There are a couple of young fellows who will be feeling the heat right now, knowing they only have the one last gasp to claim a coveted Ryder Cup cap and they are Oliver Wilson, Nick Dougherty, Ross Fisher and Martin Kaymer.

Wilson, a 27-year-old Englishman, has yet to win a title but he is, nevertheless, sitting in the 10th and final automatic spot and unless he misses the cut at Gleneagles, he is more than likely the man Faldo will turn to.

Dougherty or Fisher could get the Nod
Brit, Nick Dougherty, is currently ranked 38th on the European Tour but he did impress at the recent SAS Masters where he finished tied 2nd. Ross Fisher, another in a long line of very talented young Englishmen who have recently joned the tour, is in the top ten on the ranking table at number 9 and he will have raised some eyebrows with his win at the European Open, followed bya top twenty finish at the KLM Open!

Kaymer Close to a Cap
Germany’s Martin Kaymer is another young man with oodles of talent. He has already pulled off two stunning victories this year - the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship and the BMW International Open - is ranked 12th and will hopefully be in top form in Scotland from tomorrow.

Irish bookmaker, boylesports, is clearly not impressed by the Ryder Cup hopefuls and is offering the following odds for an outright win at Gleneagles - Ross Fisher 33/1; Martin Kaymer 33/1; Nick Dougherty 40/1 and Oliver Wilson 50/1.

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Johnny Walker Championship - The Battle for Ryder Cup Points Intensifies

• SAS Masters - The Final Push for Ryder Cup Points
• Scottish Open - Loch Lomond Beckons Top International Field
• USPGA Championship - the Final Major of the Year
• Open Championship Teams are a Mouth-Watering Prospect
• Blustery Birkdale takes its Toll - The Open Championship

Ivanovic should go through without too much Ado!
French Open champion and top seed for the tournament, Ana Ivanovic starts her campaign against relative no-name, Vera Dushevina, who is unseeded for the event and currently ranked 57th on the WTA rankings. The young Russian is yet to claim a singles title on the tour and her best results at the US Open have been third round departures in 2004 and 2007. The two have met on court five times but the only time Dushevina has managed to silence the fiery Serb was way back in 2005 in Dubai, since then it has been the Ivanovic Show!

Williams’ Sisters could be too Powerful
Fourth seed, and double US Open champion, Serena Williams should be able to crush her opponent, Kateryna Bondarenko, without too much fuss. The young woman from the Ukraine is unseeded in New York and is currently ranked 46th. Sister, Venus, who confounded her critics by claiming Wimbledon this year and is seeded 7th, should have no problem with Australia’s Samantha Stosur.

Leading UK bookmaker, William Hill, is offering the following odds on the first round of the US Open - Ivanovic 1/9 versus Dushevina 5/1; Serena 1/20 versus Bondarenko 8/1; Venus 1/16 versus Stosur 7/1.

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Women’s Seeds shouldn’t be troubled in the Opening Round of the US Open

• US Open Tennis - Future Women’s Champion is a Guessing Game
• Wimbledon 2008 - Seeds blowing in the Wind!
• Tournament of ‘Minnows’ - Wimbledon 2008 Ladies’ Quarterfinals
• Rogers Cup heating up with shock demise of Federer
• 2008 French Open Betting Preview

Although Real Madrid, on paper, looks to be the far superior team, having claimed the coveted championship title for the 31st time in the League’s history and is currently hogging the number one spot on the club rankings, head-to-head statistics suggest this fiery match-up will not all be one-way traffic!

In the past decade the two teams have met on 21 occasions and Deportivo has had the better of the results, by a single victory! In fact, the last time the two teams faced off against each other, it was the club currently ranked eighth who came away with the extra points - in March 2008 Real Madrid went down 1-0 to the ‘Herculinos’.

Another point of concern for the ‘Los Blancos’ is the fact they have failed to tame their opponents on the home turf of Estadio Muncipal de Riazor since 1991!

