Gambling is a virtual pastime in the U.K., with the British Open one peak.
By BOB HARIG
Published July 16, 2003
SANDWICH, England - Across from a takeout fish and chips store, appropriately located between two banks in this centuries-old town, is a small shop you won't find in America.
Sandwich Turf Accountants LTD was doing brisk business Tuesday amid the din of cigarette smoke and the constant ringing of video arcade machines. The Open Championship is but a few miles away, and this is the closest spot to place a wager on the action.
Much like the wind-swept links filled with pot bunkers, legal sports gambling is part of the unique atmosphere at the British Open. In fact, "punting," as gambling is called in the United Kingdom, is so common that the PGA European Tour has an official bookmaker, Victor Chandler. And it is not uncommon for such an establishment to be on site at a tournament.
The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, which runs the British Open, does not permit that here. No matter. There are no fewer than a dozen betting shops in the surrounding area.
"Over here, people are always chasing the next pound," said Douglas Proctor, a writer for the Sunday Post in Glasgow, Scotland. "They'll literally bet on flies going up a wall. You think I'm joking, but I'm serious. You never see a poor bookie in this part of the world. They're always running around in Mercedes."
Jon Tudor, 40, might take exception. For 20 years he has been associated with Sandwich Turf Accountants, a dingy, dank establishment not much bigger than a walk-in closet that is part of a 400-year-old building. Betting slips and newspapers are scattered about, with a cast of regulars who are on a first-name basis with Tudor, now the owner.
He is an independent bookie, which means he is not part of a chain of such betting houses. The United Kingdom has some 8,500 betting shops, and online betting is hugely popular.
Tudor posts the odds from all the major chains, then gives customers the best bets. And in golf, the possibilities are endless.
"You can bet on just about anything you can think of, and plenty that you can't," Tudor said.
For example, picking Tiger Woods to win is a pretty standard bet. Tuesday the odds were 11-4. Defending champion Ernie Els was 7-1, with Masters champ Mike Weir at 18-1 and U.S. Open champ Jim Furyk at 20-1.
A bolder bet might be putting money on Greg Norman at 150-1 or Tom Watson at 250-1.
Or you can hedge somewhat by betting a player "each way." That means at one-fifth the odds, you can bet him to finish in the top five.
Then there are the more interesting bets, and just about anything goes. You can pick the top American finisher, or the top American without Woods. Three years ago, when Woods took a six-shot lead into the final round, he was taken off the betting boards.
You can get odds on players beating the others in their threesome during the first two rounds, or head to head when they play in twosomes on the weekend. You can get odds on whether a player will make or miss the cut.
Some bookmakers get even more creative. They set up a points system based on predicting the number of players who finish under par and the number who make the cut and on predicting the best round.
There is a bet called "Golf Coldshots" that gives points if John Daly, David Duval, Michael Campbell or Rory Sabbatini misses the cut, with a bonus if all four miss. And there is one called "Taking the Mick," which gives points every time Phil Mickelson follows birdie with bogey.
Mickelson, a noted gambler on and off the course, would have to appreciate that. Chances are some of the competitors in the British Open will wander in to place a bet, either here or at one of the other shops such as Morrisons, Ladbroke's or William Hill. They are not likely to admit it, however.
Though the European tour sees no problem with players gambling, the PGA Tour is a bit more touchy about it. Gambling is prohibited on the PGA Tour, though officials look the other way when players put a wager on their games during practice rounds. And because this is another country, the rules are blurred a bit more.
"I usually know the odds on me," former British Open champion Justin Leonard said. "But I never set foot in there."
Nick Price, an interesting bet at 33-1, said he does not wager on himself. But more than a decade ago, he took a shot on Australian Ian Baker-Finch, who won in 1991 at Royal Birkdale.
"I bet him 100 pounds each way," Price said. "I think I won 4,500 pounds in a 200-pound bet. It paid for my whole trip."
In years gone by, before purses became so huge that players need not worry about relatively small-time wagering, it was common for players to bet on themselves. In 1972, when Lee Trevino stymied Jack Nicklaus' Grand Slam bid at Muirfield, his winning share of the purse was just $14,000. He claims to have won more from the bets he placed on himself.
Tudor said golf betting will make up 60 percent of his business this week but that horse racing is far and away No. 1, followed by greyhound racing. The British Open, however, is the biggest annual sports betting event in the United Kingdom.
Even American football gets some action here. You can get odds on which team will win the Super Bowl, with half odds on the same team making it to the big game. For the record, the Eagles are favored to win the Super Bowl at 7-1, with the Bucs next at 8-1.
Eric Silk, 63, is contemplating whether to bet on Davis Love at 33-1. He looks for value. A native of Sandwich, Silk lives in Charleston, S.C., but returns to his homeland each summer to take in the British Open and to visit family in this southeastern English town.
"There is a fascination with betting here," Silks said. "It is ingrained in the English public in general. You've always had legal gambling. You can bet on anything. They're always laying out odds. And golf has always been part of it. But golf is a gamble, isn't it? I always look at the best-priced golfer before placing a bet."
Silk has yet to make up his mind, but he has plenty of time and just a short walk to Sandwich Turf Accountants. Even he shakes his head.
