk - what a guy!
Amazing. Last week I had my biggest win ever. Yesterday I broke that record by winning a total of £51.30 on The Tour Championship!
That means I now have a running profit total of £78.93. So I suppose if you add in the £20 initial stake I am less than £2 short of my £100 target which I aimed to reach by the end of the Ryder Cup, which is actually happening next weekend.
However, I am away on my own golf weekend next weekend so will be unable to bet. I think though to all intents and purposes I have reached my target and have therefore decided to entend this experiment anyway to see just how far I can go.
How did I win over £50 on the Tour Championship? Again I joined it late on the final day and saw that Jim Furyk was leading by 2 shots with about 5 holes to go. Now Jim Furyk is a formidable competitor and a major winner and I could just not see anyone in the chasing pack catching him. The chasing pack included Retief Goosen, Luke Donald and Paul Casey. I just kept betting that the chasers would not win. I never actually bet that Jim would win.
Now if Jim won this event it meant he would also win the Fedex Cup which is like a league system based on previous tournaments this year. As it turned out he did have a bit of a wobble and needed to par the final hole (a par 3) to win both events and a total of 11 million pounds!
He put his tee shot into a bunker and then played a superb bunker shot to within 3 feet. That meant he had a 3 foot put for 11 million dollars. That is pressure.
He holed it though which was a fantastic result for him - and for me 
Bets Outstanding: 0
Current Profit or Loss: +£78.93
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Tags: Jim Furyk, The Fedex Cup, The Tour Championship
Posted in Day By Day Account | 4 Comments »
September 13th, 2010
Woodsy celebrates Bookers' biggest win so far!
Yep – I have been a bit quiet on the old betting front since my holiday, but last night joined the BMW Championship coverage early enough to get a handle on what was happening.
Paul Casey was leading by 2 or 3 shots at the time but, I’m sorry to say, has a history of blowing it at the vital moment. I therefore decided to back the guy behind him most likely to win. That guy was Dustin Johnson.
In the run in to the culmination of the event I also backed against 3 or 4 guys who I thought were too far behind to win – and so it proved.
Dustin played a superb pitch to within 3 feet at the 17th which set him up for the birdy he needed to simply be able to par the last to win. Casey bogied 3 of the last 4 holes.
“Insider” knowledge, or at least some knowledge about the history of certain golfers really does help!
The upshot being I made the biggest win of my career pocketing just over £41!
That means I am now back into profit, but still have some way to go if I am to make my target of £100 profit by the end of the Ryder Cup which is played the 1st to the 3rd October, so I don’t have much time left!
C’mon Bookers you can do it!
Bets Outstanding: 0
Current Profit or Loss: +£27.63
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Tags: BMW Championship, Dustin Johnson, Paul Casey
Posted in Day By Day Account | 1 Comment »
August 23rd, 2010
Arjun Atwal Wins (and I Lose)
Yes I’m back from my hols folks and placed my latest bets on the Wyndham Championship finale.
Followed my usual strategy of waiting until the final few holes before deciding who would “choke”.
Unfortunately for me I picked the wrong guy!
However, I am very pleased that Arjun Atwal did win, despite me betting against him, because he actually made history by becoming the first Indian to win on the PGS Tour – and I like seeing history being made.
My man David Toms lost out by a shot.
To be honest I joined the competition too late to really suss out the options. Had I started watching earlier I think I would have backed Arjun because I love a good romantic story
Bets Outstanding: 0
Current Profit or Loss: -£13.87
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Posted in Day By Day Account | 3 Comments »
July 31st, 2010
Hi folks.
Just a quick note to explain that I am on holiday in sunny Turkey until 16th August so normal service will be resumed on my return.
Stay tuned!
Tags: bookers on holiday
Posted in Day By Day Account | 1 Comment »
July 19th, 2010
Oosty Wins For Bookers! (and himself)
OK, so Justin Rose didn’t show in the Open at all, but that didn’t stop me winning around £17
Here’s how I did it.
I decided to leave further bets until the final day of the event because that’s when things really happen.
There is almost no point in betting on a golf event until the final day because golf is so unpredictable. Rory McIlroy for example carded the lowest ever first round in a major the first day of The Open with a 63. The next day he was blown off course!
So South African Louis Oothuizen had a 4 or 5 shot lead going into the final day and watching the opening holes it was apparent that no-one was making birdies – which they needed to do to catch him.
Right. Bet against all the pursuers and for Oosty.
Paid off a treat – and is another big step on the ladder back to profit
Bets Outstanding: 0
Current Profit or Loss: -£5.83
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Tags: Louis Oosthuizen., The Open 2010
Posted in Day By Day Account | 4 Comments »
July 13th, 2010
Justin to Win The Open!