Premier sports bookmaker, Ladbrokes, is offering odds on a wide range of options for the clash between the two Spanish clubs on the 31 August including the correct score, the time of the first goal, the total number of goals and the ‘double chance’, where punters can bet on both their club of choice and a draw at the same time. The current match betting odds are Deportivo 5/2; Draw 11/5 and Real Madrid 10/11.

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La Liga kicks off at the week-end with Defending Champions, Real Madrid away to Deportivo La Coruna

• Champions League Preview: Liverpool vs. Chelsea
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• Betting ‘Cashback’ Bonanza for Euro 2008 Semi-final Clash!
• 2008 Six Nations Betting Preview: Week Five

South Africa’s 2008 Tri Nations campaign is rapidly turning into a debacle. Led by a coach whose ineptitude at press conferences is matched only by his lack of technical nous, the Boks are staring down the barrel of another defeat in Durban on Saturday.

While the coach was quick to apportion blame to the referee for South Africa’s duck against New Zealand, it was obvious to most spectators outside the Republic that the referee could not be held culpable for the Boks squandering possession with botched kicks, nor the senseless game-plan that allowed Richie McCaw to effortlessly pillage rucks.

Australian fetcher George Smith is probably itching to have a go at the breakdown on Saturday, and unless the Boks realize that questioning the integrity of referees is unlikely to have substantial impact on the number of Springbok forwards present at ruck time, chances are the Australians will enjoy a steady supply of ball to their talented back line.

All or Nothing

Whether or not the Boks manage to patch up their game plan in time for Saturday’s test match, the Australians can still expect a tough physical encounter at the ABSA Stadium in Durban. The stadium has not been a happy hunting ground for the Wallabies, who have generally struggled to beat South Africa at home.

Both teams will enter the match knowing that a loss will effectively end their Tri Nations campaigns. South Africa are already all but out of the running, with only a slim chance of other results swinging the Tri Nations title in their direction, whereas the Australians will have the Tri Nations trophy by one handle if they manage to beat the Boks on Saturday.

Head to head stats covering the last five Tri Nations tournaments show that the South Africans have a slight statistical edge over the Australians, with eight victories to the Wallabies’ seven. None of the Wallaby victories have been achieved on South African soil.

2008 Tri Nations Betting – Australia vs. South Africa

Paddy Power has opened 10 betting markets for South Africa’s penultimate Tri Nations match. Markets include handicap betting, winning margin betting and double result betting.

Rugby fans looking for the best Tri Nations odds need look no further than the exact winning margin betting markets. Prices start at 20/1 for a 3-6 point wins by South Africa, while punters can earn 50/1 payouts on their bets if South Africa win by 19 points or more. Odds this high enable punters to place several bets to increase their chances of earning a profit from their returns.

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2008 Tri Nations Betting Preview

• 2008 Tri Nations Betting Preview
• 2008 Tri Nations Betting Preview
• 2008 Tri Nations Betting Preview: South Africa vs. New Zealand
• 2008 Tri Nations Betting Preview: South Africa vs. New Zealand
• 2008 Tri Nations Betting Preview

One of the Springbok’s biggest failures was their inability to control the ball at the breakdowns and this was largely due to the awesome display by arguably the best fetcher in the modern game, Richie McCaw and this week’s battle for possession will not be made any easier when the main protagonist is the Wallaby’s stellar performer, George Smith.

Jantjies to start at Full Back
The South Africans have to win the game in Durban on Saturday if they want to remain in contention and coach, Pieter du Plessis, has already made a couple of unforced changes to the starting line up - Conrad Jantjies will run on at full back in place of the veteran of 100 tests, Percy Montgomery and Ricky Januarie has been replaced by Fourie du Preez at scrum half. Jantjies’ inclusion could well add a bit of potency to a back line that is missing the scintillating pace of Brian Habana, who is injured.

Jongi Nokwe will win his second cap on the wing and if he can get the ball in hand, he, too, has blistering pace. Hopefully we will see a lot less of the poor kicking game the Springboks have employed in the past couple of games!

