15th Jul 2013 | Golf
Open Champion Tips: Thomas Aiken
Looks at home on a links course, with two top-10s in his last five Open Championships. Already a winner on tour this year.
For a rank outsider Thomas Aiken has an excellent record at the Open Championship. In the last five years he has finished T39-T8-T74-MC-T7 and like compatriot Louis Oosthuizen, surprise winner at St. Andrews in 2010, he is a much better golfer than his odds suggest.
The 29-year-old is enjoying a good year on the European Tour. He won the Avantha Masters back in March and finished T3 in the Volvo Match Play to prove he can handle playing against top opposition.
His odds are partly down to his recent results, he has missed four of his last five cuts, but his form entering the Open last year was equally poor and he still managed a top-10 finish.
Like many South Africans, Aiken feels at home on a links course. In addition to his Open Championship record, he has finished in the top-30 in four of the last five Dunhill Links championships.
At 250/1 (Boylesports) he is a cracking each-way bet with ¼ odds for a top-6 finish.
Odds correct at time of publishing: 13:52 15th Jul, 2013 but subject to change