That’s it then. The World Cup is finally over and the VuVuZelas are silent (thankfully).
And the best team eventually won! Well done Spain!
It was a mixed World Cup for me with probably more bets lost than won. Germany didn’t actually win the cup after all of course, but further bets on Spain winning and there being less than 3 and 4 goals scored in the final ensured that my progress back continues apace.
Plus I won on the golf at the weekend again. A small amount won on Paula Creamer, who won the ladies US Open, and a little bit more won because Paul Goydos did the decent thing and didn’t win the John Deere Classic I won just over £10 this weekend.
And a good weekend’s betting to come then too as the Open Championship is on at Saint Andrews! Notice that I don’t say the British Open because it is “The Open” (much to the annoyance of our American friends). Woodsy is again the favourite, but he still hasn’t regained his form since his life was turned upside down. I have a sneaking suspicion that Justin Rose may maintain his great current form so have had a small punt on him!
Bets Outstanding: 1
Justin Rose to Win The Open! - £2
Current Profit or Loss: -£23.56
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Tags: Justin Rose, Paula Creamer, Spain, The Open, World Cup
Posted in Day By Day Account | 5 Comments »
July 5th, 2010
Yes!
Let’s just run a quote from my last posting again:
“I have already bet that Ryan Moore, Jason Day and Jeff Overton will not win, so let’s hope Justin holds his nerve this week and doesn’t choke like he did last week.”
…and that’s exactly what did happen making me £11.35 in the process!
Well done Justin Rose. He didn’t get a win for something like 7 years and has now won twice inside 3 weeks. That’s golf!
Bets Outstanding: 4
Germany to beat Spain - £4
Netherlands to beat Uraguay – £5 (confident!)
Germany to win the World Cup - £2 + another £2!
Current Profit or Loss: -£33.60
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Tags: Justin Rose, World Cup semi-finals
Posted in Day By Day Account | 4 Comments »
July 4th, 2010
So the Netherlands did indeed beat Brazil, and Germany gave Argentina a footballing lesson – both earning me a few bob. Uraguay eventually went though on penalties v Ghana, which was a total travesty and an injustice. Plus I lost my bet there because it was a draw after 90 mins and extra time.
And so on to the AT & T National golf tournament where again, Justin Rose is leading going into the final day.
I have already bet that Ryan Moore, Jason Day and Jeff Overton will not win, so let’s hope Justin holds his nerve this week and doesn’t choke like he did last week.
If he does choke then I will choke too.
Current Profit or Loss: -£44.95
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Tags: AT & T National
Posted in Day By Day Account | 4 Comments »
July 2nd, 2010
“I get knocked down – but I get up again
You aint never gonna keep me down” – Chumbawumba
Yes I am bruised and bloodied but I just dust myself down and go again…
OK, the World Cup Quarter Finals will pan out this way:
Bets Outstanding: 5
Netherlands to beat Brazil (controversial!) – £2
Uraguay to beat Ghana – £2
Germany to beat Argentina - £2
Spain to beat Paraquay – £2
Germany to win the World Cup - £2
Current Profit or Loss: -£51.52
Tags: Quarter finals, World Cup 2010
Posted in Day By Day Account | 4 Comments »
June 28th, 2010
I am toast!
On no…
I don’t believe it.
I suppose it just had to happen.
I have just discovered what it is like when the bookie takes a hammering. I guess it was always a dangerous strategy but it has worked for me before. And you know what? It very nearly worked for me again.
What happened you ask? Well, I was watching the culimination of the Travelers Championship last night and I had been the bookie and, as you already know, bet that various players would not win – one of them being Bubba Watson. Menwhile I had bet that Scott Verplank would win. To cut the story shortish, they both finished level along with veteran Cory Pavin and all 3 took part in a play-off.
Pavin was quickly eliminated leaving Bubba and Verplank to battle it out. The second play-off hole was a short par 3. Verplank missed his putt. Bubba had a 4 foot putt to win. If Verplank had won this thing I was looking at smashing my target by £30 or so. But Bubba made his putt which cost me nearly £100!
Bubba has killed me!
I am now down overall – heavily down. I am now facing a giant task to hit my target.
I am gutted! So close to being home and dry – and now so far away.
I could literally cry. Blubber like Bubba did after his win.
Well done Bubba for getting your first win on tour.
You have nearly killed me.
And the Germans beat England!
Gutted.
It’s a long way back.
The Stats:
Bets Outstanding: 2
Japan to beat Paraguay – £2
Spain to beat Portugal – £2
Germany to win the World Cup - £2
Current Profit or Loss: -£51.52
Tags: Bubba Watson, Corey Pavin, Germany v England, Scott Verplank, Travelers Championship
Posted in Day By Day Account | 2 Comments »