Sports bookmaker, betfred, is offering the following odds on an outright win - South Africa 4/9; Draw 20/1 and Australia 7/4.

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Tri Nations Rugby - From Champs to Chumps if the Boks don’t Win this One!

• Tri Nations Rugby - Home Run for the Springboks
• Boks need Speed and Agility to conquer Wallabies in Perth - Tri Nations
• Can the Red Dragons tame the ‘Beast’ at Loftus?
• 2008 Tri Nations Betting Preview
• Opening Salvos of Tri Nations 2008 - All Blacks vs Springboks

Three Different Grand Slam Winners Already!
This year’s grand slam results have been a real mixed bag of tricks - for the first time in a quite a while there is no one dominant player ruthlessly claiming all the WTA and grand slam titles with gay abandon. Already, this year, we have seen three different grand slam champions - Sharapova in Melbourne, Ivanovic in Paris and veteran, Venus, in London.

The defending champion of the US Open, Justine Henin, has quit the professional game and none of the top ranked ladies have really put their hands up and grabbed the top spot by the jugular.

Ana Hanging on to Top Spot by Default
Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic is currently at the top of the ranking table but mainly by default - since her brilliance in the French, Ana has failed to impress. She crashed out of Wimbledon and the Canada Masters in the third round and has not played since, citing a thumb injury. She was propelled back to the top spot mainly because her nearest rival and the current number two and second seed for the US Open, Jelena Jankovic, has had a number of poor results!

International bookmaker, PartyBets, is offering the following odds on the outright winner of the final slam of the year - Ana Ivanovic 4/1; Jelena Jankovic 9/1; Serena Williams 11/4 and Venus Williams 16/5!
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UK Betting Guide

US Open Tennis - Future Women’s Champion is a Guessing Game

• Wimbledon 2008 - Seeds blowing in the Wind!
• Women’s Seeds shouldn’t be troubled in the Opening Round of the US Open
• 2008 French Open Betting Preview
• Tournament of ‘Minnows’ - Wimbledon 2008 Ladies’ Quarterfinals
• Wimbledon 2008 - The Battle for the Heart of Ladies’ Tennis

The Gold and the Number One Spot!
Nadal belted up the rungs of the ATP ranking ladder on Monday and for the first time in four and a half years the man we have admired for his elegant stroke play and wonderful sportsmanship on and off the courts, the Master of pro tennis, Roger Federer, will not be the leading light of world tennis.

The feisty young man from Majorca was, for the very first time, named as the top seed for the US Open, the final grand slam event of the year, and traditionaly the favoured haunt of his arch rival, Federer. Although Nadal has never won the US Open - his best results to date have been the quarter finals - he has been in breathtaking form this year and having wrapped up both the French Open and Wimbledon in style, the odds will definitely be in his favour.

Nadal has also just claimed the gold at Beijing and had he not lost at the Cincinnati Masters, he would have extended his careeer best winning streak past 32 matches! The remainder of the seeds follows the ATP ranking table with Roger Federer as the number two seed and Novak Djokovic the third seed for the showdown at Flushing Meadows starting on Monday 25 August!

Boylesports Backs Raffa to Win his Third Grand Slam in a Row!
Premier bookmaker, Boylesports, is offering the following odds on the outright winner - Rafael Nadal 13/8, Roger Federer 5/2 and Novak Djokovic 3/1.

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US Open Tennis - Can Nadal end the Season on a High?

• Beijing Olympics - Nadal’s Gold within his Grasp
• Wimbledon - Safin’s Shock Upset Cracks the Championship Wide Open
• Can Embattled Federer Find Form in Toronto?
• Murray’s Dash for Olympic Gold begins Today!
• Rogers Cup heating up with shock demise of Federer

Pietersen took over the reigns from retired captain, Michael Vaughan, prior to the fourth and final test at the Oval with great success and to make things even sweeter, the shortened form of the game is arguably one of his many strengths.

Shah Promoted Up the Order
Both the England and South African squads look markedly dfferent to their test teams and Pietersen has already implemented a couple of changes to the batting line-up in an effort to use the big hitters to the best advantage. He has dropped himself one place down the batting order to number 4 and new kid on the block, Owais Shah, will move up from number 7 to number 3!

Gibbs Returns to SA Squad
The South Africans have flown in a number of their one day specialists including the precociously talented opening batman, Herschelle Gibbs, who has recently gone through a bit of a slump but is one of the finest batsmen in world cricket when he finds his touch. Another exciting young batsman is JP Duminy who missed out in the test arena but is being groomed for a big future once the likes of Kallis and Prince step out if the limelight.

Whatever the result, the game should be a real cracker as long as the English weather doesn’t spoil the party! Ireland’s leading bookmaker, Paddy Power, is offering odds on a range of options including the top run scorers for each team, the highest opening partnership and which team will hit the most sixes. The current match betting odds are England 11-10 and South Africa 4-6!

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T20 - Can Pietersen Stamp his Authority at the Riverside?

• Bookmakers Back KP to win the Man of the Match at the Oval
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Chelsea 4 Portsmouth 0
Only Blackburn Rovers’ 3-2 triumph over fifth placed Everton could be viewed as an upset but what was arguably the match of the entire week-end was Chelsea’s drubbing of Portsmouth 4-0. It was only a fortnight ago that the League champions, Manchester United, battled to sudue Pompey and had to rely on penalties to claim the coveted Community Shield!

New Chelsea coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari, has clearly stamped his brand of football on his talented charges and although it is too early in the season to make a judgement call, Chelsea is already looking like the team to beat this season.

20 September - Clash of the Giants
Chelsea’s next outing is against Wigan on 23 August but it will hardly be a real tester for the team that came second in last year’s Premier League season. The date to pencil into your diary is 20 September -it will be the clash of the giants of the EPL, Chelsea versus Manchester United and maybe then we will get a clearer pitcure as to which team will triumph this season!

UK’s leading bookmaker, Ladbrokes, is also backing Chelsea all the way and is offering the following odds on the final outcome of the EPL 2008/09 season - Chelsea 5/4; Manchester United 6/4; Arsenal 11/2 and Liverpool 6/1.

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English Premier League - Chelsea Hot to Trot

• Community Shield - Red Devils take on Pompey at Wembley
• EPL - Manchester United versus Newcastle at Old Trafford
• Weekend Football Bonanza
• Premiership Betting Preview: Arsenal vs. Manchester United
• Midweek Football - Chelsea & Old Firm Derby

Theo Walcott

This fast-paced striker / winger only showed some signs of his true talent last season whilst keeping a relatively low profile at Southampton. With his move to Arsenal this season and Hleb moving onto Barcelona - the time is perfect for Walcott to fill the boots over on the right wing of Arsenal’s attacking line-up.

Luka Modric

Spurs did well to sign the midfielder before Euro 2008. Croatia’s Euro 2008 campaign was ignited by Modric’s performance and could easily have made Spurs fork out more cash to sign him. Modric has some sublime insight and vision in the game and is definitely a playmaker to watch.

Brad Friedel

Aston Villa finished in 3rd place with the highest scorers in the Premier League - but with Friedel leaving Blakcburn for Villa - things look solid at the back this season. Considered a veteran in the Premier League - this American has a steady pair of hands and here’s hoping he serves Villa well.

Deco

Landing this man for a mere £8m could be the transfer value deal of the close season. Deco has won the Champions League with two different clubs – Porto and Barcelona. Can he help motivate Chelsea to lift a trophy again?

Robbie Keane

Keane signed up with Liverpool at a cool £20m - perhaps to pricey? But even so, Keane is an astute signing by Liverpool. Keane can score goals and create them, and is the kind of striker who should compliment Fernando Torres beautifully.

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The Premier League’s Golden Boys?

• Premier League Clashes + Old Firm Derby
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• English Premier League - Chelsea Hot to Trot